While leading a photography tour with one of my guest in the Cambodian countryside, we unexpectedly stumbled upon a unusual Buddhist ceremony at a local pagoda: many families were there busy preparing offering and several young Cambodian boys with shaved heads were wearing colorful dresses and make-up. One of them was actually crying.
We learned later that this 2-day ceremony was inspired by the Dragon Monk Legend: a long time ago, a dragon (Neak in Khmer language) who took the form of a man was ordained monk by Buddha. While taking a nap, the monk changed back to dragon and the trick was discovered. The legend lived until this day as the ceremony of the dragon is taking place when a Cambodian man wants to become a monk either for few years or longer.
We were lucky to be the only outsiders taken pictures of this ceremony of the 9 monks to be ordained. Future monks had their head and eyebrows shaved and were dressed up with the with a colorful sampot (an ancient long traditional saron) and a lace top along with some jewellery. They also applied lipstick to make themselves more beautiful, something which can be seen in the temples of Angkor done by locals on some Buddha and Devata statues.
At one point of the ceremony, beautiful horses were brought in and monks rode them to take part of a procession going back to the city few miles away. Some women carried colorful boxes containing the robe of the monks that they will be wearing the next day.
When back from the city, a large crowd did a circumambulation (3 times) before entering the pagoda where the monks were been ordained by higher monks.
If you are visiting Siem Reap and want to document this special Buddhist ceremony please get in touch with us.
Dragon monks praying Buddha
Dragon monk in a colorful pagoda
A soon to be ordained monk adjusting his colorful sampot
Khmer family dressing session in pagoda
Dragon monk wearing a pink sampot
Young dragon monk wearing a lace top outfit
Dragon monk posing with his offerings
Dragon monk dressed with a sampot in the monastery
The nine to be ordained monks kneeling and praying
Elderly Cambodian women at the Dragon ceremony
Elderly Cambodian woman in front of a colorful pagoda mural
Colorful box containing the robe of a future monk
Procession going from the pagoda to the city on foot
Dragon monk riding a colorful horse on his way to the city
Dragon monk riding a colorful horse on his way to the city
Monk waiting by the pagoda’s entrance
Young Cambodian kid with colorful paint on his face
Crowd gathered in front of the pagoda for the final ceremony
Preah Khan of Kompong Svay (not be mistaken with Preah Khan temple in Angkor), also called Prasat Bakan by the locals, is a remote archeological site located 100 km from Siem Reap as the crow flies in Preah Vihear province at the eastern end on the ancient royal road from Angkor.
Preah Khan is the single biggest temple complex built during the Khmer Empire occupying an impressive footprint of about 22 kilometers square, 11 times larger than Angkor Wat and 2 times larger than the city of Angkor Thom. Because of its remote location (more than 200 km one way from Siem Reap including about 70 km of unpaved road) it receives less than 10 visitors daily.
The layout of the temple is unique compared to the other sites in Angkor as it is oriented northeast. It has been proposed that the temple is aligned with the raising sun during thee summer solstice.
A large baray of 3 km long lies on the east with a temple called Preah Thkol in the middle similar to the West Mebon in Angkor. It was built between the 10th and 13th centuries in different stages during the reigns of Kings Suryavarman I, II and Jayavarman VII. The influence of Jayarvaman VII is clearly visible in Prasat Preah Stun which has with a four-faced tower similar to the Bayon temple (see picture below).
Rediscovery
The rediscovery of Preah Khan is credited to French explorer and artist Louis Delaporte who lead a expedition there in 1873. At the end of their visit they took many statues which are now at the Guimet museum in Paris : among them, a naga garuda and an elephant statue from Preah Damrei (see picture below).
Because of its remote location and lack of security, the site was badly sacked during the 1980’s and 1990’s and even more recently in 2003. Even so, some beautiful pieces like doors and lintels are still there. The causeway crossing the moat (mostly dry like in Beng Mealea) has many garuda carvings on both sides.
Exploring the site can be quite difficult because of the dense vegetation there and the absence of clear paths.
