ISKCON has but a few devotees serving in the Kingdom of Cambodia at their base camp in Siem Reap, the gateway to the former Khmer empire where some 200 intricately carved stone temples towered the skyline of this once most powerful Asian kingdom.

Referred to as the cultural hot-spot on the planet, with over one million tourists flocking to the small town of Siem Reap throughout the year, the temple monuments which spread out over a few hundred square kilometers were placed under the UNESCO World Heritage in 1993.

Just a few months back ISKCON devotees were able to secure a new location within 1.5 km of the famed Angkor Wat, the largest Vishnu temple in the world and the most frequently visited of all the ancient monuments. From the balcony of the new premises devotees can see its five towering domes which reflect the original Mount Sumeru.

I first visited Cambodia in the year 2006. What amazed me at the time was the uniqueness of its cultural connection with India. The Surabhi like cows, the picturesque green countryside, the Khmer language with its heavy accent of Sanskrit, the local customs mixed with Hinduism and Buddhism, the tropical climate with its heavy rainy season, the hundreds of young monks living in Pagodas (Buddhist temples), the large variety of fruit trees, especially coconut, the exotic sounds of hand-made musical instruments and the general mood of the Khmer people simply capture the hearts of any visitors to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Visiting Cambodia at that time was like stepping back in India after being absent for some 13 years. It was like coming back home. To add additional charm to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the sacred Mekong River passes through a large track of land from the north to the south. Mekong means “mother Ganga”. Said to be the world’s 10th longest river and the 7th longest in Asia, the Mekong River originates from the Tibet Plateau, crossing China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Although the asrama facilities in Siem Reap are simple, the all embracing hearts of the Indonesian devotees serving in Cambodia since the last few years compensate for the lack of material comforts. With a few devotees visiting from Hong Kong recently, the local ISKCON devotees have been inspired to take up book distribution, Harinam and food distribution all in one shot. The attached photos speak for themselves.

Devotees are engaged in a variety of activities including teaching English to the local Cambodian youths, growing their own organic food, doing some book distribution and general outreach programs in the villages. They are working closely with one of the local NGOs “The Voice and Development of Children-Youths” (VDCY) whose Director is Mr. Keo Sophat, a local Cambodian family man who has been very supportive of our activities.

The main devotee overseeing the activities in Cambodia is prabhu Kisora who is based in Bali. He spends four months at a stretch in Cambodia before again returning to Indonesia to oversee various rural based community projects.

Devotees are anxious to help the local Khmer people. If any of you would like to assist in any way, either by spending some time in Cambodia, by sponsoring local Khmer books which they can distribute, by offering prasadam to the needy or by helping develop the existing farm community of 30 acres, you may kindly contact any of the following devotees who will be glad to give you whatever information you may need: Kisora prabhu in Indonesia, [kisorakrsna@yahoo.com], Guna Avatara prabhu in Cambodia [gunaavatara@yahoo.com] and prabhu Sri Krishna Purusottama in USA, [sreekanth.brs@gmail.com].

For more information please visit: www.bhakticambodia.com