Wat Damnak Siem Reap

Wat Damnak is a pagoda and teaching monastery located over the river from the Old Market (Psar Chas) in central Siem Reap. There are multiple gates around the grounds from which you can enter the Wat.

Inside Wat Damnak

Inside the main compound you can find the Wat Damnak Learning Centre, Primary School and the Council of Monks on Angkor Pagoda Affairs (CoMAPA), each with their own building. There is also the Center for Khmer Studies.

There is a small lake with fish and turtles swimming inside, as well as many stupas and some Chinese Khmer grave stones. The wat its self is fairly large inside and across the road is the crematorium building.

On some of the doors you can see bas-reliefs taken from the Cambodian epic poen the Reamker, which is based on the Hindu Ramayana.

History of the Building

The wat is a relatively modern pagoda, having been completed in 1927. Before this it served as the royal residence of King Sisowath between 1904 and 1927 – damnak means residence in Khmer. During the Khmer Rouge regime, the wat was used as a military base, with the revolutionary committee formed here.

Close to the wat is Cuisine Wat Damnak, one of the finest restaurants in Cambodia, established by esteemed French chef Joannès Rivière.

Nearby Attractions

The wat is placed in a popular part of town for expats away from the bustle of Pub Street across the river. In recent years many of the popular bars and restaurants such as Laundry Bar and Miss Wong Cocktail Bar have relocated to Street 26 on the same side of the river as Wat Damnak, making this the in place to be in Siem Reap. However, it is only a short stroll to Pub Street so you really can have the best of both worlds here.