There’s a small admissions fee, and an extra charge for bringing in a camera, but we thought it was worth it. The grounds are very lovely – well-landscaped gardens and tended lawns, and beautiful Khmer architecture. It was similar to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, but on a much smaller scale.
The palace grounds include the Temple of the Silver Pagoda, in which photos are not allowed. We spent some time walking around the perimeter of the inside of the temple, looking at assorted artifacts from Cambodian’s Buddhist past, before sitting on the rugs to reflect under a fan’s breeze. The previous evening, a fellow American tourist we met had commented on the Silver Pagoda and its collection of objects.
It’s not the most impressive collection, she noted, if you are judging by size or shininess. There are hundreds of tiny Buddha statues and other items, but many are faded or dull. But consider that in the 1970s the Khmer Rouge regime tried to destroy Buddhism in Cambodia: knocking down temples, smashing statues, and killing monks. The objects in the Temple of the Silver Pagoda are the ones that survived, and were slowly collected, all across the country, hidden by people who defied the regime. Their worth is more than what it appears.
The area around the Royal Palace also includes the National Museum, which we didn’t have time to visit. We did enjoy taking a photo from the outside, though.
1 comment:
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