Khmer Wedding

<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz0fIKMVQ9saQ2UMJ6NaZu_5HlwpOwuYPzlC1Uargsxx_CFH5hGZKL8agYRNd3W9Sca6HJ10CKPtSRMUOEPRfW0cG-A2kZii6zEFBOwCM2gpADpP3G26EzNnLE-HD37oCR3VMlS-Lavs/s1600/Khmer_Wedding1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz0fIKMVQ9saQ2UMJ6NaZu_5HlwpOwuYPzlC1Uargsxx_CFH5hGZKL8agYRNd3W9Sca6HJ10CKPtSRMUOEPRfW0cG-A2kZii6zEFBOwCM2gpADpP3G26EzNnLE-HD37oCR3VMlS-Lavs/s1600/Khmer_Wedding1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Khmer wedding, it has a lot of ceremonies held in chronological orders. They show the historical roots related to the Buddha’s period which existed ages ago. According to a book “Khmer Wedding Rules” of Oknha Nov, it puts that in ancient Khmer wedding laws, people perform a song describing God Vesandor Borom Pothisat arranging the marriage between his children – Chealy and Kroesna. And some other songs are about the marriage arrangement of God Ream and Seda. Oknha Nov wrote that the current wedding preparations are arranged according to the rules drawn up by King Preah Chey Chesda Thebdey.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> According to the king’s book, it puts that all ceremonies in Khmer wedding are related to mythical stories such as a story "Som Sla Kanseng". It is told that there were two men who went to feed their buffalos in the field would like to make friends with each other and wanted to be relative by marriage with each other because one had a son and the other had a daughter. In order to prove their words, they ask for betel nuts packed in krama from each other to show their promise that their children would marry to each other.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another story is “the three betel flowers”. It describes that there were four men who had different skills – swimming, shooting, fortune telling, and magic. After completing their study, they returned home. Along the way back near a stream, the fortune teller said that day they were going to meet a girl and become their wife. Then a big bird swooped down on a girl, Khemry, who was having a bath. Right away the shooting man took his bow and shot the bird down back to the stream.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The swimmer then swam to bring her to the ground but she was just dead. After that the magic man helped her be alive again. All four men felt in love with the lad, so they were judged by the Buddha that she would become a wife of someone who swam to help her because he was able to touch her body first. And the fortune teller, magic man, and shooting man would become the father, mother, and brother respectively. Since then in all weddings, the bride and the groom must have three betel flowers in order to show gratitude towards their parents and brothers/sisters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz0fIKMVQ9saQ2UMJ6NaZu_5HlwpOwuYPzlC1Uargsxx_CFH5hGZKL8agYRNd3W9Sca6HJ10CKPtSRMUOEPRfW0cG-A2kZii6zEFBOwCM2gpADpP3G26EzNnLE-HD37oCR3VMlS-Lavs/s1600/Khmer_Wedding1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz0fIKMVQ9saQ2UMJ6NaZu_5HlwpOwuYPzlC1Uargsxx_CFH5hGZKL8agYRNd3W9Sca6HJ10CKPtSRMUOEPRfW0cG-A2kZii6zEFBOwCM2gpADpP3G26EzNnLE-HD37oCR3VMlS-Lavs/s1600/Khmer_Wedding1.jpg" /></a> Setting-the-date ceremony and the groom holding the scarf are told that Prince Thaong was married to Princess Tevtey, a daughter of the sea dragon king. After setting the date already, Tevtey had to bring him to her father at dragon world, so the sea dragon’s daughter asked the prince to hold her scarf in order to dive into the dragon world. In the meanwhile, the dragon king commanded his man to kill the prince at the gate in order to test the prince’s ability. But the daughter had known this; hence, she disguised herself as the prince by changing her skirt and it was put on the prince instead so that the killer was not able to kill the prince. That is why in the current Khmer wedding it was seen that there is clothes change between the groom and the bride, and the groom holding the bride’s scarf in to the room, accompanied by “Phat Cheay and Neang Neak” songs, etc.