Wat Sarsar Mouy Roy

Wat Sarsar Mouy Roy is located in Sambo commune, about 36 kilometers north of the provincial town. Wat Sarsar Mouy Roy was built on the site of a former royal palace during the Zhenla period in a city named Sampopura. The site features four Buddhist temples, each facing a different direction:

• Vihear Sarsar Mouy Roy faces north.
• Vihear Kork faces to the south (only the base of this temple remains).
• Vihear Kork Kert faces east.
• Vihear Lao faces west.

During Khmer New Year, local people who live in Sampopura city usually celebrate the Nine Days Ceremony starting with Vihear Sarsar Mouy Roy before going to Vihear Kork and then Vihear Lao. Vihear Sarsar Mouy Roy was built in 1806. It was about 30 meters square. First, the temple was thatched, built by King Chan Reachea II to worship the goddess of Vihear Sarsar Mouy Roy. The king asked the goddess to care for the soul of his daughter Preah Neang Varakak, who had been swallowed by the Thon crocodile.
The temple is different from other temples, because it faces north. About 100 years later, the temple was damaged during a thunderstorm. Lightning struck 22 columns, causing them to burn to the ground and turning the face of the Buddha statue black from the smoke. Accordingly, the temple was dismantled and rebuilt by local people with only 78 columns. In 1997, Vihear Sarsar Mouy Roy was completely renovated. It is now 35 meters wide, 18 meters long and 23 meters high and has 116 columns. It was inaugurated on Jan. 14, 1998.