Located just a few kilometres from Angkor Wat, the Preah Norodom Sihanouk Museum features a vast collection of objects spanning the history of Cambodia, from prehistoric times to modern ceramics. But the jewel in the crown of its collections is the incredible Buddhist statuary, around which a certain mystery still hovers.
Despite its location, close to the ticket office giving access to Angkor Archaeological Park, the Preah Norodom Sihanouk Museum is still largely unknown. While you may come across the odd group of tourists, it's fair to say that the rooms are extremely quiet, giving you plenty of time to observe the objects on display. The visit is well worthwhile, as the museum houses the fruit of a major archaeological discovery, one of the most important of recent decades.
Student luck
The case, which took place in 2001 and 2002, caused quite a stir at the time, putting the temple of Banteay Kdei under the spotlight. Scrambling along the edge of a two-metre-deep pit, workers and archaeologists proceeded to excavate 274 Buddha statues, some of which had been deliberately mutilated, but most of which were in a remarkable state of preservation after eight centuries underground.
In addition to its sheer size, this discovery came as a surprise to archaeologists, who were certainly not expecting it. Under the aegis of the Japanese researchers in charge of the site, it was in fact students familiarising themselves with excavation methods who had accidentally unearthed the first statues during a routine training exercise. It is these formidable artefacts that are on display in the Preah Norodom Sihanouk museum, built a few years later expressly to house them.
Typical Mahayana statuary
Most of the statues are in the so-called Bayon style, depicting Buddha meditating under the protection of the naga Mucilinda. A few abhaya-mudra, or standing Buddha, and heads of Lokesvara and Prajnaparamita complete the inventory, which is enhanced by an exceptional votive stele.
Measuring 1.2 metres high and 45 centimetres wide, this chaitya is illustrated on all four sides with 1,008 images of the Buddha. Three bronzes and some architectural elements were also found in the pit. Such a beautiful find is bound to raise a number of questions, starting with the main one: why, and by whom, were these objects buried?
Mahayana, Shivaism and Theravada
After a meticulous investigation, the archaeologists first found that a number of the statues had been decapitated. It seems highly likely that all the sculptures came from the very place where they were buried, namely the temple of Banteay Kdei, built at the end of the 12th century under the reign of Jayavarman VII. Initially dedicated to Buddhist worship, the monument was later dedicated to Shivaism during the period of Hindu restoration that followed under Jayavarman VIII.
During this counter-reformation, representations of the Buddha were destroyed or erased in favour of Hindu-inspired iconography. Evidence of this religious reaction can still be seen in the temples, where a large number of bas-reliefs were conscientiously erased. This troubled period then gave way to a return of Buddhism, but in a different form, with the Theravada succeeding the Mahayana.
Towards new perspectives
Two hypotheses have been put forward concerning the Banteay Kdei pit. One is directly linked to religious iconoclasm, which could have ordered the burial of these reviled images. The other is more likely to be an act of safeguarding, with the buried statues thus spared from scheduled destruction. While no consensus has yet been reached, such a treasure opens up the possibility of other caches scattered elsewhere, which may one day be discovered with as much surprise and enthusiasm as the one at Banteay Kdei.
This find also sheds light on the last centuries of the Angkorian period. For a long time, historiography imagined a slow but inexorable decline following the reign of Jayavarman VII, a hypothesis supported by the depletion of both written and architectural sources. However, the radical decision to change the state religion and eradicate the objects of the previous cult would demonstrate, through its strict application, the still intact power of royalty.
A Cambodia that's not just Angkorian
Whether or not you bear in mind these considerations about the last fires of the Khmer Empire, a visit to the Norodom Sihanouk Museum is particularly captivating thanks to the quality of its collections. In addition to a library containing 3,000 books, there are rooms devoted to the site of Koh Ta Meas, a Bronze Age necropolis whose excavations have taught us a great deal about the first inhabitants of a site that would later become Angkor.
A large number of objects unearthed in and around the 25 tombs excavated are on display in the museum. From arrowheads to jewellery and funerary jars, a whole chapter of life thought to have been buried forever beneath what is now Baray is brought to life before our very eyes. At the opposite end of the chronological spectrum, a rich collection of ceramics is on display. The variety of styles and origins testifies not only to local expertise in this field, but also to the variety of trade exchanges that have taken place between Cambodia, China, Japan and Thailand since the 10th century. All of which serves to bring back into the spotlight a long period that is often neglected in favour of the Angkorian period alone.
Preah Norodom Sihanouk Museum, APSARA Road, Siem Reap
Closed on Mondays
Admission (including guided tour): 1,000 riels for Cambodians, 3USD for foreigners, free for children under 12.