Pol Pot
Dance Costumes
Khmer Language
Family Life
Dance
Reamker
Silk Purses
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
original 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 A.D. 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, Cambodia culture also absorbed Javanese,
Chinese, and Thai influences.
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
Thom, testify to the power of Angkor and the grandeur of its architecture and
decorative art. The unparalleled achievements in
art, architectures, music, and dance during this period served as models for
later cultural development in Cambodia.
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
Cambodia monarchs. However, an independent state with its capital near
Phnom Penh survived until the 19th century. The most important work of
Cambodia literature, the
Reamker (a
Khmer-language version of the Indian myth of the Ramayana), was composed
during this time.
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 Cambodia government
restore the sites at Angkor and revive Cambodia's traditional crafts.
