The Throne Hall roofThe Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Few visitors to Phnom Penh's Royal Palace leave uninspired, writes Tom Cockrem.
'CULTURAL Synergy" is one phrase that springs to mind: Cambodia's Royal Palace inspired by Thailand's Grand Palace, whose earliest model was the palace at the ancient Khmer capital at Angkor. The similarity of the two great royal complexes is readily apparent, their magnificence akin. But Cambodia's could never match the architectural proliferation of its famed Thai counterpart. And so it never tried. Instead, it settled happily for gardens - verdant surrounds in which this sanctuary of splendour could be savoured and admired in perfect peace.
The palace grounds are oriented to the east and the royal astrologers deemed it auspicious to have their monarch live near the confluence of three rivers: the Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Basak.
Seen from the riverside, the most prominent structure is the Chanchhaya Pavilion, traditionally a venue for performances of the fabled royal ballet.
The pavilion is built into the front wall of the complex, just north of the Victory Gate. It's a massive open-sided hall, with a forest of columns supporting its extraordinary multi-layered roof.
From every gable angle sprouts a wing-like finial, giving the impression of lightness and of flight. Crowning the roof complex is a seven-tiered spire, or mondop.
Such spectacular Khmer roofs deck all the main buildings of the compound. The largest of these is the Throne Hall, which stands regally at the end of a long straight driveway leading from the Victory Gate.
It is used for coronations and audiences with ministers and foreign envoys to the king. The hall's central spire stretches 59 metres into the clouds. There are two thrones within, both richly gilded and graced with finely carved celestial beings. The king's throne sits beneath a giant multi-tiered parasol, the symbol of royalty. The queen's throne tops a high-hulled wooden boat, suitably overlaid with fierce water serpents known as naga.
The first king in residence was Norodom, who supervised the construction of the palace in 1866, not long after the establishment of Phnom Penh as the official capital of Cambodia. His original wooden palace was demolished by King Monivong in 1931. Its concrete and stone replacement was set behind the Throne Hall. It is now off limits to the public.
Still a legend in Cambodia, Norodom was nothing if not a populist monarch. His palace became known as "the Village of the King", and was just about as busy as any part of town.
The grounds teemed with life: royal attendants, gardeners, princesses, supplicants, tradesmen, elephant keepers and musicians.
Norodom also loved to entertain. He maintained the royal ballet specifically for that purpose - a host of golden-crowned celestial angels, or apsaras - and male monkey gods. They danced at royal weddings, funerals, festivals and for visiting celebrities, especially from France.
South of the Throne Hall, and accessed through a gate, stands what most say is the highlight of the complex. This is Wat Preah Keo Morokat - "The Temple of the Emerald Buddha". It is popularly known as the Silver Pagoda, in reference to the 5329 pure silver tiles that spread across its floor.
A Buddhist temple, its richly gilded interior is a reliquary of ancient Khmer treasures: golden chalices and urns, bejewelled dance masks, and a host of Buddha statues big and small. One solid gold figure weighs 90kilograms, and is inlaid with more than 2000 diamonds. Sitting high atop a pedestal is the 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha - the so-called "Emerald Buddha".
The entire temple compound is enclosed by high-walled cloisters, which originally served as classrooms for the monks. The walls are covered with fabulously graceful murals, which illustrate episodes from the Khmer Ramayana. The murals cover an astonishing 2000 square metres.
Few visitors to Phnom Penh's Royal Palace would leave the complex uninspired. The exit alone would see to that. You walk out through the stables, where the king's white elephant was kept. Instead of elephants it now houses a museum, with processional carriages, harnesses, palanquins and such.
But it is not hard to envisage these illustrious old stables occupied by elephants again. And then a dazzling procession - the king in all his jewelled and golden splendour - might then make its way out through the Victory Gate again. I for one would make sure I was there to see it pass.
TRIP NOTES
* Getting there: Thai Airways International flies to Bangkok from Sydney twice daily and from Bangkok to Phnom Penh daily.
* Visa: Available on arrival.
* When to visit: The cool season is from November to February.
