Wat
Wat Khmer Georgia
Wat Khmer Georgia, also known as the Cambodian Buddhist Temple of Georgia, is a Khmer Buddhist temple on Rock Springs Road in Stonecrest, Georgia.[1][2] It is one of five Cambodian Buddhist temples in the state, and the local news site 285 South calls it the largest.[3]
History
Vendy Heng, a regular at the temple, helped found the temple about 40 years before 2025.[3] It is also known as the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Georgia.[2][4] Older listings place it in Lithonia, an area that is now part of Stonecrest.[5]
In 2009 a national Cambodian directory listed the Wat Khmer Buddhist Society at 6533 Rock Spring Road, Lithonia, GA 30058, with the telephone number 770-482-5563.[6] A 2011 temple directory gave 6555 Rock Spring Road, Lithonia, GA 30038, and the number (678) 526-9539.[7][8] The City of Stonecrest lists Samnamg Chea as president and head of the temple, with Sochen Sao as contact.[1]
Community
The temple draws Cambodians from across the Atlanta area, from towns including Riverdale, Winder and Stone Mountain. In 2025 traditional Cambodian dance was taught to younger children at the temple.[3]
On September 28, 2025, hundreds of Cambodians came for Pchum Ben, the festival that ends a 15-day period of honoring ancestors. They gave alms and rice to the monks, chanted and prayed, and placed hundreds of bowls of homemade Cambodian food before the monks as offerings to ancestors. Families also reserve their own days at the temple during the festival to honor loved ones who have passed. Members of the community spoke to the congregation.[3]
The temple hosts Cambodian New Year. It was a venue for the Cambodian American Association of Georgia New Year celebrations on April 19 and 20, 2025, and its 2026 festival was set for April 18 and 19.[9][2] Atlanta Buddhism calls its New Year festival the largest in the area.[2]
Associations
Cambodian Buddhist Society Of Georgia (associated organization).[10]
The regional guide co-identifies this society name with Wat Khmer Georgia. A separate ownership or incorporation claim is not made.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 City of Stonecrest resource directory
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Atlanta Buddhism, Cambodian Khmer Buddhism in Georgia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 285 South, At a Cambodian temple in Lithonia, hundreds come out to honor loved ones (October 3, 2025)
- ↑ The Rabbit's Horn, Georgia
- ↑ The Rabbit's Horn, Southeast Asian Theravada
- ↑ National Cambodian directory
- ↑ Khmer Buddhist Temples address book (2011)
- ↑ 2026 Khmer temple directory
- ↑ Atlanta Buddhism, Thai Buddhist Temples in Georgia
- ↑ Georgia Meditation, Cambodian Khmer Buddhism