Heritage site
Independence Monument
វិមានឯករាជ្យ
The Independence Monument (វិមានឯករាជ្យ, Vimean Ekareach) is a monument in Phnom Penh that marks Cambodia's independence from France. It was designed by the architect Vann Molyvann, built from 1958 and inaugurated on November 9, 1962. It stands at the intersection of Norodom and Sihanouk boulevards, a short walk from the Royal Palace.[1][2]
History
On November 9, 1953, power passed from France to Cambodia in a ceremony in front of the Royal Palace, ending 90 years of French rule.[2] The Phnom Penh Post credits the city government under Governor Tep Phan with a national competition for designs of the lotus ponds, the naga fountain and the monument itself. Vann Molyvann first met Prince Norodom Sihanouk to discuss the monument, at an early morning meeting arranged by the prime minister, Penn Nouth.[2] Cambodianess writes that Sihanouk led the monument's construction and inauguration.[1]
The Post traced the monument's drawings to 1957. Blueprints signed by Ing Kieth, the first Cambodian civil engineer, are dated March 25, 1957, and Vann Molyvann's own design is dated March 1957. The first contractor's piles failed and cost two years, so new tenders were drawn up. By 1959 the structure was finished, but not the sculpture. Kong Sam Ol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister to the Royal Palace, told the Post that engineering difficulties held back the inauguration, because the site had been a prek, a tributary of the Bassac River. The Post wrote that the reason for the long delay remained a mystery.[2]
Sihanouk, as head of state, inaugurated the monument on November 9, 1962, nine years to the day after independence. In his speech he said that the key to building Cambodia and protecting its independence lay "not in having a big army, but in the unity of our people."[2][1]
Design
Vann Molyvann is recognized as the monument's architect.[2][3] Kong Sam Ol described it to the Post as a team effort of designer, engineer, sculptor and builder. Tan Veut, a sculptor and mason from Battambang, worked on it, as did the sculptor Chieng Suon. The Post judged that the final construction was done under Vann Molyvann's close supervision, and called the monument the only purely traditional Khmer-inspired building he ever made.[2]
The monument takes the form of a lotus-shaped stupa. Cambodianess names the towers of Angkor Wat and Bakong as its models;[1] the Post names Banteay Srei.[2] Cambodianess gives its height as 37 meters (121 feet) and counts one hundred naga heads on its levels.[1] The Post describes seven tiers.[2]
It is built of reinforced concrete on a concrete platform set on piles. It was clad in crushed red marble rather than sandstone, which gives it a color close to that of Banteay Srei. The steps and the precinct are paved in grey marble from China, and the flame at the top was ordered from a French goldsmith.[2][1] Vann Molyvann told The Cambodia Daily in 2007 that the monument, like Angkor Wat, stands for Mount Meru, the sacred mountain of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, which is surrounded by oceans on all sides.[4]
Setting
The monument is set on the axis of the hill of Wat Phnom, the symbolic foundation stone of Phnom Penh. Sihanouk Boulevard was laid out on reclaimed land along an east-west axis that crosses Norodom Boulevard at the monument. Because Norodom Boulevard does not run exactly north to south, the monument is seen along Sihanouk Boulevard with three of its sides in view at once. The naga fountains, the lotus basins and the layout of the boulevard belong to the same design.[2]
Visitors cannot enter the monument, but the park and plaza around it serve as a public space. A statue of King Norodom Sihanouk stands beside it.[1] In 2007 the city began adding fountains and colored lighting at the foot of the monument. Vann Molyvann doubted that the lights would make it look better, and asked: "Please let the monument be its own symbol."[4] Cambodianess describes the monument lit at night in the red, blue and white of the Cambodian flag.[1]
Independence Day
The monument is the center of the national ceremonies for Independence Day on November 9 and for Constitution Day.[1] On Independence Day King Norodom Sihamoni lights the Victory Flame at the monument, and he puts it out on November 11. Senior officials, members of the diplomatic corps and students gather at the monument before the military parade in front of the Royal Palace. Ministers and officials lay wreaths at the monument and at the Royal Memorial Statue of King Norodom Sihanouk.[5][6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Cambodianess, The Independence Monument in Phnom Penh: A Symbol of Cambodia's Resilience (November 28, 2025; from Wonders of Cambodia)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 The Phnom Penh Post, The enigma of the Independence Monument (November 7, 2003)
- ↑ The Cambodia Daily, Ouch Sony, Remembering New Khmer Style and Vann Molyvann's Legacy (September 4, 2017)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Cambodia Daily, Emily Lodish, Independence Monument Gets a Makeover (June 24, 2007)
- ↑ National Radio of Cambodia, Cambodia will commemorate the 71st anniversary of the National Independence day 1953-2024 (November 8, 2024)
- ↑ Press and Quick Reaction Unit, Office of the Council of Ministers, His Majesty the King Presides Over the Closing Celebration of 66th Anniversary of Independence Day (November 11, 2019)