The land of the Khmer civilization

By Meera Bhardwaj 
The New Indian Express - BANGALORE 
18th April 2013  

Outer view of the National Museum, which is styled like a Khmer temple. 

After a five hour flight from Delhi I landed in the quaint capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, a quiet but colourful city on the river front. I had always imagined about the Great Lake, Tonle Sap. And along with it I was often mesmerised by the unique Cambodian art, known as Khmer.

But I was not prepared for either the beautiful, meandering riverfront or the profusion of pagodas and palaces when I looked out of my hotel window. In fact, I only came to know later that the blue waters was actually a confluence of three water sources : the Great Mekong, Tonle Sap and the Bassac which crossed to form an X and that is where the capital city was situated.

Once the capital of the Khmer kingdom, today Phnom Penh has grown leaps and bounds to become the country’s hub of economic and industrial activities apart from cultural activities. Colonized by the French, it is known for its charming heritage buildings and boulevards located in the central parts of the city. However, since I had specifically come to see the rich Khmer art and architecture, I made it a point to visit the National Museum which is a veritable treasure trove of ancient Khmer art from all times.

With no public transportation system available, one has to traverse around the city either in hired taxis, boats or the tuk tuks. I was very charmed with the colorful, well maintained, cushioned tuk tuks (motor bike drawn carriage) criss-crossing the bylanes and main roads of the city at every hour, hoping to catch a traveler or a backpacker.

Most drivers speak a fair bit of English and know all the tourist spots of this city abounding in pagodas or wats, museums and cruises.

Unlike Beijing, one need not know the hotel name in Khmer, but just the address and the name written in English. In Phnom Penh, armed with a city map that is freely available on the river front, we hired a tuk tuk driver for $ 20 a day to take us around all the sites. The advantage of this is that the tuk tuk driver will wait for you at every tourist site no matter how long you take and added to this, you will not be troubled by other drivers.

My first destination was the National Museum that is nestling amidst verdant green surroundings and housed in a building styled in the traditional Khmer architecture.

The museum houses one of the world’s largest collections of Khmer art including sculptures, ceramics, bronzes, and ethnographic objects.

The Museum’s collection includes more than 14,000 items, from prehistoric times to periods before, during, and after the Khmer Empire which once stretched from Thailand to Cambodia to southern Vietnam.

The Museum buildings, inspired by Khmer temple architecture was established in the 1920s.

The National Museum houses sculptures, ceramics and ethnographic objects from the prehistoric, pre-Angkorian, Angkorian and post-Angkorian periods.

In fact, the Museum’s collections can be divided into four main categories: stone, metal, wood and ceramics. Despite damage, the works still possess important values relating to art, history and religion. The most representative objects in each category reveal both Khmer identity and style.

The study of these masterpieces shows that Khmer artisans did not just copy Indian art (in spite of the influence of Indian civilization) but created a completely original art with its own character.

The ancient Khmers have also left behind many works of art, most of them representing the important divinities of both Hinduism and Buddhism. In addition to this, there are objects used in religious ceremonies as well as household utensils.

One of the guides said, “The Museum also promotes awareness, understanding and appreciation of Cambodia’s heritage through presentation, conservation, safekeeping, interpretation and acquisition of Cambodian cultural material. It aims to educate and inspire its visitors.”

According to archaeological and historical research, the civilization of ancient Cambodia dominated the Indo-China Peninsular region.

It was influenced by Indian culture since the beginning of the Christian era; and the two main religions of India, Hinduism and Buddhism which were practiced side by side.

In regard to religious practices, the ancient Khmers have left behind many master works in both architecture and sculpture that is still being unearthed in various parts of the country.

While visiting this Museum, one should remember that the turmoil during the years of Khmer Rouge regime had destroyed it and killed its employees and there was even problems in accessing expertise, combined with the deterioration of the Museum building.

The rehabilitation of the Museum with its unbelievable collection was a daunting task for any country but they have managed to do it but one is shattered to see the colossal damage done to the priceless heritage.