Kh’leang Pagoda

Kh'Leang Pagoda is an olden architectural work with a history of nearly 500 hundred years. This ancient temple with Southern Khmer style is located in Soc Trang City - where more than 20 pagodas of many different ethnic groups. 

In particular, this pagoda also has a very sacred meaning to the Khmer people because it is the place to celebrate religious rituals and typical festivals. Let Asia King Travel unveil the temple's holy charm on this article.

Kh'Leang Pagoda is an olden architectural work with a history of nearly 500 hundred years

History of Kh'leang Pagoda 

According to ancient legend, Kh'leang is one of the oldest pagodas. This first religious building was built in the region, specifically around 1532. Soc Trang was still a wild land, unexplored at that time, so the population was very sparse. 

Even at first, the pagoda was quite rudimentary because it was built with materials available on-site and contributed by local residents such as bamboo, wood and leaves,... Nowadays, the evidence of the first establishment of the pagoda no longer exists and has been replaced by all modern architecture when rebuilt in 1945. 

Kh'leang demonstrates the beauty of a sophisticated construction style

Kh'Leang ancient pagoda with a history of nearly 500 years of establishment, existence and development, still bears the mark of Khmer architecture. The pagoda demonstrates the beauty of a sophisticated construction style, harmoniously combining Vietnamese and Chinese styles in layout and arrangement.

Read more: South Vietnam Tour 2 hours: Exploring Ho Chi Minh City on foot

Where is Kh'leang Pagoda

Kh'leang Pagoda is on Ton Duc Thang Street, Ward 6, Soc Trang City, Soc Trang Province. This pagoda lies on a very large campus, surrounded by meticulously decorated fences with unique Khmer patterns.

Kh'leang lies on a very large campus, surrounded by meticulously decorated fences with unique Khmer patterns

How to get to Kh'leang Pagoda

From Ho Chi Minh City to Soc Trang Province, there are two most convenient routes for tourists. With the first route, visitors can travel by motorbike or car. The second route is by ferry.

• From the center of Ho Chi Minh City, move along National Highway 1A for about 230 kilometers to reach Soc Trang City. After that, you go across Quay Bridge, then go straight on Ton Duc Thang Street and you will see Kh'leang Pagoda right before your eyes.
• The second route will be more interesting when visitors can discover the feeling of floating on ferries. But first, to get on the ferry, visitors still have to catch a bus from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho City, Tien Giang Province.

The ferry driver will take you across Rach Mieu Bridge, Ham Luong Bridge of Ben Tre City and Co Chien Bridge of Tra Vinh City. After traveling more than 10 kilometers to reach Tra Vinh, Dai Ngai ferry terminal is your last stop. So after traveling more than 200 kilometers, you have arrived at Soc Trang City!

Compared to many other Khmer pagodas in the province, Kh'leang Pagoda still retains the unique features of ancient Khmer architecture

Kh'leang Pagoda’s Architecture

Architectural style typical of Southern Khmer culture

Overall, the temple has an architecture similar to Theravada Buddhist temples in Thailand and Cambodia. The temple grounds include the following constructions: The main Hall, Sala area, monks' residence and exhibition house. The main and secondary works are arranged very harmoniously in a large space.

The pagoda is designed with a miniature layout from outside to inside. Outside the pagoda is a fence, with constructions running gradually into the middle. A special feature is that the distance between the fences is well arranged, creating an airy and comfortable feeling. 

Kh'leang Pagoda was also built in ancient Southern Khmer families’ traditional stilt house architecture

Kh'leang Pagoda was also built in ancient Southern Khmer families’ traditional stilt house architecture. Decorative images with tiled roof edge motifs, winding dragons and phoenixes, fan-shaped heads and familiar curved tails. 

Highlights in architecture

First, as soon as you enter the Kh'leang campus, you will notice that the temple gate faces East. The pagoda's roof is built in the form of three levels. On each level there are 3 folds with the middle fold larger than the secondary folds on both sides and especially there is no tower on the roof of the temple. 

But the most unique and meticulous is the main hall of the ancient temple. Kh'leang Pagoda was built high with 3 steps, each step is about 1 meter high and surrounded by a fence. There are 7 rows of horizontal pillars in front, each row has 10 pillars extending to the back. 

In front of the Main Hall is a tower containing the remains of the abbots

The wooden pillars are quite large, smooth black, painted with gold and engraved with images about the Buddha's life and Buddhist activities. The main hall ceiling and the surrounding area are decorated with many drawings of Buddha images, thereby demonstrating the harmony between Khmer architecture and painting.

The deeper you go inside the main hall, the more you will feel the decorative details, images and sophisticated patterns. The area of ​​low walls built along the corridor forms the shape of lotus petals or cubes, with borders 1.5 meters away from the main hall wall. 

The deeper you go inside the main hall, the more you will feel the decorative details, images and sophisticated patterns

Conclusion

Kh'Leang Pagoda is not only a spiritual place but also the center of traditional cultural activities of the Khmer community. Thanks to its unique architecture and harmonious combination of national culture, it has created a project with high artistic and historical value. 
If you have a chance to visit Vietnam, don't hesitate to contact Asia King Travel for a spiritual journey!

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