01
The welcome sign to Cambodia Town is set on an open lotus flower with lions on each side.
While lion statues are found throughout the Khmer Empire era (c. 802–1431), these lions are in the style of those from the earlier Funan Kingdom (c. 550 - 627) as found in Sambor Prei Kuk, an archaeological site located in Kampong Thom Province.
02
At the heart of the park stands a 12-foot monolith carved from sacred sandstone quarried at Phnom Tbeng Meanchey mountain in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia — the same type of stone used to build Angkor Wat. The statue is a replica of the central tower of the Bayon, the temple of King Jayavarman VII (c. 1122–1218), the first Buddhist ruler of the Khmer Empire. It stands as a lasting link between the Cambodian community of Lowell and the heritage of Angkor.
The Bayon Monolith: A Piece of
Angkor in Lowell
03
The Four Faces: Brahma-Viharas
Metta(មេត្តា)
Loving or Loving-kindness (metta)
The most fundamental emotion, which is the wish for true happiness
KARUNA(ករុណា)
Compassion (karuna): The emotion that goodwill feels when it encounters suffering
MUDITA(មុ ទិតា)
Empathetic joy (mudita): The emotion that goodwill feels when it encounters happiness
UPEKKHA(ឧបេក្ខា)
Equanimity (upekkha): The emotion that acts as a check on the other three
"These four attitudes are said to be sublime because they are the right or ideal way of conduct towards living beings. They provide the answers to all situations that arise from social contacts. The Brahma-viharas are incompatible with a hateful state of mind, and they are associated with Brahma, the ruler of the higher heavens in traditional Buddhism."
04
The Churning of the Ocean
of Milk (SamudraManthana)
The seated monuments on either side of the park depict the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, one of the central events in the eternal struggle between the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons).
"In the legend, the two sides fight to obtain the amrita — a Sanskrit word meaning "immortality," described in ancient texts as a sacred elixir. To draw the amrita from the depths of the cosmic ocean, they use the great nāga Vasuki as a churning rope: the demons pull his head while the gods pull his tail, with Vishnu presiding at the center. This scene is drawn from the celebrated bas-relief at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The nāga — a half-human, half-serpent being — endures across the region's spiritual traditions: Vasuki as the serpent of Shiva in Hindu texts, and Mucilinda as the king of Nāgas who sheltered the Buddha after his enlightenment."
05
In the back of these monuments are statues of King Jayavarman VII and Queen Indradevi (fl. 1181) venerated leaders during the Khmer Empire.
The Churning of the Ocean
of Milk (SamudraManthana)
King Jayavarman VII
REIGN 1181 – 1218 CE
rebuilt the capital after it was devastated by Cham invasions, and built 102 free public hospitals across Cambodia. His meditative statue pose reflects a shift from rulers seen as divine, distant figures to rulers focused on public welfare.
Queen Indradevi
late 12th century
one of classical Asia's leading female intellectuals. She served as chief professor of Sanskrit, Buddhist logic, and philosophy at the Royal Nagendranagari Academy, and wrote inscriptions that still survive today at Phimeanakas.