Art and Culture

The Preah Vihear Temple – Discover the Wonder of Khmer Architecture

The modern day Cambodia being at the heart of what used to be the Khmer Empire at the turn of the last millennium, so it is filled with historical treasures and buildings from the era. Apart from the Angkor Wat, there are a number of sites from the period which even predate the world famous temple complex. One of the most spectacular of such examples is the Preah Vihear Temple, located in the northern frontier of Cambodia in the Preah Vihear province. The Preah Vihear province borders the Siem Reap province, so if you are visiting the Angkor Wat, you can visit the temple easily.

The Preah Vihear has its origins even older than that of the Angkor Wat, as the Khmer emperor Yasovarman I had started its construction as early as the 9th century. However, most parts of the temple were built by the emperors Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II, the latter of which built the Angkor Wat as well. Just like many other temples in the country, it is built on the top of a 525-meter high cliff called Pey Tadi in the Dangrek Mountains within the vicinities of the Khao Phra Wihan National Park which separates Thailand and Cambodia.

The temple was built for the Hindu deity Shiva. When you reach the temple from the northern side, you are welcomed by the site of a flight of stone stairs, which are traditional for any Hindu temple, but this one is no less than 78 meters long. The most noticeable features of the temple are its Gopuras or the recognizable entrance pavilions, which have become the symbols of the temple. The temple is built in four layers with four courtyards. The temple site is really spectacular and it truly shows that for those who are fascinated by its mystique that the Khmer culture has a lot more to offer than just Angkor Wat.

The architecture of the temple is exquisite and the temple is really a treat for those who want to study the local cultural history. Among the most important attractions of the temple are the Palace on the third level of the temple and the Nagaraj courtyard. The Nagaraj courtyard features spectacular imagery of snakes, due to their association with the Hindu god Shiva, and the sculpting art displayed here would take you by surprise. The Palace used to be the place where the emperor used to stay when he visited the temple. The architecture and the grandeur of the temple make it a really worth visiting site.

The Preah Vihear Temple has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. It is interesting to note that the temple and the adjoining areas were the source of a bitter dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over its possession. However, in 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the ownership to Cambodia. But as equally stunning as the temple is its very location itself. But anyway, the temple is accessible from the Thai border as well. The view from the temple of the surrounding landscape of the Cambodian plane is something that you will never be able to forget for as long as you live.

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Khmer Wedding

In every culture weddings are important and a big step in two individuals lives, but in the Khmer culture it is even more of a celebration and there are long drawn out rituals that have been a tradition in the Khmer culture since the beginning, over one thousand years ago. The wedding ceremony takes three days, if not more in some cases.

The first two days consists of a ritual of ceremonies at the bride’s family home. There is giving of this and taking of that. The community brings bowls of fresh fruit in the morning and all throughout the day. The entire time Khmer wedding music, or Phleng Kar as they call it, is playing beautifully in the background.

When I say, “playing beautifully in the background,” I do not mean off of cassettes or the radio. For wedding ceremonies a seven person ensemble is present making the beautiful music with seven of their traditional instruments. The wedding ensemble is performed by the oldest and talented of musicians due to the seriousness and importance of a wedding.

The wedding starts late, around 6 or 7, on the third day. Everyone in the community comes and the best of Cambodian food is served throughout a ten course meal. The women all look their best, wearing silk dresses, make up, and their hair done up nicely. The aroma of the room is amazing. It is full of pure happiness. Everyone is full of smiles, dancing, and full of politeness. The music is amazing and adds to it all, and in some say it fuels the Khmer culture and happiness.

There are many different rituals going on within the ceremony, and there is a specific Phleng Kar song for each one of them. Rituals include: the leading of the bride’s groom to the bride’s house, asking for the breaking of the fence to get into the house, and the beginning of the ceremony. Within the ceremony there are many traditions such as the hair cut, the cutting of betel flowers into pieces and scattering them on heads of the couple, the drawing of a sword, the binding of thread around the wrist, the kowtowing of the sun god, the entering into the wedding room, the sweeping of the wedding mat, and the greeting of parents and relatives.

The Khmer wedding music is played obnoxiously loud, to a level that most people would not enjoy, but the Khmer people absolutely love it and enjoy it. It is a way to show off their happiness and celebrate the beginning of their new life with everyone. The music to them is completely peaceful and magical, but to others who are not accustomed to it, it may sound a little obnoxious due to the high pitched sounds of the traditional instruments.

While the music may sound chaotic, the people are not. The Khmer people are extremely polite and a marriage ceremony is a very somber, emotional event. Marriage to the Khmer is more than about the bride and groom’s life together, it is about their lives, how they were raised, reflect upon their parent’s good deeds, and of course, the journey they are going to have together.

The Phleng Kar is played extremely from the early morning of the wedding day to the conclusion of the ceremony (the thread-tying and the blessing) early next day.