Tracing Cambodia’s Khmer Heritage
By: eMarketingEye | Posted: 26th June 2008
The Cambodian National Museum is a veritable treasure trove of valuable artifacts and interesting snippets of Khmer and pre-Khmer history. Though the museum tends to be overshadowed by Angkor in being a cultural centre for Khmer heritage, it holds over 5,000 different pieces of Khmer art.
The building in which the Museum is housed was built by the colonial French authorities using traditional Cambodian architectural designs. The peaceful inner courtyard, high ceilings and glassless windows show a fusion of French and Khmer styles. During the period the museum was built in 1917 to 1920 the French used Phnom Penh as the administrative capital of the country and erected a number of similar buildings that contain both French and Khmer influences.
One of the most interesting and well known pieces of art that can be found here is the “Leper King” sculpture that depicts the Hindu God Yama or the God of Death. The statue was brought here from Angkor Thom where it was part of a 15th century temple terrace. Some historians believe that the statue is of a Cambodian king who was suffering from leprosy, who was known among ordinary Cambodians as Dharmaraja.
The museum has become extremely popular among tourists because of its important archeological and ethnographical collections of artifacts. Among the collection here are a set of sculptures hewed from sandstone that date from the Angkoran and pre-Angkoran period. Some of the artifacts here are sourced from the Royal Palace such as 19th century dance costumes of dancers in the Royal Court, Royal barges and palanquins.
Being located close to the Royal Palace the National Museum is set in a calm and serene environment, it is surrounded by lotus ponds and carries with it an aura of mysticism and rediscovery. Other attractions in the area include the Angkor ruins and Wat Phnom, being an area of regular tourist activity it is not difficult to locate a luxury Phnom Penh hotel such as Raffles Le Royal within close proximity of these attractions.
About the Author
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
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Tags: close proximity, serene environment, tourist activity, hindu god