| National Museum (Courtesy:wikipedia) |
Fractured Vishnu, Rescued Harihara and
Art Thieves
National Museum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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| Stone Statue of the Leper King at the Entrance Photo: Christophe95, Wikimedia Commons |
The National Museum of Cambodia is
located in Phnom Penh, next to the Cambodian Royal Palace. This magnificent
brick-red monument was designed by George Groslier in traditional Khmer
architecture and was inaugurated on 13th April 1920. The museum was
closed from 1975-1979 during Khmer Rouge Regime when the ‘dogs of war’ played
havoc with education, culture, cities, religion, industries and above all, the population
of Cambodia. Many employees of the museum were killed and the abandoned museum
became the home for a colony of bats with the rooms filled with bat droppings. The
museum’s structure turned precarious with its rotten wood. The garden was a
jungle .But the most horrific thing was, the valuable collection was stolen or
damaged. After normalcy returned in Cambodia the museum was tidied up and
renovated, the artifacts reorganized in record time and reopened on 13th
April 1979. There are no ramps or elevators for differently-abled persons
inside the museum. An idol of Lord Ganesh adorns one corner of the garden.
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| Lord Ganesh (photo:Bulbul Sur) |
The museum is indeed spellbinding,
displaying the world’s largest collection of ancient Khmer artifacts, huge
sculptural assemblage of Buddhism and a massive amount of sculptures of Hindu
Gods, Goddesses and religious symbols of Hinduism.
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| Shivalinga made of Bronze, Quartz and Silver Photo: AKS. 9955 ,Wikimedia Commons |
It is Cambodia’s largest museum of cultural
history and one of the biggest historical and archaeological museums in the
country. The large, standalone sculptures are exhibited on stools or tables
while the smaller ones are encased in glass. It is reported that thousands of
artifacts are still lying in the basement of the museum waiting to be
categorized and displayed. There was no booklet available, so it was difficult
to remember the names of the sculptures. The lady guide was very soft spoken
but there was no problem in hearing her because we got transmitter-charged
radios. She was an encyclopedia of Hindu religion.
Reclining Vishnu is the largest known bronze sculpture in Khmer art. It was brought to the National Museum in Phnom Penh on the 1st of December, 1950. Archaeologists have found an 11 – 12th century sprawling bronze workshop adjacent to the ancient royal palace in Angkor Thom under the reign of Jayavarman VII, the God king. This workshop yielded unfinished bronze sculptures, furnace, metal and crucibles.
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| Trimurti Photo: AKS.9955, Wikimedia Commons |
In Hinduism, the Trimurti or Triumvirate
consists of three Gods, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the
destroyer. In the museum, an 11th century sandstone Trimurti of the
Angkor period is displayed.
Reclining Vishnu.
One of the most striking sculptures
in the museum is a bronze statue of reclining Vishnu. Lord Vishnu is one of the
supreme Hindu Gods in whose obeisance, Suryavarman II of the Angkor dynasty
constructed the stupendous Angkor Wat temple.
There is an interesting story behind
the discovery of this statue. It was found in West Mebon, a temple located in
the center of West Baray in Angkor, Cambodia. The temple is typical
of Khmer architecture—temples surrounded by moats (deep, wide ditch filled with water) to signify the Hindu
God of creation. In 1936, a local villager is said to have dreamed that an image
of the Buddha was buried in West Mebon and it wished to be liberated from the
site. During excavations, fragments of an 11th century bronze statue
of Lord Vishnu were unearthed in a platform at the West Mebon temple. The fragments included the God’s head, upper
torso and two right arms. The statue in complete form would have measured six
meters in length. The statue is in a reclining position, as if on the ocean.
Vishnu is integral to the ocean, being the architect of the churning of the
ocean (Samudra Manthan).That is why West Baray was created so large to give the
semblance of a real ocean. It is an 11th century reservoir built in
the reign of King Suryavarman 1 (1006-1050) and completed in King
Udayadityavarman II’s reign (1050-1066). It is the largest reservoir of the
Angkor era with a length of 7,800 meters. It is fed by fresh water from two
main sources: Siem Reap and Puok River. It is navigable by boat and even contains a
raised-earth, ancient island built by Udayadityavarman II. It is located just
west of Angkor Thom.
