Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented in
Khmer and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese), Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian, Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, (Khmer,)
Korean, Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Thai.
Greetings and welcome
to A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Today, we’ll present
the first of a two-part
series dedicated to
an architectural wonder
of modern history –
the Royal Palace
of Cambodia
in the capital city
of Phnom Penh.
The Kingdom of
Cambodia neighbors
Âu Lạc (Vietnam)
to the east,
Thailand to the west,
and Laos to the North.
Home to 14 million
kindhearted ethnic
Khmers, this Southeast
Asian country is situated
on the fertile flood plains
of the Mekong River and
the spectacular Tonle Sap,
or the Great Lake.
Tonle Sap is a major
geographical feature
of Cambodia and
a designated Biosphere
Reserve of United
Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
Its surface area naturally
expands once a year from
2,700 square kilometers to
16,000 square kilometers
in the monsoon season.
During this period,
the usual draining
of the lake into
the Mekong River
reverses its course when
the deluge of rain water
flows back into the lake,
inundating
surrounding areas.
Seasonal flood brings
nutrient-rich sediments,
supporting a unique
ecosystem with a
tremendous biodiversity.
Over millennia,
the rice-producing
fluvial plains evolved
into the cradle for a
magnificent civilization.
It is not known when
humans first set foot
on the Lotus Land.
The most distinct
prehistoric sites are
the circular earthworks
found near
southeastern Cambodia.
Dated between 3000
to 1000 BCE, these
well-organized villas
measure 150 to 300
meters across, and
housed permanent
rice-farming communities.
After a few thousand years
of cultural development
and exchanges,
the history of Cambodia
reached
unprecedented height
during the Angkor Period
between the 9th
and the 15th centuries.
The Buddhist Khmer
Empire was one of the
most glorious kingdoms
in Southeast Asian
history, leaving behind
numerous architectural,
artistic and
cultural heritages.
The national symbol
Angkor Wat is
among the hundreds of
distinctive Khmer sites
found in Cambodia.
Built in the 12th century,
the well-preserved
architecture is among
the best ancient
monuments on Earth
with its aesthetic design
and outstanding masonry.
Having served as
a Hindu, and later
Buddhist temple,
it is characterized by
roundly tapered temple
mountain edifices
symbolizing the splendid
spiritual realm, and
exquisite relief galleries
depicting the images of
dancing devatas (deities).
Fascinated by
its harmonious beauty,
the 16th century
Portuguese monk
Antonio da Magdalena
wrote after becoming
the first Western witness
of the amazing structure,
“[Angkor Wat] is
of such extraordinary
construction that
it is not possible to
describe it with a pen,
particularly since it is
like no other building
in the world.
It has towers
and decorations and
all the refinements which
the human genius
can conceive of.”
Angkor Wat is
a UNESCO World
Heritage Site attracting
millions of admirers
each year
from around the globe.
Since the 19th century,
Cambodia has been
blessed by
several wise rulers.
During King Norodom’s
time, the country gained
nearly a century of
much cherished peace.
Under the leadership
of King Sihanouk,
Cambodia achieved
independence
on November 9, 1953.
King Sihamoni ascended
the throne in 2004,
leading the harmonious
people of Cambodia into
a new era of prosperity.
As a symbol of
Cambodian regality,
the Royal Palace
complex in Phnom Penh
was designed to
represent the country’s
extraordinary
cultural heritage.
Located next to a
beautiful riverfront park,
it was built
in classic Khmer style
consisting of three groups
of buildings,
the Khemarin Palace,
a central compound
encompassing
the Throne Hall, and the
Silver Pagoda Temple.
Numerous gardens
adorn the palace
with local flora.
Except for
the Royal residence of
Khemarin Palace,
the entire complex
is open to the public
under the instruction
of the benevolent king.
The construction of
the Royal Palace
began in 1866 during
King Norodom’s reign
right after Phnom Penh
became the capital.
The original palace
was designed by
Khmer architect Neak
Okhna Tepnimith Mak.
