The Wat

I have been reading Vittorio Roveda and Sothon Yem's simply exquisite Buddhist Painting in Cambodia, probably the most fascinating, and certainly the most beautiful, book about Cambodian Buddhism.

I read the following passage, and it prompted me to share some of the favourite photographs I have taken in Cambodia at temples:

"Withing the urban and rural landscape, the Buddhist monastery, referred to as a wat, has traditionally occupied a dominant place in Cambodia. The monasteries are sites where Cambodians have perpetuated ancient rites and traditions for centuries. Historically they have served to structure and sacralise the village space, creating the centre around which the population was installed."

 Vittorio Roveda & Sothon Yem, Buddhist Painting in Cambodia, p. 23

Modern naga balustrade

Wat Langka, Phnom Penh

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

"Buddhism has had an active presence in Cambodia for over 1,500 years, enjoying alternate fortunes of acceptance and rejection by the ruling elite and the wider population. The history of Buddhism in Cambodia is pregnant with assumptions and theories that have gradually been taken as truths, making it very difficult to construct a reliable account of its development."

~ p. 11, "Buddhist Painting in Cambodia" by Vittorio Roveda & Sothon Yem