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ceremony called “Chey Haong Sousdey Haong Men Haong” in wedding ceremony performed until now is followed by an ancient story recorded in “the rules of wedding” book. It describes that Once upon a time there were two brothers – Chey and Sousdey. At that time, there was no king to continue after the previous king had died in Cambodia, so the officials in the palace relied on the holy elephant and horse to find a man to be their king. Then the animals approached the brothers’ house. Consequently, they knew that one of the brothers was the suitable man to be crowned. Chey became the king and Sousdey became his assistant at the same time. When crowned, the people whooped to bless the king. They said “Chey Haong Sousdey Haong Men Haong” simultaneously. The blessing is adapted to use in the wedding until now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> "Bongvil Popil" ceremony in the Khmer wedding is also written in “collective Khmer legends” book, volume 9. According to the legend, it is told that once upon a time, there was a man named Chey Sorya who had completed the magic training already from Eyso God, so he asked the God for a sacred relic as a blessing tool for the weddings of human being. Then the God gave the man a replica of his penis and a replica of his wife’s vagina as the blessing tools to spread their reputation in the world. Eyso God took diamond sand from the universe to make a gold banyan leaf representing his wife’s vagina and took a diamond rock from Himalaya Mountain to make a candle representing his penis and supposed them to be “two blessings”. He then told the man to take the candle wrapped in the banyan leaf to circle three times around grooms and brides in order to inhale the smoke making them powerful. The “Popil” ceremony is believed to bring harmony and joyfulness for the new couples making them successful in all challenges. Since Khmer people firmly and sincerely believe in “Popil”, it is performed not only in wedding ceremony but also in other ceremonies such as housewarming, birthday, etc.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Holding a Sword" tradition in the wedding progress is also told that once upon a time there was a high ranking knight in Peareansey Palace, who fell in love with a daughter of the villager and deposit a piece of gold as a dowry and promised to marry in three months’ time. Three years had gone, so she was married to her neighbor villager but on the wedding day, the knight appeared and took out his sword and killed the man who was the groom. Then the chief clergyman had prayed to dismiss all bad things at the place. The clergyman had analyzed on the power of the sword. That is why people use a sword in the wedding when the bride and the groom are in pair for blessing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Tradition on Khmer Wedding Season</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wedding ceremony is very meaningful for each of individual’s life who follows their tradition and the laws of the country. That is why this ceremony is carefully dealt with concerning to choosing the date which is believed to bring luck and harmony for the people’s lives and starting a new families. Some families do not allow their children to marry in the rain season and some delay it for two years after the engagement ceremony because of the fortune telling. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xOat7BUBnx2wDw6uawt64Az8xaFpPtsqdwQeLvFp9oYm4XZ17MzQgUXhetlSuVIcXTeqPdL92YEEpX5h27r5jYOcpBlvR0iu5dM_71_D8EoAKYQsiB5CdZHdWnW4pMiCyQDDgp4SLiU/s1600/Khmer_Wedding2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xOat7BUBnx2wDw6uawt64Az8xaFpPtsqdwQeLvFp9oYm4XZ17MzQgUXhetlSuVIcXTeqPdL92YEEpX5h27r5jYOcpBlvR0iu5dM_71_D8EoAKYQsiB5CdZHdWnW4pMiCyQDDgp4SLiU/s1600/Khmer_Wedding2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to Mr. Nhean Phoeun, a researcher and publisher of Khmer tradition of national and international festival committee, he said that Khmer tradition allows people to marry only in a period of six months in a year but not the other six. Wedding can be carried out only in the 30-day months. Those six months could be in early May, July, October, January, and March. But for engagement ceremony and matching the natural chemistry between son and daughter, they could be performed in any month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He continued that for the above months, there are only 7 days of each month that are good days. According to the Khmer tradition, they should not perform on their birthday, religious day, lunar or and solar eclipse, and during Khmer new years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Actually, the reason people do not get married in the rain season is that there are a lot of rains that make it difficult for the wedding reception, procession, and other ceremonies. It is also difficult for the guests travelling to wedding party and it is when farmers are busy with their fields.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">source:http://www.tourismcambodia.com/culture/art-and-culture/khmer-wedding.htm </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