Over the course of
the next century, the
initial wooden buildings
were replaced
and expanded with
new structures.
But the predominantly
Angkorian-style design
retained through
the renovations.
Most recently
in the mid-1990s,
the entire complex was
refurbished to restore
its original splendor.
Now, let’s follow
Mr. Chea Sothearith,
Deputy Chief of Tour
Guide Office, and explore
the various aspects of
this spectacular landmark.
Welcome to Cambodia,
and welcome to the
Royal Palace right here.
This is the Royal Palace
of the Kingdom
of Cambodia.
This palace is built
with special significant
meanings with the special
Cambodian sculpture.
The location of this
palace is face to the river.
We have
the Mekong Rivers and
the water also divides
into lower Mekong
and also divides to
the Tonle Sap Lake
in Siem Reap; and
another one branch
is Bassac River.
So it is in the front of
the confluence
of the four rivers.
His Majesty the King
Norodom Sihamoni,
he’s now 57 years old,
and he has been crowned
since 2004.
So right now
His Majesty the King,
he is still living
inside the palace
in his residence.
The whole palace
compound is 435-meter
long by 421-meter wide,
so totally is almost
half kilometer square.
We’ll continue our tour
of the Royal Palace of
Cambodia and hear about
the compassionate
monarch right after
these messages.
Please stay tuned to
Supreme Master
Television.
You can look at this palace.
There are
two main colors.
Yellow represents
Buddhism;
white means Brahmanism.
Welcome back to
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television
as we resume our tour
of the Royal Palace of
Cambodia in the capital
city of Phnom Penh.
With a single-spired roof,
the Khemarin Palace
is the residence of His
Majesty King Sihamoni
and the Royal Family.
On the same line of axis
as the Moonlight Pavilion,
it is separated from
the rest of the complex.
The triple-spired
Throne Hall is the most
prominent architecture
in the central complex.
It is used
for royal celebrations
and official meetings.
Inside the Throne Hall,
one finds the thrones for
the King and the Queen,
along with the busts
of past monarchs.
The ceiling of
this great hall is
garnished with colorful
frescos depicting stories
from the Reamker,
the Cambodian version
of the Indian epic
of Ramayana.
With its front side facing
east, the Throne Hall
was constructed
on a citadel and has a
30-by-60-meter footprint.
The central spire rises up
to 59 meters, on which
the four-faced head
of Brahma overlooks
four directions,
reminiscent of
the face towers of
Angkor Wat.
Brahmanism,
we believe in one god
that has four faces.
And the Brahman is very
peaceful in his world,
so that is why the King
also put the four faces
on the top and
representing that
he doesn’t want to
have fightings
against any nation.
So this is a sign that we
would like to have peace.
Brahma has four faces,
and each face means
mercy, compassion,
sympathy, and equality.
All edges and corners
of the Throne Hall’s
golden roof
are embellished with
dragon sculptures,
which have
a special significance.
You can see the roof.
They represent
the dragon skin.
And every small spiral
on the top of the roof
represents the tail
of the dragon,
and from the tail
lower down the body.
And the head of those
dragons on the lower
part of the eave of roof.
His Majesty the King
put the dragon.
So we also believe in
dragon because
dragon is very important.
Everywhere
when you visit Cambodia
you always see the statue
of dragon because
we consider dragon
our ancestor too.
How is the dragon related
to Cambodia’s past?
Let’s find out from this
time-honored folktale.
The dragon is related to
one of the legends that
about 8000 years ago
this country has no land.
It was under water.
And the water was ruled
by the dragon.
And the female dragon,
when she had a baby,
her baby was
a human daughter.
And the daughter ruled
part of the water.
There was a prince
from India,
and they fell in love
with each other.
So then the daughter took
him to meet the father
in the seabed.
So the father made
the wedding ceremony
for them.
During the wedding
ceremony, the father,
in need of dowry,
tried to suck the water
of this area.
And here the water dried,
then the land took over.
