Wat Ounalom, Buddhist temple in Sisowath Quay, Cambodia

Wat Ounalom is a 44-building temple complex on Sisowath Quay, north of the Royal Palace. Its central stupa, the Ounalom Stupa, has five spires and was built over an older Angkorian-era stone sanctuary; four Buddha images sit at its corners around a larger central image. The three-story ordination hall, rebuilt between 1957 and 1960, is the main ceremonial building.

The temple was established in the mid-15th century and grew into one of Cambodia's most important religious centers. It suffered severe destruction in the 1970s but was later carefully rebuilt.

The name comes from Pali unna (whorl between the eyebrows) and loma (hair), recalling the Buddha relic kept in the central stupa. Devotees honour that stupa with pinpeat ensemble music during temple festivals, and some come to make vows at its entrance. About 300 monks and over 600 students live and study on the grounds.

The 44 structures stand on Sisowath Quay just north of the Royal Palace, with the five-spired Ounalom Stupa west of the main hall. Monks and more than 600 students live and study on the grounds, so keep voices low and dress modestly. The complex is entered from the riverside road.

Within the complex sits a stupa that houses a hair relic of Buddha, making it one of the holiest places in Cambodian Buddhism. This sacred object is marked by a Pali inscription that honors and protects the shrine.