* Read: The Royal Palace Of Phnom Penh (Post Books) by Julio A. Jeldres - a coffee table book. Lonely Planet's latest edition on Cambodia has a special section on the Royal Palace.
The palace grounds are oriented to the east and the royal astrologers deemed it auspicious to have their monarch live near the confluence of three rivers: the Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Basak.
Seen from the riverside, the most prominent structure is the Chanchhaya Pavilion, traditionally a venue for performances of the fabled royal ballet.
The pavilion is built into the front wall of the complex, just north of the Victory Gate. It's a massive open-sided hall, with a forest of columns supporting its extraordinary multi-layered roof.
From every gable angle sprouts a wing-like finial, giving the impression of lightness and of flight. Crowning the roof complex is a seven-tiered spire, or mondop.
Such spectacular Khmer roofs deck all the main buildings of the compound. The largest of these is the Throne Hall, which stands regally at the end of a long straight driveway leading from the Victory Gate.
It is used for coronations and audiences with ministers and foreign envoys to the king. The hall's central spire stretches 59 metres into the clouds. There are two thrones within, both richly gilded and graced with finely carved celestial beings. The king's throne sits beneath a giant multi-tiered parasol, the symbol of royalty. The queen's throne tops a high-hulled wooden boat, suitably overlaid with fierce water serpents known as naga.
The first king in residence was Norodom, who supervised the construction of the palace in 1866, not long after the establishment of Phnom Penh as the official capital of Cambodia. His original wooden palace was demolished by King Monivong in 1931. Its concrete and stone replacement was set behind the Throne Hall. It is now off limits to the public.
Still a legend in Cambodia, Norodom was nothing if not a populist monarch. His palace became known as "the Village of the King", and was just about as busy as any part of town.
The grounds teemed with life: royal attendants, gardeners, princesses, supplicants, tradesmen, elephant keepers and musicians.
Norodom also loved to entertain. He maintained the royal ballet specifically for that purpose - a host of golden-crowned celestial angels, or apsaras - and male monkey gods. They danced at royal weddings, funerals, festivals and for visiting celebrities, especially from France.
South of the Throne Hall, and accessed through a gate, stands what most say is the highlight of the complex. This is Wat Preah Keo Morokat - "The Temple of the Emerald Buddha". It is popularly known as the Silver Pagoda, in reference to the 5329 pure silver tiles that spread across its floor.
A Buddhist temple, its richly gilded interior is a reliquary of ancient Khmer treasures: golden chalices and urns, bejewelled dance masks, and a host of Buddha statues big and small. One solid gold figure weighs 90kilograms, and is inlaid with more than 2000 diamonds. Sitting high atop a pedestal is the 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha - the so-called "Emerald Buddha".
The entire temple compound is enclosed by high-walled cloisters, which originally served as classrooms for the monks. The walls are covered with fabulously graceful murals, which illustrate episodes from the Khmer Ramayana. The murals cover an astonishing 2000 square metres.
Few visitors to Phnom Penh's Royal Palace would leave the complex uninspired. The exit alone would see to that. You walk out through the stables, where the king's white elephant was kept. Instead of elephants it now houses a museum, with processional carriages, harnesses, palanquins and such.
But it is not hard to envisage these illustrious old stables occupied by elephants again. And then a dazzling procession - the king in all his jewelled and golden splendour - might then make its way out through the Victory Gate again. I for one would make sure I was there to see it pass.
TRIP NOTES
* Getting there: Thai Airways International flies to Bangkok from Sydney twice daily and from Bangkok to Phnom Penh daily.
* Visa: Available on arrival.
* When to visit: The cool season is from November to February.
* Read: The Royal Palace Of Phnom Penh (Post Books) by Julio A. Jeldres - a coffee table book. Lonely Planet's latest edition on Cambodia has a special section on the Royal Palace.
2 comments:
The current Cambodia style of architecture is a sore sight for any visitor. Cambodia have such a beautiful scenery and all these runaway architectures are making the surrounding landscape and the beautiful scenery look very ugly. This is a disgrace for modern day Cambodia and it seems like little children just learning how to built a doll house.
New Ho Chiminh!!!!!
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