So the land was given
by the dragon.
That is why
we always think
the dragon is important
and we never insult
the dragon.
We always make offering,
food, cakes to the dragon.
And the dragon is
a symbol of the rain also.
85% of us,
we are rice farmers, so
we plant rice, depending
on the rain water.
Dragons are also symbols
of the Royalty.
The special arrangement
of dragon tails on the
roof of the Throne Hall
is a metaphor of peace.
And the dragon is
a symbol of our ancestor,
our protector.
That is why we put the
dragon statue on the top.
There are many, many
dragons on the roof.
It means that
this country is led by
many, many leaders,
but all the leaders
have the same ideas.
How could they have
the same idea?
You can look at the tower.
The main tower is
the symbol of
all the combination of
all the dragon tails.
They combine their tails
in a single way
and point upward.
It means prosperity and
wisdom, and protects
the country very well.
All of our leaders
have the same idea to
protect the nation and
to make happiness and
peace for the nation.
Below the dragon roof,
the eaves of
the Throne Hall are
supported by the images
of Garuda, a flying deity
of Indian mythology.
This architecture also is
decorated with the statue
that is called “Garuda”
at the corner of the pillar.
Those statues have wings,
and now they are
supporting every pillar
of these buildings.
So it means that
these buildings now they
are not on the ground.
They are now floating
in Heaven because of
every pillar supported
by the statue have wings.
And they are flying
right now.
So the palace means
paradise.
So we always consider
our kings as
the god-kings as well.
This is the culture of
god-king.
We practice this religion
since the 9th century,
since we started
establishing the great
empire Angkor Temple.
The Throne Hall is really
a heavenly edifice
expressing
the noble wishes of
the dragon descendants.
May the Kingdom
of Cambodia be blessed
with lasting peace
and happiness.
Join us again tomorrow
when we continue
our visit to other
inspiring structures of
the Royal Palace
complex in Cambodia.
Thank you for your
wonderful presence
on today’s episode of
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Up next on
Supreme Master Television
is Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
right after
Noteworthy News.
Wishing you
an uplifting week
filled with divine glory.
Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented
in Khmer and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese), Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian, Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, (Khmer,)
Korean, Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Thai.
Halo gracious viewers,
welcome to A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Today we will present
the final part
of our two-part program
on the magnificent
Royal Palace of Cambodia.
In the first part, we visited
the grand Throne Hall,
the main building
for royal ceremonies.
Next to the Throne Hall
on each side are
the Bronze Palace,
which houses royal regalia,
and the Elephant
Waiting Hall, where
the ancient kings mounted
the gentle pachyderms,
as an auspicious
beginning to
ceremonial processions.
Today, the Hall serves
as a holding place for
musical instruments and
other parade equipment.
Our knowledgeable
Royal Palace Tour Guide,
Mr. Chea Sothearith,
continued his
fascinating introduction.
The building behind me
is called Preah Tineang
Sam Ran Phearum.
It means
the Elephant Waiting Hall.
So His Majesty the King
and the Queen,
or Royal Family would
like to wait for elephants
inside this building,
and the elephant is
also waiting for the King
next to this pole.
That is the balcony
for the King and Queen.
He came out
and stood on the balcony
and mounted on the back
of the elephant.
But recently, His Majesty
the King doesn’t like
using elephants because
he practices religion.
His Majesty the King
right now looks
more compassionate
to the animals
and the people,
so that is why
he doesn’t like riding
elephants anymore.
He practices religion
very strongly in his life.
His Majesty
King Preah Bat Samdech
Preah Norodom Sihanouk
is devoted to
the pure-hearted citizens
of his nation, who love
to see him in person.
The Moonlight Pavilion
is the ethereal structure
from which His Majesty
watches processions
and addresses
his faithful people.
I would like to show you.
Behind me
there is a nice pavilion.
It is called
Chanchhaya Pavilion.
In English it means
Moonlight Pavilion.
