Wat Po Veal Museum

An Archeological Museum in Battambang, Cambodia
Wat Po Veal Museum
Type: Archeological Museum
Settlement: 1965
Country:
Cambodia

The Wat Po Veal Museum (Khmer: សារមន្ទីរ វត្ត ពោធិ វាល) is an archaeological museum located in Battambang, Cambodia. The museum exhibits historical artifacts and art of the country.

History

The National Museum of Phnom Penh, the École des Arts Cambodgiens in addition to the Wat Po Veal were founded by the Cambodian government and the proctectorate.[1] Around 1920, some books from the Wat's library were collected and lodged in the library of the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) in Hanoi. In 1921, Iv Tuot became the Wat's chau adhikar, and in 1930, he published a book called History of the Po Veal Pagoda (French: Historique de la pagode de Povéal), written in Khmer.[2] The museum was created as an initiative of the monk Samdech Preah Vanarat Iv Thuot in 1932.[3] The collection of museum objects began during 1926, when farmers were excavating ancient artifacts while plowing their fields. Monk Iv Tuth was not happy that the antiquities were damaged, so he traveled throughout the province and requested that the antiquities be deposited at the Wat.[4] During the civil war, some locals tried to save some of the objects by burying them near the temple or throwing them into the river.[5] When the Khmer Rouge took over the country, the museum building served as a cotton warehouse, but fires sometimes broke out. From 1979 to 1985, the museum was part of an area of control by the Vietnamese military.[4] The museum was opened in 1965. According to Kim Sophorn, an archeologist, the museum's inventory contained 218 stone artifacts and 65 wooden artifacts.[6]

Photo Credit: Andy Brouwer

In 2011, a statue head was found excavated 5 km from the temple, this head was registered in the inventory.[4]

Collections

The museum specializes in displaying Khmer art.[7] The museum contains statues of Vishna and Shiva.[8] According to AMS Khmer Civilization, the museum has a lintel that probably dates from 1002 to 1050 AD with the style of sculpture used during the time of Suryavarman I.[9] The museum's collection formerly included archaeological elements of temples, ceramics, ethnographic woodwork in addition to bronze or stone sculptures.[4]

References

  1. Heng, Piphal, Kaseka Phon, and Sophady Heng. “De-Exoticizing Cambodia’s Archaeology through Community Engagement.” Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage 7, no. 3 (July 2, 2020): 198–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/20518196.2020.1767381 (Page 3).

  2. Harris, Elizabeth J. “Cambodian Buddhism” In Notes, 241–300. University of Hawaii Press, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824861766-015.

  3. Biard, Sophie. “Réflexions sur l’histoire de l’exposition et de la restauration des effigies de culte anciennes au Cambodge.” Moussons. Recherche en sciences humaines sur l’Asie du Sud-Est, no. 30 (November 24, 2017): 131–51. https://doi.org/10.4000/moussons.3942 (in French).

  4. Little, Harriet Fitch, and Vandy Muong. “Inside the Secret Museum.” - Phnom Penh Post

  5. Peters, Heather "Cambodian History Through Cambodian Museums" (1995) - Penn Museum

  6. Kuch; Naren “Old Made New” June 20, 2015 - The Cambodia Daily

  7. ASEAN from Space. Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Public Organization), 2001. (Page 64)

  8. Watson, William. “Thai and Cambodian Sculpture from the 6th to the 14th Centuries.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 122, no. 2 (April 1990): 414–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00108901

  9. AMS Khmer Civilization. “ពិធី និងទិដ្ឋភាព គជលក្ស្មី ក្នុងសិល្បៈខ្មែរ,” (in Khmer) April 13, 2021.

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