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14.10. The Cambodian Culture

Eldonita: 15.10.2018

Today, our plan included a visit to the National Museum and the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh.

We started at the National Museum, which impressed us with its red facade and was unique to this city from an architectural standpoint.

The National Museum
The National Museum
The Courtyard
The Courtyard
It showcased a large collection of Khmer Dynasty artworks such as stone sculptures, bronze artifacts, and everyday objects. The Khmer period lasted from 802 to 1431 and is probably the most well-known period of Cambodian culture. We could explore the long halls with sculptures and learn about the different influences of each time and era. For example, a slightly wider smile of a statue representing the same deity could indicate a different meaning for the believers of that time or a different 'area of expertise.' Hardly visible to heathens like us...

But for Andra and me, Buddhism has also always been a big mystery - what most people associate with it are just Buddha statues and meditation. In reality, it is a very complex web of reverence for the 'Enlightened One,' the one perfect human who has escaped the endless wheel of reincarnation and has found true freedom - Buddha. People here are much more loyal to their religion than would be the case in Germany, for example, as you can encounter people meditating, praying, or making donations in almost any temple at almost any time of day, following their religion.

After a short break in the museum courtyard, we continued on to the Royal Palace. As always with important buildings here, this too is a display of wealth and power, showing another side of this poorer and simpler country. Nevertheless, it was incredibly impressive to see how detailed the work was and how much the architecture differs from our own. There was also a temple here, which contained luxurious decorations and furniture from the King's private collection.

Royal Palace
Royal Palace

Decoration of Former Kings
Decoration of Former Kings

The King is highly respected in Cambodia, even though he no longer holds actual power. That lies with the Cambodian government, but according to a local resident we spoke with, they are also not there for the population. He said that he is not allowed to express his opinion or contradict them, otherwise he would end up in prison. Unimaginable for us in Europe and emphasizing once again how good it is to live in Germany.
Tomorrow, we will visit the Killing Fields and a Memorial Museum of the Khmer Rouge genocide, which will surely be a troubling experience.

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