It is used for holding
banquet receptions
for dignitary guests
for His Majesty the King
when very important people,
for example
a head of state, president,
or king or queen
from another country,
during their stay
and visit in Cambodia.
His Majesty
the King of Cambodia
always welcomed them
by opening this building
for banquet receptions.
And particularly,
the building is built
in open air.
You can see,
without walls, just pillars,
because it is designed for
the moonlight – we could
see into the hall easily –
and particularly used
for His Majesty the King
to meet the people because
during special events,
for example,
Independence Day,
His Majesty the King
always appears
in the public
so the people can visit
or look at the King
with their own eyes.
What often
surprised visitors is
a European structure called
the Napoleon III Pavilion,
located between
the Throne Hall and
the Silver Pagoda complex.
In fact, it was the first
permanent structure
in the Royal Palace,
presented to His Majesty
King Norodom
as a friendly gift
by French Emperor
Napoleon III in 1876.
The building is now
a museum, displaying
photographs of royal and
historical significance.
South to
the central compound is
the Silver Pagoda complex.
It is a royal temple
consisting of
the famous Temple
of the Emerald Buddha,
numerous stupas
dedicated to past kings
and members of royalty,
a statue of His Majesty
King Norodom on a horse,
a human-made hill,
a library, an open hall
for reciting scriptures,
and a long encompassing
mural of Reamker
covering the walls
of the entire complex.
Behind me,
this is the temple
which is called
Wat Preah Keo Morokat.
It refers to the
Emerald Pagoda because
we have one big statue
of the Emerald Buddha
that has been enshrined
inside the pagoda.
But the tourists prefer
to name Silver Pagoda
because of what
they have seen inside.
This is the front door
of the Silver Pagoda,
and this middle door is
used for the King, Queen,
or Royal Family, who
came to practice religion,
especially to pray inside.
So during the Buddhist
days, the King, Queen,
and the Royal Family
always come to pray and
open these middle doors
for the Royal Family.
The side doors
are used for ministers.
And these pagodas are
built purposely for religion,
for serving
Buddhist ceremonies
for the royal families.
But nowadays
Buddhist monks and
the Buddhist people also
come to visit the palace.
And they can make time
to pray inside this pagoda
because this is
the most important and
very honorary pagoda
in Cambodia
and the biggest pagoda.
We can say it is
the most important pagoda
among thousands
of pagodas in Cambodia.
After these messages,
we will find out more
about the Silver Pagoda
in the Royal Palace
of Cambodia.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Among
the resplendent structures
of the Royal Palace,
the Silver Pagoda
is known for housing
the Emerald Buddha and
thousands of silver tiles
that cover its floor.
On exhibition are over
1600 treasures of cultural
and religious importance.
There are a lot of
silver tiles that cover
the whole floor inside.
So totally
there are 5329 tiles.
Totally there are
about 6 tons of silver
inside this pagoda.
The reason we have
a lot of silver inside
because they are
from the former currency,
the coins, when we stopped
using coins around 1930.
And His Majesty the King
collected the coins
from the people
and his own coins
and he sent to France
to melt it down, so
that is why the temple is
covered with silver tiles.
We have
a lot of Buddha statues
that mostly are made of
gold, silver, platinum,
besides
the Emerald Buddha.
The Emerald Buddha
is the biggest
and remains in the world
as the most expensive,
most priceless Buddha
in the world of Buddhism.
And we have
one more Buddha.
Maitreya Statue is
the statue made of gold,
90 kilograms.
And there are
a lot of diamonds
encrusted on the statue.
There are 2086 diamonds
on the body of the statue.
There are 25 carats
appear in front of
the headdress of the crown,
with the chest probably
about 20 carats, and the
belly about 20 carats too.
So totally we have
2086 diamonds and almost
more than 5000 items
displayed inside,
mostly Buddha statues.
The property inside,
His Majesty the King
told the nation
that they are now
the national treasure.
It does not belong
to the Royal Family.