Khmer Wedding

In Khmer wedding, it has a lot of ceremonies held in chronological orders. They show the historical roots related to the Buddha’s period w...

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Khmer Dance

<div style="text-align: justify;">Classical Dance of Cambodia The epic poem of Rama (Ramayana) is believed to have been revealed to a Hindu holy man named Valmiki by Brahma, the god of creation. This religious literary work, dating from about ad 4, is known in various versions throughout India and Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, the story has been set to music and dance and performed by the Royal Ballet since the 18th century.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although the epic is also known in the villages, where it is translated orally or dramatized in the popular shadow puppet theater, the ballet was traditionally a courtly art performed in the palace or for princely festivals. The music of the ballet is performed by the Pinpeat orchestra, which is made up of traditional xylophones, metallophones, horizontal gongs, drums, and cymbals. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>History</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQomgp_0zZALBZz78iPqOovYuBFYInthnxLUiIYjvTp8wpfA80Vw0kkelVcVyv6snp-6wgQu81RtWLtAXNGW_4FNdxsBd6U44M1zL10SOA5uBqEDdmEdlrRpqWFrAFKcUxNnGTqw2AiU/s1600/apsara_stand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQomgp_0zZALBZz78iPqOovYuBFYInthnxLUiIYjvTp8wpfA80Vw0kkelVcVyv6snp-6wgQu81RtWLtAXNGW_4FNdxsBd6U44M1zL10SOA5uBqEDdmEdlrRpqWFrAFKcUxNnGTqw2AiU/s1600/apsara_stand.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Khmer classical dance derived from Indian court dance, which traces its origins to the apsarases of Hindu mythology, heavenly female nymphs who were born to dance for the gods. The traditions of Thailand and Java (in Indonesia) also influenced the music and dance of Cambodia. In classical Cambodian dance, women, dressed in brightly colored costumes with elaborate headdresses, perform slow, graceful movements accompanied by a percussive ensemble known as the Pin Peat. Pinpeat orchestras include drums, gongs, and bamboo xylophones. <b> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />In Cambodia's villages, plays performed by actors wearing masks are popular. Shadow plays, performed using black leather puppets that enact scenes from the Reamkern, are also enjoyed. Folk dancing is popular in rural Cambodia and is performed spontaneously to a drumbeat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuwV6JW5M6UN5HjVOZpCdkqbqMuNSfbslYAukOuuNtc0EDOj3UM-x_uHGBlZoM-D3menvFrwSzkj2_NxFrJr5EzCm4qn-UwoY7rar3mjlfAW88sDoBgCVFDUWbTktOk8maZnEhq3hSNw/s1600/apsara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuwV6JW5M6UN5HjVOZpCdkqbqMuNSfbslYAukOuuNtc0EDOj3UM-x_uHGBlZoM-D3menvFrwSzkj2_NxFrJr5EzCm4qn-UwoY7rar3mjlfAW88sDoBgCVFDUWbTktOk8maZnEhq3hSNw/s1600/apsara.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><b>Apsara Dance</b> </b></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At the heart of classical form is the Apsara, the joyful, almost wanton dancer whose images are everywhere. Princess Buppha Devi, who currently serves as the Minister of Culture, is a master of Apsara dancing, which dates to the 1st century.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The graceful movements of the Apsara dancers, adorned with gold headdresses and silken tunics and skirts, are carved on the walls of many of the temples at Angkor. Estimates are that there were 3,000 Apsara dancers in the 12th century court of King Jayavarman VII.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4Jyi3cx4GvaqDkd98D4BnjeTsr3TXt_XHMaSN8Irt2TzZh5wLf9uuNrV0arZUMnRUTRiUVUmRSD8qggL1ZWeyqvxWk4N7Sn_G9EfIUrtZ7E83IwBRpBju0s7Y0gwo5NMYJH6hgDAY1k/s1600/kagnoak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4Jyi3cx4GvaqDkd98D4BnjeTsr3TXt_XHMaSN8Irt2TzZh5wLf9uuNrV0arZUMnRUTRiUVUmRSD8qggL1ZWeyqvxWk4N7Sn_G9EfIUrtZ7E83IwBRpBju0s7Y0gwo5NMYJH6hgDAY1k/s1600/kagnoak.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> Over the centuries Khmer dancing lent its influence to the classical ballet of neighboring countries, and some of its postures and movements are similar to other Southeast Asian dance forms. But according to Princess Buppha Devi, "The Khmer kingdom started its traditions in the 8th century, 500 years before Thailand." In 1400, with the sacking of the Angkor Empire, the Apsara dancers were seized and taken to Thailand. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apsara dancing is one of two elements of classical ballet, the other being "today" dancing, the depiction of early myths. Many of the dances involve performing a fragment of the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic that is one and a half times as long as the Odyssey.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Others are based on the legendary battles and mythical sagas carved in bas relief on the walls of the temples of Angkor-including the Churning of the Sea of Milk, the great battle between gods and demons for the holy liquid that gives immortality. There are 100 dances and dramas.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQD3yK_uvMUvvwD41ITNzPv68rzpWgqZIH-2kU0e14cNiFiD486OHdvmxTBUeAxN_ZTkJgUKvD5-smzLZbOTBm8Jl80vUSJ7bzpLygRsgg-PbIsTDAiwHd4UO_E0LGeNQ1JeqQNj_7eG4/s1600/angrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQD3yK_uvMUvvwD41ITNzPv68rzpWgqZIH-2kU0e14cNiFiD486OHdvmxTBUeAxN_ZTkJgUKvD5-smzLZbOTBm8Jl80vUSJ7bzpLygRsgg-PbIsTDAiwHd4UO_E0LGeNQ1JeqQNj_7eG4/s1600/angrot.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>source:http://www.tourismcambodia.com/culture/art-and-culture/khmer-dance.htm<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>

