The Phnom Penh Royal Palace in Cambodia is a group of buildings with golden roofs and yellow walls, including more than 20 palaces of various sizes such as the Zengchaya Palace, the Golden Palace, the Silver Palace, the Dance and Music Palace, and the Treasure Palace. The corridors are decorated with reliefs imitating Angkor Wat. The carved beams and painted rafters and glazed tile roofs of Zengjaya Hall echo the glittering golden pagoda of Polemorokot on the left. The scenery is spectacular. There is a treasure hall inside the Golden Hall, dedicated to displaying treasures. Among all the buildings in the palace, the Silver Palace is the most magnificent, with a floor paved with over 4700 carved silver bricks. Inside the main hall, there is a Buddha statue about 60 centimeters high, carved from a whole piece of jade, which is crystal clear and is a national treasure of Cambodia. This is a holy site for kings to worship Buddha throughout history.
Full name and translated name
The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh was a symbol of power and former royal residence of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The full name of the Phnom Penh Palace in Khmer language is:Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk。
Historical evolution
In 1434 AD, Cambodian King Pongga Yate relocated his capital to Phnom Penh and immediately built a palace in Phnom Penh. From then on, the palace became a symbol of Phnom Penh and the center of power ruling Cambodia. The current palace was designed and built by French engineers in the late 19th century and was expanded in the early 20th century. The palace is surrounded by yellow walls and serves as the residence, office, and meeting place for the king to meet foreign guests.
palace
The palace is located to the east of Phnom Penh, facing the four arm bay formed by the confluence of the Mekong River, the Tonle Sap River, and the Basha River, and is a typical Khmer style building. The center of the building's roof has a tall spire, and the two ends of the ridge are pointed upwards, creating a beautiful and magnificent appearance. From an aerial view, the palace was shimmering with golden light, particularly eye-catching. In the center of the eastern wall of the palace is a reviewing stand. There are more than 20 palaces of various sizes in the palace, among which the Kamalin Palace is equivalent to the Golden Luang Hall in China's imperial palace, with the throne of the king. The throne is adorned with gold and diamonds, intricately carved. The Kaimalin Palace is a place where the king receives important events such as meetings with officials, reception of foreign dignitaries, and submission of credentials by foreign envoys. When President Jiang Zemin visited Cambodia in November 2000, he met with King Norodom Sihanouk at the Kamalin Palace. There is also a French style building in the Phnom Penh Royal Palace, which complements other Khmer style buildings. That is the Napoleon III Pavilion, which was gifted to King Norodom by King Napoleon III of France. The entire palace is divided into two parts. The northern part, where the royal family resides, cannot be visited by tourists. The silver palace in the south is available for visitors to visit. The two parts each have walls, with a passage in the middle that is connected by a door.
Silver Hall
The Silver Pagoda, also known as the Emerald Buddha, is a temple style building that is actually a royal family temple. The Silver Palace is named after the floor, which is made of 5329 pure silver bricks weighing 1.125 kilograms each; It is also known as the Jade Buddha Temple because of a green jade Buddha statue carved from a whole piece of jade. The Silver Palace was built in the Khmer architectural style from 1892-1902 and rebuilt in 1962. In the center of the Silver Hall Hall, there is a Buddha statue made of 18K gold, weighing 90 kilograms. The Buddha's body is adorned with 9584 diamonds, with the largest one weighing 25 carats and set on the chest, followed by a diamond on the forehead weighing 20 carats. It is said that the face of this golden Buddha statue was modeled after the face of King Sisowa, as the Cambodian people believe that the king will become a Buddha after death, which also carries the meaning of praying for the king. In addition, there are silver Buddha, bronze Buddha, as well as many priceless artworks and precious souvenirs presented by world leaders to the Cambodian king in the hall.
In the courtyard of the Silver Palace, there is the ashes tower of King Norodom to the northeast, the ashes tower of King Anton to the southeast, and a bronze statue of King Norodom riding a horse in the center of the east. There is a small grey tower in the southwest, belonging to Princess Gandapahua, the daughter of Sihanouk. Gandapahua was a daughter whom Sihanouk loved very much, and she died of leukemia at the age of 4. There is a scripture storage building to the north, which houses many Beiye scriptures and a statue of a divine cow with three eyes, containing 80% silver. In legend, the divine ox is the mount of the god Shiva. On the walls of the corridors inside the walls of the Silver Palace, there are murals depicting the achievements of various dynasties and religious stories, which are important cultural relics and are now somewhat damaged.
