For the first 45 minutes of our trip through the mammoth,
20,000-square-metre building, we didn't spot another visitor. The museum
opened in November 2007, and its shopping mall-like feel contrasts with
the thousands-year-old artefacts contained within it.
A visit is a comfortable, air-con alternative to visiting the temples
themselves, and a nice educational supplement to the history of Angkor
if you visit the park without a tour guide. It's composed of eight
separate galleries, all connected by a vaulted corridor with a series of
fountains and lined with what seems like all the Angkorian limestone
lion and demon heads missing from statues at the temples. After an
explanatory film screening called Story behind the legend, you're
pointed toward the galleries:
Gallery 1: 1,000 Buddha Images
This is the only gallery that's just one large room, rather than a
series of maze-like alcoves, and the sight of all these Buddhas at once
is striking. Hundreds of small and miniature Buddha figurines, made of
metals, jewels and wood, all individually illuminated, line the walls
here, identified according to the period they were made during and where
they were discovered. In the centre, life-size and larger Buddha
characters are displayed. The display includes Buddhas from Banteay
Kdei, Bayon, Angkor Wat and Preah Vihear.
Gallery 2: Pre-Angkor Period: Khmer Civilisation
This gallery and all the subsequent ones combine mural-size explanations
and short films through maze-like rooms explaining Angkorian history.
The styles of figurines precede the trademark Angkor style, and there's a
large collection of lingas, lintels and colonnettes.
Gallery 3: Religion and Beliefs
This room explains several of the most significant Hindu and Buddhist
religious stories and folk tales depicted on Angkorian temples,
including the most memorable
Churning of the Sea of Milk carved into the rear wall at Angkor Wat. Carvings of Buddhist and Hindu religious figures are concentrated here as well.
Gallery 4: The Great Khmer Kings
The gallery focuses on King Jayavarman II, Yasovarman I, Soryavarman II
and Jayavarman VII, those most responsible for Angkor's greatest
constructions. Figures of the kings and relics from the temples they
commissioned abound.
Gallery 5: Angkor Wat
There's a large film gallery inside this section of the museum. It
features beautiful, panoramic images of the temple and explanations of
how it was constructed. There are also many restored figures from the
temple itself as well as post-Angkorian wooden statues used for worship
at the temple until several hundred years ago.
Gallery 6: Angkor Thom
In addition to recovered artefacts from Angkor Thom, this gallery
includes a history of and artefacts from the vast irrigation projects
commissioned by the king who built Angkor Thom with his smiling face
looking out from every tower: Jayavarman VII.
Gallery 7: Story From Stones
This room is one of the most interesting. It's a collection of stone
pallets with ancient Khmer and Sanskrit inscriptions. The writing on
each slate is explained on placards below. The writing on them includes
the declaration of the construction of a new hospital, lists of slave
names, mediations of land disputes and adulations of kings and gods.
Gallery 8: Ancient Costume
From Apsaras and kings to princesses and warriors, this room contains
the busts and statues of distinct fashions and styles as they evolved
throughout Angkor time. There's also a collection of ancient jewellery
and headdresses. It's a clever segue to the final room -- the gift shop
-- where upscale imitations of these fashions abound.
It's $12 to enter the museum, plus another $3 if you want to bring in
your camera and another $3 for an educational headset. Sadly, like
ticketing and management of the Angkor park, the museum is owned and run
by a private company, so little of your admission money goes to
Cambodia or to temple restoration (though what the company paid for the
concession might).
Still, it's perhaps better than these artefacts remaining in the hands
of private collectors. A connected mall is still under construction but
has a few open stores, including a Blue Pumpkin satellite, several
souvenir shops and the sure sign of apocalypse -- a KFC.
12:43 AM
The ruins of Angkor Wat are located in the
Angkor Archaeological Park, and the entrance to the park is located
about 3km north of modern-day Siem Reap. There are no hotels within the
park grounds, and most visitors to the ancient temples stay in Siem
Reap, using it as a base from which to make daily visits to the temples.
The most significant temple ruins are found 6 to 25km north of town,
with the closest major temple being Angkor Wat. The Roluos Group of
temples are 13km east of Siem Reap.