Khmer Dance

Classical Dance of Cambodia The epic poem of Rama (Ramayana) is believed to have been revealed to a Hindu holy man named Valmiki by Brahma,...

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Khmer Art and Culture

<div style="text-align: justify;">Throughout Cambodia's history, religious principles guided and inspired its arts. A unique Khmer style emerged from the combination of indigenous animistic beliefs and the originally Indian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. These two religions, along with the Sanskrit language and other elements of Indian civilization, arrived in mainland Southeast Asia during the first few centuries ad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seafaring merchants following the coast from India to China brought them to the port cities along the Gulf of Thailand, which were then controlled by the state of Funan in Cambodia. At varying times, Cambodian culture also absorbed Javanese, Chinese, and Thai influences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcPdiOY0ygogHjCQEd8MoKeB8Ty949jBgjuzESPZaLft_Ze284bXtWJrYSqrYdszHQ3ebs7V7uIGYOhnQEZ_UmMTeL2YwF1_dJe2eWyMOBSXMplBHIrb0stJmiMsdsEL9TujwqYtNr-k/s1600/KhmerSculpture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcPdiOY0ygogHjCQEd8MoKeB8Ty949jBgjuzESPZaLft_Ze284bXtWJrYSqrYdszHQ3ebs7V7uIGYOhnQEZ_UmMTeL2YwF1_dJe2eWyMOBSXMplBHIrb0stJmiMsdsEL9TujwqYtNr-k/s1600/KhmerSculpture.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Between the 9th and 15th centuries, a prosperous and powerful empire flourished in northwestern Cambodia. The Khmer kingdom of Angkor, named for its capital city, dominated much of what is now Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. The kingdom drew its religious and political inspiration from India. The literary language of the court was Sanskrit; the spoken language was Khmer. Massive temples from this period, including Angkor Wat and the Bayon at Angkor Thum, testify to the power of Angkor and the grandeur of its architecture and decorative art. The unparalleled achievements in art, architecture, music, and dance during this period served as models for later cultural development in Cambodia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Angkor faded into obscurity after the capital moved south to Phnom Penh in the 15th century, probably due in part to frequent invasions by the neighboring Thais. The jungle rapidly grew over the monuments. In the centuries that followed, frequent wars reduced the territory, wealth, and power of Cambodian monarchs. However, an independent state with its capital near Phnom Penh survived until the 19th century. The most important work of Cambodian literature, the Reamker (a Khmer-language version of the Indian myth of the Ramayana), was composed during this time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">France, which began administering Cambodia in 1863, rediscovered the temples at Angkor and worked to preserve them beginning in the early 20th century. Cambodia's traditional culture and the monuments of Angkor were endangered between 1970 and 1990 due to civil war. The Communist Khmer Rouge regime, which opposed and mistrusted religion and education, banned all of Cambodia's traditional arts and its written language. Since 1991, when Cambodia's warring factions signed a peace accord, international organizations have helped the Cambodian government restore the sites at Angkor and revive Cambodia's traditional crafts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Type of Khmer Art & Architecture</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbewwhWdv_isE255VnIzI-E3z-PYPC-LBgOFGJlzLUyg2o05_UQdT0xQBpddd3QjC3EN-ZiHfs_BJ1yB6gT0zpsOhj2p4wR8WmozzpTp1OglUGWPuDhLUIsby5KaD9wGeHjf4NroxEZw/s1600/Bayon_wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbewwhWdv_isE255VnIzI-E3z-PYPC-LBgOFGJlzLUyg2o05_UQdT0xQBpddd3QjC3EN-ZiHfs_BJ1yB6gT0zpsOhj2p4wR8WmozzpTp1OglUGWPuDhLUIsby5KaD9wGeHjf4NroxEZw/s1600/Bayon_wall.