Recent archeological missions
The Cambodian Archaeological Lidar Initiative (CALI) known for his groundbreaking discovery of the first Khmer empire city, Mahendravarpata, in Phnom Kulen and in 2014 did a survey of Preah Khan in 2015 and confirmed the previous layout of the temple. They confirmed that Preah Khan was an important iron smelting center at the height of the Khmer Empire. 90 structures were identified within the four enclosures of the temple.
Another project called The Two Buddhist Towers lead by a multidisciplinary team of researchers (UCLA, University of Illinois, University College London, EFEO,…) aims to study the transition from Mahāyāna to Theravāda Buddhism at Preah Khan did some excavations in 2015 and 2016. Three Chinese coins dating from the 10th and 11th century were found confirming the importance of his site during the Khmer Empire.
LIDAR image of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay
Main entrance of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay
Buddha niche at Preah Khan Kompong Svay
Atmospheric entrance in Preah Kompong Svay
Garudas below the main bridge of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay
The same garuda bridge by Louis Delaporte in 1873
Remain of a lion statue
Laterite towers in Preah Khan Kompong Svay
Beautiful door at the main temple of Preah Khan Kompong Svay
Temple ruin in preah khan kompong svay second enclosure
Temple ruin in preah khan kompong svay second enclosure
One of the two elephant statues remaining statue at Preah Damrei. Louis Delaporte took one back to France in 1873.
Bayon like temple in Preah Khan Kompong Svay
Beautiful Naga with Garuda at Preah Damrei
Tree growing on one of the temples of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay
Devata at Preah Damrei
Preah Stun , a surprising Bayon look alike temple in the jungle
Preah Khan of Kompong Svay is best visited during the dry season when the unpaved road is in fairly good condition. It is a 1-day trip from Siem Reap that can be combined with a visit to Koh Ker or Beng Mealea. A 2-day trip with a visit to Preah Vihear can also be arranged. If you like to do a private photography tour of this enigmatic and beautiful temple, please contact me.
Monks, with their vivid-colored saffron robes, are interesting subjects for photographers as they provide a striking contrast against the sandstone of Angkor temples.
According to history, Buddhism in Cambodia dates back to the 5th century from a king in the Funan Dynasty. However, it was then that during the reign of King Jayavarman VII of the Angkor Empire when a certain type of Buddhism, called Mahayana Buddhism, was established. Then there was another form called the Theravada Buddhism that took over the former one after the death of King Jayavarman VII.
In the present days, about 95% of people in Cambodia practice Buddhism. Buddhist monks are also referred to as “bonzes”. There are two types of monks, the Novice and the Bhikkhu. Novices can be as young as 7 years old while Bhikku should be at least 20 years of age. Converting into a monk is a matter of personal choice but theoretically speaking based on religious rites and beliefs, Cambodian male above 16 years old should at least serve some terms as a monk. Though they are not compelled to serve as a monk for their entire life, others opt to take the vow and serve otherwise. They live in a simple lifestyle and they are normally prohibited from participating in activities outside their religious practices. However, there is a bit of gradual change in their traditional observance due to the fast-changing contemporary lifestyle influences.
At present, there are about 4000 monks in Cambodia, however it is not an exact figure as there are many Cambodian monks living in Thailand. This number was much higher not so long ago as most of Buddhist monks were murdered between 1975 and 1979 by the Pol Pot regime. In 1969, it was estimated that 53,000 monks and 49,000 novice monks were serving in more than 3,000 temples.
Monks can be spotted in temples and pagodas by the altars praying, some are walking thru the gates and corridors of Angkor Wat or in the maze of Bayon temple either alone or in groups, while others are interacting with ordinary people and tourists. Taking good pictures of monks in these conditions could however be challenging as good lighting and composition is often proved to be difficult.
We had an unexpected opportunity on the 19th and 20th of December 2015, to witness a ceremony with 4100 monks in the temples of Angkor. After the offering ceremony which took place at the Terrace of the Elephants, we met and chatted with some monks and were able to learn about their religious beliefs and observances.
Taking photos of monks from afar in their saffron robes is already enchanting. Being closer made it more a delightful encounter as one can see more intricate details like the position of their hands inside the robe, the elements of the robe, and the silver alms bowl inside the monk bag.