Save Kompong Preah Heritage Site
Donation protected
My name is Virak Roeun, a freelance architect from Cambodia. I am working with a group of heritage enthusiasts on a charity project aiming to provide support to the Kompong Preah community and its heritage site.
Kompong Preah is located in Kompong Chnnang province and it's about a 3 hour drive from Phnom Penh. Within Kompong Preah is a heritage site with pre-Angkorian temples, and a late 19th century Wat. These buildings are situated on the floodplain of the Tonle Sap lake, but were built on the elevated point and have never been recorded as flooded. The Wat is a sacred place for Cambodians to practice Buddhism. It is also a very important community space, used as a place for children to play and for adults to meet and discuss community issues. The Preah Vihear of the Wat Kompong Preah building is undeniably an important part of the country’s heritage. It has a unique designed wooden fronton (decorative panel). The other fronton was stolen. Originally, there were three pre-Angkorian towers on the site but one was destroyed completely by thieves. We believe that this site and the Wat need to be protected as part of our heritage. Unfortunately the surrounding community is not wealthy, and many do not know that the history of these buildings.
We visited the site and community on the 30th of June 2017 to assess the immediate needs of the area. We discovered that
· The praying hall of the Wat is in a very dilapidated state and immediate action needs to be taken to prevent structural collapse. The roof is leaking allowing rain water to destroy the wooden columns, original tiles and the sanctuary inside.
· Parts of the two remaining pre-Angkorian towers are gradually disappearing due to lack of maintenance, and the towers are not protected.
· There is not signage explaining the historic importance of these buildings.
Due to its importance for Cambodia and the surrounding community, we are setting up a foundation aiming to support the community and its heritage site. The national budget for the heritage renovation is limited, so we are asking for your donation to support renovation and the local community. Some budget will go to fix the roof of Preah Vihear of Wat Kompong Preah to prevent it from leaking. If we receive a permission from the Ministry of Fine Arts of Cambodia, two fences will be built around two pre-Angkorian temples to prevent these form stolen.
We are posting information about our foundation through:
https://www.facebook.com/Kampongpreahfoundation/?pnref=story
Kompong Preah is located in Kompong Chnnang province and it's about a 3 hour drive from Phnom Penh. Within Kompong Preah is a heritage site with pre-Angkorian temples, and a late 19th century Wat. These buildings are situated on the floodplain of the Tonle Sap lake, but were built on the elevated point and have never been recorded as flooded. The Wat is a sacred place for Cambodians to practice Buddhism. It is also a very important community space, used as a place for children to play and for adults to meet and discuss community issues. The Preah Vihear of the Wat Kompong Preah building is undeniably an important part of the country’s heritage. It has a unique designed wooden fronton (decorative panel). The other fronton was stolen. Originally, there were three pre-Angkorian towers on the site but one was destroyed completely by thieves. We believe that this site and the Wat need to be protected as part of our heritage. Unfortunately the surrounding community is not wealthy, and many do not know that the history of these buildings.
We visited the site and community on the 30th of June 2017 to assess the immediate needs of the area. We discovered that
· The praying hall of the Wat is in a very dilapidated state and immediate action needs to be taken to prevent structural collapse. The roof is leaking allowing rain water to destroy the wooden columns, original tiles and the sanctuary inside.
· Parts of the two remaining pre-Angkorian towers are gradually disappearing due to lack of maintenance, and the towers are not protected.
· There is not signage explaining the historic importance of these buildings.
Due to its importance for Cambodia and the surrounding community, we are setting up a foundation aiming to support the community and its heritage site. The national budget for the heritage renovation is limited, so we are asking for your donation to support renovation and the local community. Some budget will go to fix the roof of Preah Vihear of Wat Kompong Preah to prevent it from leaking. If we receive a permission from the Ministry of Fine Arts of Cambodia, two fences will be built around two pre-Angkorian temples to prevent these form stolen.
We are posting information about our foundation through:
https://www.facebook.com/Kampongpreahfoundation/?pnref=story
Organizer and beneficiary
Virak Ellis-Roeun
Organizer
Stuart Ellis
Beneficiary