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>1. Sculpture</strong><br />The stone carving skill of the ancient Khmer was basically inherited from the Indian civilization, however, it was later evolved into its own unique Khmer style. The Khmer sculptures were carved from stone with great craftsmanship and many of them represent the Hindu deities such as Shiva, Vishnu, Brahmans, the elephant god Ganesha and many other gods and goddesses, as well as Hindu mythical monsters such as the serpent naga, the demon kala, the giant makara, and the mythical lions. Some large sculptures even portray the epics of the Hindu myths such as Mahabharata and Ramayana.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In later centuries, the Buddha statues appeared and enshrined in many temples. The most astounding Buddha statues are found in Angkor Thom (Bayon) where the magnificent statues of four-faced Bodhisattava Avalokiteshvara, the lord Buddha, were sculptured on fifty towers. Although each sculpture bears the common characteristics of the supernatural being it represents as described in the epics or myths, its details reveal the personal imagination of its sculptor. In addition, some sculptures depict the important events such as the war against its foreign invaders while some reveal the everyday life of the Khmer people such as the relief carvings of Angkor Thom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCF0TMXH5vPsnXr2WO51u6Sb7iyKospYo1UyKeg0OQ13obHlL44q2EkRzZCaZPuCyoYD-BKdP1OCe4kxA8I6ts9gKpRit-qT-bLZJ5-IQXYmutgRihkWtuvpSXRSO4h6f4DfmYIHFVcZk/s1600/Architecture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCF0TMXH5vPsnXr2WO51u6Sb7iyKospYo1UyKeg0OQ13obHlL44q2EkRzZCaZPuCyoYD-BKdP1OCe4kxA8I6ts9gKpRit-qT-bLZJ5-IQXYmutgRihkWtuvpSXRSO4h6f4DfmYIHFVcZk/s1600/Architecture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">  <strong>2. Architecture</strong><br />The house of the local people in ancient Khmer was more or less similar to those found today in villages of modern Cambodia. It was elevated about two and a half meters above the ground with the wooden ladder and was built by wooden piles which supported the floor, the walls and the roof. The wall was made up of either the straws or the bamboo with the roof covered with the thatched leaves of dry coconut palms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The architecture of the dignitaries' houses and the palaces was somewhat different from those of the laymen, and differed in sizes, layouts and dimensions. The materials used to built the house consisted of stronger wooden planks, generally made up of teakwood, and the roof was covered with tiles for the inner rooms and with thatched leaves for the outer corners. These differences clearly identified the classes of the people by which the laymen were not even dare to put up a single tile on their roof.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to Hinduism, the gods reside in the five sacred mountains with central Mount Meru and these mountains are surrounded by the cosmic ocean. The structure of the Khmer temples mostly symbolizes the heavenly residence of the gods with five towers, called Prasats. The central dominant tower or Prasat represents the Mount Meru with four smaller ones, each at its corners, to represent the other four sacred mountains of the heaven. In some temples, there are galleries connecting the towers. The moat surrounding the temple symbolizes the cosmic ocean.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> source: http://www.tourismcambodia.com/culture/art-and-culture.htm </div>

Khmer Art and Culture

Throughout Cambodia's history, religious principles guided and inspired its arts. A unique Khmer style emerged from the combination of ...

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