Wat
Cambodian Buddhist Society of Wisconsin
វត្តពុទ្ធិកសាមគ្គីខ្មែរ
The Wat of the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Wisconsin (វត្តពុទ្ធិកសាមគ្គីខ្មែរ) is a Khmer Buddhist Wat in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, south of Madison.[1][2]
History
Hundreds of Cambodians settled in Madison, Stoughton and Janesville, and almost all of the older generation had left Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge years, Democratic Kampuchea (1975 to 1979), when the country became a killing field. Their Wat began in an apartment on Allied Drive in Madison in 1991. In 1992 the Madison Community Foundation gave $10,000 toward the down payment on about 2 hectares (5 acres) of land.[2] The society has been recognized as tax-exempt since November 1992.[3]
By 1996 Venerable Seng Soy had come from Cambodia to lead the Wat, at the request of the chief monk of Cambodia, and moved into an old house by the road. The community then built a warmer house for the monks and a Wat, and brought in two more monks. In 2007 work began on a reinforced concrete gateway, designed in Cambodia to echo Angkor Wat. It was planned to rise about 10.7 meters (35 feet) and to join a concrete fence a few hundred meters (several hundred yards) long, both decorated with thousands of handmade castings. Venerable Seng Soy was its architect, and he built it with Venerable Sakoeurn Korn and local Cambodians. The old house by the road was torn down in the summer of 2008.[2]
Religious life
The Wat follows the Theravada tradition.[4] As of 2026, four monks lived at the Wat.[1] In 2008 its New Year and Pchum Ben ceremonies drew hundreds of Cambodians from across the Midwest for chanting, prayer, dancing and traditional reenactments.[2]
Associations
Cambodian Buddhist Society of Wisconsin Inc.
(associated organization).[5]
Legal name: Cambodian Buddhist Society Of Wisconsin Inc.
Registration identifiers: EIN (United States): 39-1703853.
In 2008 Vanna Pol was the society's secretary. Tax-exempt since November 1992; the IRS classes it as a church.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pat Sophal, 2026 Directory of Wat Khmer or Cambodian Buddhist Temple in the USA (August 6, 2026)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Isthmus, Gateway to Buddha (November 7, 2008)
- ↑ ProPublica, Nonprofit Explorer: Cambodian Buddhist Society Of Wisconsin Inc (updated September 23, 2026)
- ↑ BuddhaNet, World Buddhist Directory: Wisconsin (undated)
- ↑ Isthmus, Gateway to Buddha (November 7, 2008)