Wat
Wat Sao Sok San
Wat Sao Sok San (វត្តសៅ សុខសាន្ដ) is a Khmer Theravada Buddhist temple on Shiloh Church Road in Wellford, South Carolina.[1][2] It is also written Wat Sao Sokh San and appears on maps as the Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks Temple.[3]
History
In 2011 a directory of Khmer Buddhist temples listed Wat Sao Sok San at 841 Shiloh Church Road, with the telephone number (864) 439-9460.[4] The 2026 directory gives the same address and number and records one monk there.[1]
On July 7, 2024, the temple installed Ayya Saddha, a Theravada nun from Cambodia, as a resident bhikkhuni. The temple allowed her to practice alongside its monks to serve the needs of women in the sangha, the Buddhist community. Zhaxi Zhuoma, who wrote about the event, calls her the first Khmer bhikkhuni to take official residence at a Khmer Buddhist temple.[2] The sanghas of Wat Sao Sokh San and Heartwood Refuge gathered for the ceremony. It opened with lunch at 11 a.m., followed by chanting, a meal of Cambodian dishes and respects to the Buddha in the temple hall. Guests then toured her new kuti, a trailer given to her by the Cambodian sangha. In August 2024 she led meditation on the temple grounds with local members and families.[2] Bhante Sambo Kurt was the abbot in 2024.[2]
In April 2026 a South Carolina General Assembly resolution declaring Cambodian Heritage Month named the temple among the state's "pillars of faith, compassion, and community."[5]
Visiting
The temple stands on a little over 2.8 hectares (7 acres) in a rural part of Wellford, with a stupa and a new meditation hall.[2] An ornate gate marks the entrance.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wat Ratanarangsey blog, 2026 Directory of Wat Khmer or Cambodian Buddhist Temple in the USA
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Zhaxi Zhuoma, Ayya Saddha's Amazing Story (September 9, 2024)
- ↑ Google Maps, Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks Temple - Wat Sao Sokh San (listing checked September 25, 2026)
- ↑ Khmer Buddhist temples address book (2011)
- ↑ South Carolina General Assembly, H. 5500, Cambodian Heritage Month (2026)
- ↑ The Rabbit's Horn, South Carolina (2014)