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| West Baray (photo: Bulbul Sur) |
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| Reclining Vishnu Photo: Clay Gilliland, Wikimedia Commons |
Reclining Vishnu is the largest known bronze sculpture in Khmer art. It was brought to the National Museum in Phnom Penh on the 1st of December, 1950. Archaeologists have found an 11 – 12th century sprawling bronze workshop adjacent to the ancient royal palace in Angkor Thom under the reign of Jayavarman VII, the God king. This workshop yielded unfinished bronze sculptures, furnace, metal and crucibles.
Harihara
Harihara is another important 7th
century stone sculpture displayed in the museum. This life-sized statue is a
combined depiction of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara), representing the
preserver and the destroyer of the universe. It was from the Phnom Da Temple in
Takeo province of Southern Cambodia. The head was removed by the French during
French colonial rule and shipped away to France between 1882 and 1883.It was
displayed at France’ Guimet Museum.
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| Harihara Photo: Vladimir Renard, Wikimedia Commons |
Fortunately, the head was returned by
the French and a big welcoming ceremony was held in the National Museum on
January 21st, 2016. In the presence of the Cambodian Deputy Prime
Minister Mr. Sok An, about 200 government officials, representatives of foreign
governments, ambassadors and Guimet Museum’s officials, the 47 kilogram head
was reattached to the body. Mr. Sok An termed the reunion as ‘symbolic of prosperity’
according to Khmer culture.
Lakshmi Lintel
If Lord Vishnu is the preserver and
keeps the cosmos functioning harmoniously as a perfect whole, then His consort Goddess Lakshmi is His
force, the Shakti which helps Him to accomplish His challenging task. In the National
Museum, there is a red, sandstone Lintel celebrating Lakshmi. It belongs to the pre-Angkor period, in the first half of the 7th century. Lakshmi signifies prosperity, fertility and
power.
Garuda:
In the museum, there is a statue of Garuda,
the lord of the birds, part bird and part man and the battle steed of Lord
Vishnu. It is made of sandstone, in Koh Ker style and is from the 10th
century Angkor period.
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| Garuda Photo: AKS.9955,Wikimedia Commons |
Durga Mahishasuramardini
A sandstone sculpture of Durga
Mahishasuramardini is also on display. It belongs to the early 7th
or late 8th century, pre-Angkorian period. The Goddess is wearing a
Vishnu crown showing her allegiance to Lord Vishnu.
Art Thieves
The problem of stolen artifacts is
grave in Cambodia. The country has a rich cultural and historical heritage with
4,000 archaeological sites. But many of these sites were looted during French
colonial rule, during Cambodian civil war and political instability. Numerous
artifacts had been stolen and illegally trafficked out of the country. A 1993
Cambodian law prohibits the removal of cultural artifacts without government
permission. Cambodian government has appealed to other countries to return Cambodian
artifacts. Museums and auction houses in the USA have returned 6 looted ancient
statues to Cambodia in the past few years while Thailand returned 16 smuggled,
ancient artifacts to Cambodia.
In October 2015, a Norwegian
businessman returned 11 artworks to the National Museum. These included a
priceless Khmer sculpture of a Preah Ko temple styled, 9th century head of
Shiva and a late 12th century Bayon-styled Male Divinity.
Two, huge, sandstone Brahma statues
displayed in the museum were also looted from Koh Ker archaeological site in
the 70s, during Cambodia’s civil war. They were set up for sale in a shop in
Paris for $1 million. They were brought back to Cambodia after a long legal process.
In April 2015, Cambodia collaborated
with the US authorities to repatriate $ 3 million worth of Cambodian
antiquities reportedly smuggled into the US by a New York art dealer.
A 10th century Hanuman
statue which was stolen from Prasat Chen Temple during the 70s’ civil war was
part of a Cleveland Museum’s collection since 1982.It was returned to the
National Museum in Phnom Penh amidst a ceremony in May 2015.
Besides displaying priceless
collections, preserving them and providing them excellent security, the
National Museum also repatriates stolen cultural property of Cambodia from
other countries.
According to a report in Phnom Penh
Post, Pich Keo, the Director of the National Museum had said, “As you can see,
the National Museum is difficult to protect. The thieves like it so much that
we need a strong security force on guard every single day, 24 hours a day.”
It is illegal to click photos inside
the museum. But photography in the museum’s garden is not prohibited.
Address: Preah Ang Eng St. (13),
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all seven days of the week.
Tags: West Baray, West Mebon, Art Thieves. Phnom Penh.
