Page 35 - Seniorstoday December 2023 Issue

ancestors. Religious ceremonies are held
in the memory of the dead. In the Angkor
Wat complex we saw many families who
came in traditional attire with offerings to
designated small temple structures to pray
under the guidance of the priests sitting
there.

The grandeur of Angkor came to an end
around 1431 when the city was ceased by
the Siamese. The king was forced to retreat
and form a new capital in the vicinity of
modern Phnom Penh and Angkor was
abandoned by the 15th century. Angkor dating back to the 10th to 12th Centuries,
Wat had been on my bucket list from there are ethnographic objects dating from
the time we first read about it in the Art prehistoric times, as well as artefacts from
History class in Arts school some 50 years the Angkor period. This museum also
ago. Never imagine that I’ll actually ever houses the maximum number of idols in
be able to visit it some day! I found all stone, wood and other material from the
the places we visited in Cambodia very Hindu period of Cambodia. At the entrance
exciting, juxtaposing ancient history with is a monolith sculpture which has Brahma
contemporary culture, from slick hotels to Vishnu and Mahesh all in one which we
fine dining restaurants where you can have found to be very unique. Just in front of the
a lavish buffet while watching the famous main door leading to the building are big
Apsara and other dances. The Apsara statues in stone of Lord Ganesha.
dancers are another popular subject in
the wall murals in the temples and other
structures.
The National Museum of Cambodia was
inaugurated around 1920 and the red
buildings remain just as attractive today.
Supported by UNESCO it houses more than
1400 valuable items including sculpture,
ceramics and the largest collection of
Khmer Art in the world. Majority of them,

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #54 | DECEMBER 2023 35