So His Majesty the King
wants the people to
take care of this property
for the Kingdom
of Cambodia.
In front of the pagoda
stands a statue of
the legendary His Majesty
King Norodom
mounted on a horse.
A wise action
of His Majesty
over a hundred years ago
is credited with bringing
the nation on the road of
peace and independence.
This area is the front
of the Silver Pagoda.
So we have the statue
of King Norodom
sitting on the horse.
But he is in the dress of
the Emperor Napoleon III.
His Majesty
the King Norodom had
become a very close friend
to Napoleon III.
So Napoleon looked after
the country and finally
gave back independence
to His Majesty the King
Norodom Sihanouk on
the 9th of November, 1953.
So, His Majesty the King
Norodom Sihanouk
obtained independence
from France
very peacefully.
The interior surface of
the Silver Pagoda complex
is a continuous mural
gallery of Reamker,
the Cambodian version of
the Indian epic Ramayana.
Behind me
there is the fresco;
it was painted in 1904.
This is the detailed story
of Ramayana telling about
the prince and princess.
The prince,
his name is Rama,
and Sita is the princess.
It is said Rama
is one of the incarnations
of Buddha also.
So this is also related
to Buddhism
and Brahmanism.
This painting
started from1904 and
painted the way around
the whole compound,
642 meters long,
by Cambodian artists.
There were about 42 artists.
The Royal Palace
of Cambodia is truly
a repository of treasures.
It is the crystallization of
the wisdom and creativity
of the Cambodian people.
The advancement
of Khmer civilization
cannot be separated
from the grace of
many wise kings,
virtuous sages,
and enlightened masters.
It is a land rich in tradition
of past generations,
imbuing the people
with purity and
a sense of spirituality.
With deep appreciation
for the nation’s
glorious culture,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has also shown
her care and love for
the Cambodian people.
Between 1994 and 1995,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
donated
7,000 tons of rice
to the flood and drought-
affected Cambodians.
Her contribution
to Cambodia throughout
the years since 1994
amounts to greater
than US$2.1 million.
The funds have been
used for irrigation,
drilling wells, building
schools and temples,
conducting professional
training and taking care
of orphaned children.
Crop seeds
were also donated.
Appreciative Cambodians
constructed
the Ching Hai River
to facilitate irrigation,
remembering always
her loving assistance.
In 1995, during a 7-day
retreat in Cambodia with
our Association members
to pray for world peace,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
visited
the Royal Palace upon
the official invitation
of His Majesty
King Norodom Sihanouk.
During this wonderful
occasion,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
presented His Majesty
with her self-designed
Celestial Jewelry and
Celestial gown, along
with a Longevity Lamp.
She praised His Majesty
for his humility and love
for his people.
She also prayed
that the Buddha
would bless Cambodia
for a brighter future.
In return, His Majesty
offered
Supreme Master Ching Hai
a special silver urn
representing
the spirit of Buddha
and applauded her
for preserving
the beautiful tradition
of glorifying the Divine
and for her
selfless contributions
to the Cambodian people.
Supreme Master
Ching Hai
expressed her feelings
of oneness with
the gracious citizens
of the nation and her
belief in a flourishing
future for Cambodia.
I believe that this country
will become
stronger and stronger
because Cambodian people
are very kind.
Cambodia has
a very spectacular past.
I feel like
I'm at home here.
I treat Cambodians
like my own people.
I feel very close to them.
They look at me as if
we've known each other
for a long time.
There's no difference
between us.
It was our great pleasure
to have the opportunity
to visit the beautiful land
of Cambodia.
Our thankfulness,
Mr. Chea Sothearith,
for your informative
presentation of
the splendid Royal Palace.
May the gentle
Cambodian people
thrive evermore in a kind
and sustainable world,
with Buddha’s
immense blessings.
Kind-hearted viewers,
thank you for joining us
for today’s edition
of A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Up next is
Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
after Noteworthy News.
May virtuous and
noble traditions be upheld
to bring tranquility and
splendor to our planet.