Angkor History

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Even if the Royal Ballet of Cambodia is presumed to be originated in Megalithic culture, it was most certainly at its zenith during the Angkor era. Hence, the remains of the temples of Angkor are one of the most important tangible evidences for this ancient tradition of Cambodia. Thousands of apsara dancers and many inscriptions can still be found on the ancient temple walls. Yet, they are not solely a testimony for its ancientness but further illustrate the Royal Ballet’s persistent significance for Khmer culture. Therefore, it is crucial to study the impact of the Khmer Rouge on the remains of Angkor (Cravath 1985). By having a brief look at the national flag of Democratic Kampuchea , it becomes immediately clear that the Khmer Rouge used …show more content…

As Khmers are the Traditional Custodians of this heritage, their leaders always claimed to be the “true holders of the Angkor heritage” (Keyes 1990; Sopranzetti 2010) In the history of Cambodia, being the “true holders of the Angkor heritage” also meant being the authority in possession of Cambodia. Therefore, every regime used Angkor as a tool for the representation of power and control over the country. Even though, it is a heritage of feudalism, this strong symbol for nationalism and power could not have been neglected by the Khmer Rouge (Chandler 1983; Sopranzetti 2010; Locard …show more content…

Yet, they changed its image as being a heritage of feudalism to a heritage of collective achievements. Since Angkor is indeed product of collective labour, they were able to assimilate its tangible remains perfectly to their ideological doctrines. Pol Pot often referred to Angkor in his speeches in order to indoctrinate the Khmer with its new function (Chandler 1983; Sopranzetti 2010; Locard 2011). The great victory day of 17th April 1975 is the day of the greatest and most splendid victory in more than 2,000 years of Cambodian history. This great victory is even more brilliant than the Angkor era, which was truly a splendid era. Even today mankind admits that the Angkor temple is a splendid masterpiece of our labourers’ ancestors. However, the victory that our people, workers and peasants of this era have scored over the most ferocious and most inhumane U.S. imperialist is even more brilliant and splendid than the Angkor temple. (Locard

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