A brief of Cambodian culture

Cambodian culture some of the artistic appearances were shadowed by the immensity of the past days. The Khmer empire was much inclined to Indian influence. Most of the achievements symbolized original contributions to Asian civilization. The wonderful architecture and sculpture of the Angkor period can be seen in the temple such as Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. All these showed the acme of Khmer creativity. In 15th century the Thai capture the Angkor. After that the region underwent four centuries of foreign invasions. Civil war and widespread depopulation were the common features at that time. In 1863 French protectorate establishment and just after that the internal security of Cambodia was restored. The country’s borders were well-stabilized. Different efforts were made to revitalize the traditional Khmer art forms.

Over a period of time Cambodian culture was enhanced with the tinge of Chinese, Javanese and Thai culture as well. It can be seen that between the 9th and 15th centuries, a wealthy and influential empire prospered in northwestern Cambodia. The Khmer kingdom dominated many places such as Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. India was the point of political as well as religious inspiration for the kingdom Cambodia. Sanskrit was the literary language of the court but the spoken language of Cambodia was Khmer. This period saw some massive temples such as Bayon at Angkor Thum and the Angkor Wat. They give evidence to the power of Angkor and also the brilliance of its decorative art and architecture. The incomparable achievements were seen in the field of art, music, architecture and dance during this period. This period worked as landmark for further cultural development in Cambodia.

In traditional Cambodian culture music has always occupied a central place. Music was practiced everywhere. Children used to sing it while playing and adults at work. Young men and women use to take the help of music to express something at the time of courting. In different festivals and celebration music was an important part.