Wat
Wat Sovannaram (Anchorage)
វត្តសុវណ្ណារាម
Wat Sovannaram (វត្តសុវណ្ណារាម) is a Khmer Buddhist Wat on Peck Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, that serves Cambodian, Lao and Thai Buddhists.[1][2]
History
Suzanne Amphay, who came to Alaska from Laos as a refugee, and the Cambodian monk Venerable Ophat Sovann bought the land and turned it into a Wat open to Buddhists of every nationality. Venerable Ophat Sovann serves as its abbot.[3] The Wat celebrated its grand opening with a three-day event in July 2023.[2] It has been recognized as tax-exempt since January 2024.[4]
On June 22, 2024, Cambodia's ambassador to the United States, Keo Chhea, visited with embassy staff and young people from Minnesota to pay respects to the abbot, whose name the embassy writes as Ou Phat Sovann. The ambassador made an offering toward building the Wat and planting trees on its grounds. At the time it was the only Khmer Wat in Anchorage.[5]
In August 2026 the Wat held a fundraiser with Buddhist rituals and free food, to build an ordination hall, or ubosot, where new monks take their vows. The Wat had no space for people to sit indoors in winter.[3]
Religious life
As of 2026, one monk lived at the Wat.[1]
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 Alaska's News Source, Grand opening of Anchorage Buddhist temple celebrated at Wat Sovannaram (July 21, 2023)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Alaska's News Source, Anchorage Buddhist temple eyes expansion with community fundraiser (August 30, 2026)
- ↑ ProPublica, Nonprofit Explorer: Wat Sovannaram (updated September 23, 2026)
- ↑ Royal Embassy of Cambodia to the United States, His Excellency Ambassador Keo Chhea and associates of the Cambodian Embassy in the United States, as well as a group of young people from Minnesota, pay homage to Ou Phat Sovann, Chief Bishop of Wat Sovannaram, the only Khmer pagoda in Anchorage, Alaska (June 22, 2024) (archived April 15, 2026)