CAMBODIA – LAND OF THE ANGKOR KINGS
For over five hundred years, Angkor was at the core of one of humankind's greatest civilizations. The mighty “Devaraja” or God-kings ruled a vast swathes of what is now Southeast Asia from their heartland in the northern plains of Cambodia. They built immense and dazzling cities and temples decorated with intricate stone carvings to honour both their gods and themselves. At its height in the late 12th century , Angkor is believed to have been home to about one million people. One of the largest cities on earth at that time.
Like other great empires before and since, the mighty Khmer civilization eventually declined. In the 15th century, the Ayutthaya Thais sacked the city several times until eventually it was abandoned and entire population, including the Royal Court moved to current day Phnom Penh. Once abandoned, the jungle quickly reclaimed the temples and they remained lost to the outside world until their rediscovery in 1860 by the French explorer Henri Mahout.
It has been said the temples of Angkor represent the finest architectural artistry in human history. To comprehend their grandeur and magnificence requires imagination. Imagine the Great Egyptian Pyramids at Giza if every stone were carved with portrayals of fantastic myths and legends. To better grasp the sheer scale, both St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London would fit easily inside the perimeter walls of Angkor Wat.
The country of Cambodia itself remained a quiet, undisturbed backwater for much of the last century. Now emerging from years of isolation, the country offers a true taste of Southeast Asia before the arrival of mass tourism and rampant commercialisation.
Together with the other countries of Indochina, Cambodia has had its fill of tragedy. Yet its people are nothing if not pragmatic and forward looking. Cambodia today has much to offer the curious and adventurous traveller.
GEOGRAPHYCambodia has an area of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi) and lies entirely within the tropics. It borders Thailand to the north and west, Laos to the northeast, and Vietnam to the east and southeast. It has a 443 kilometre (275 mi) coastline along the Gulf of Thailand. Phnom Penh is the Capital City of Cambodia with the population of approximately 2 million, and an area spanning 290 square kilometres. It is considered the centre of Industry, Administration, Commerce, and Tourism. CLIMATE AND SEASONSCambodia has a tropical monsoon climate defined by its wet and dry seasons. November through February is the cool and dry season, whilst March to May is the hot and dry. The hot and wet season is from June to August, and the period from September to October is the cool and wet monsoon season. Note: The climate is changing over time due to the world climate changes. PEOPLEAbout 90 percent of the 14,805,000 (est. 2010) million population is ethnic-Khmer. The rest of the population is comprised of Chinese; Vietnamese; Cham; and Cambodia's ethnic minority groups. Minority groups include the Saoch, the Pear, the Brao, and the Kuy, nearly all of which live in the country's mountainous regions. LANGUAGECambodia's language, Khmer, is a non-tonal language. Before 1975, many educated, urban citizens mainly spoke French. Today, city dwellers may speak languages including English, Chinese, Vietnamese and French. RELIGIONDuring the Khmer Rouge genocide, all religions were banned. In the 1980s, Theravada Buddhism was reinstated as the national religion, and today, practicing Theravada Buddhist amount to 95 percent of the population, whilst the remaining 5 percent includes Muslim, Christian, and Animist. FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYSSimilar to other countries, Cambodia has scores of unique public holidays and festivals per year. However, Cambodian holidays are celebrated according to the phases of the moon; thus making some of the dates approximately constant each year. Usually, public offices, banks, and some private enterprises are closed on such days. Some remarkable festivals are the celebration of BONN CHAUL CHHNAM (CAMBODIAN LUNAR YEAR) which is amongst the most significant holidays in the county held during mid April, approximately coinciding with the Buddhists celebration of Buddha birthday and enlightenment; CHRAWT PREAH NEANG KOUL (ROYAL PLOUGHING CEREMONY) held in May where members of the royal family and the royal priests with the royal oxen lead the ceremonial ploughing of the field to jumpstart the rice planting season. The priests make predictions about the upcoming growing season and harvest based on the oxen’s choices of the 7 offerings including corn, rice, sesame, beans, grass, water, or wine; VISAKA BOCHEA DAY (BUDDHA’S BIRTHDAY), the nationwide festival is held during the sixth full moon of the lunar calendar involving chanting, sermons and a candlelit processions to the monasteries or Wat to commemorate the day of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death; BONN CHOL VASSA (COMMENCEMENT OF BUDDHIST LENT) held to coincide with the eighth full moon of the lunar calendar, and mark the beginning of the three‐months Buddhist lent whereby Buddhist monks fast and meditate (young men consider this festival auspicious for entering the monkhood); the three PHCUM BEN DAY, CHENG VASSA, and KATHEN events constitute the second major holiday period in Cambodia to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lents; and BONN OM TOUK - WATER and MOON FESTIVAL taken place during the day of the full moon originally dating back to the times of the Khmer Empire and intended to display the strength of the powerful Khmer marine forces. The festival also marks the changing flow of the Tonle Sap River and thanksgiving to the Mekong River for furnishing fertile land and abundant fish to the country. HANDICRAFTS AND SOUVENIRSCambodia has some of the most beautiful religious carvings, statues and bas-reliefs anywhere in the world. Vidotour supports the Kingdom of Cambodia and UNESCO's efforts to stop the raiding of these priceless and irreplaceable objects of art from the country. For those wishing to purchase such figures, and excellent quality replicas for souvenirs, they are now available in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. |
