In a solemn, beautiful and sometimes magical ceremony, thousands of Cambodians said goodbye Monday night to Samdech Patriarch Oum Sum, one of their most beloved religious leaders.
Shortly after sundown, King Norodom Sihanouk raised a flaming torch and lighted a fuse that sent an arc of fire leaping to all four corners of the patriarch’s elaborate crematorium.
In an instant, four two-story trees of fire flamed to life, shooting sprays of gold and silver sparks into the night air as a bamboo flute imitated the sound of an elephant’s cry.
The display symbolized the ascent of Oum Sum’s soul to heaven as the fire consumed his mortal remains.
“Please, let his soul live peacefully in the heavens,” people prayed as the cremation begin. Some had waited for hours to honor the man revered as the Kingdom’s most educated monk.
Many were people from the provinces who had journeyed to Phnom Penh to pay their respects. “It’s very important to be here,” said Chouk Mai, a 53-year-old Buddhist nun from Takeo.
This morning, Oum Sum’s ashes will be collected from the crematorium, said Min Khin, chairman of the cremation committee.
Bone fragments will be placed in a special stupa at Wat Mohamontrei, where he was head monk, while his ashes will be thrown into the waters in front of the Royal Palace, at the place called Chaktomuk, where three rivers meet.
Min Khin said scattering the ashes on water is a sign of respect, so that no one will ever walk on them and they will rest in a cool, peaceful place.
Earlier Monday, the monk’s body rested in state in a golden casket set inside the specially built crematorium in front of Wat Botum. The three-story structure, evoking a classic Khmer pagoda, was richly painted in greens, reds and gold, and draped with filmy white-and-gold hangings.
Dozens of top government officials shared the dais with the King and Queen Norodom Monineath, the diplomatic corps and the country’s four top Buddhist leaders.
Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng spoke at length about Oum Sum’s life and achievements. He was the 12th and last child born to a farming family in Kompong Cham and rose to be the third-highest ranking monk in the nation.
Every top leader in the Cambodian Peoples’ Party was present except Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was represented by his father, Hun Neang. After all had paid their respects at the bier, the King beckoned Hun Neang over for a brief private word.
The King appeared frail but alert during the ceremonies. Aides carefully helped him up and down stairs and hovered nearby as he walked from the dias down a red carpet to the monk’s casket.
But he seemed buoyed by the crowd’s enthusiasm, nodding and waving cheerily at the ranks of adoring faces.
The ceremony drew thousands of people from across the country, many of whom had never seen Oum Sum but who had listened to him for years on radio and television. An estimated 10,000 attended.
Leab Lath, 55, of Prey Veng, felt particularly close to Oum Sum because his son is a monk at Wat Mohamontrei. “He was a very gentle person, very soft-spoken and intelligent,” he said.
All the mourners spoke of how much they respected his scholarship. In addition, said Rath Vong, a monk from Wat Samaki Ransei in Stung Meanchey, “He did so much good in this life that his next life should be wonderful.”
