Norodom Sihanouk Memorial is a statue of the former King Norodom Sihanouk located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The bronze statue is 4.5 meters tall and is housed under a 27 meter high stupa in the park east of the Independence Monument.[1] The statue depicting the late king wearing a business suit cost about 1.2 million USD and took about 8 months to complete. During the day the statue was inaugurated, public access to the statue was tightly monitored while armed military police were stationed near the statue in October 2013.[2] Norodom Sihanouk died on October 15, 2012 in Beijing, China,[3] and survived by his son, current King Norodom Sihamoni, and his wife, Norodom Monineath.
The statue is dedicated to Sihanouk's accomplishment on liberating the country on November 9,1953 from French Protectorate in Cambodia.[1]
The sanctuary itself was rebuilt several times in the 19th century and again in 1926. The interior has a central altar complex with a large bronze seated Buddha surrounded by other statues, flowers, candles and items of devotion and worship. The walls are covered with murals, especially of Jataka stories of the Buddha's earlier reincarnations before his enlightenment. There are also murals depicting stories from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana. The newer murals in the bottom tiers are somewhat balanced, traditional and modern.
The southwest corner of the temple and stupa, is a small shrine dedicated to Lady Penh. The front is often crowded with the faithful bringing their prayers and food offerings to the woman deemed responsible for the founding of the wat.
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