Pchum Ben – Traveling Mark

Amateur Apsara Dancing in Siem Reap

No visit to Cambodia would be complete without seeing the Apsara dance performance. Apsara dancing is a classical Khmer dancing art that’s been part of Khmer culture since the Angkorian days. You can see thousands of Apsara dancers carved on the walls of Angkor temples and pagodas all over Cambodia. Even though I had not heard the word Apsara prior to visiting Cambodia, I have quickly become familiar with it as soon as I started exploring Siem Reap. Moving around was much easier now that I had my mountain bike and as I kept riding around town, I noticed several hotels advertising their nightly Apsara Dance performances. There’s so much of it in Siem Reap, than sooner or later every visitor, even if entirely not familiar with Apsara will have heard of it and attended the show to see what it’s all about. I was lucky enough to have stumbled across an Apsara Dance performed at Wat Kesararam by young amateur dancers to get my introduction to Apsara Dancing prior to attending an actual Apsara show for tourists.

Photo: Amateur Apsara Dancers Performing their Act at Wat Keseram

As part of Pchum Ben Festival, main vihara (prayer hall) at Wat Kesararam was full of Khmer people who came there to pray and make offerings to their deceased ancestors and monks. Since big feast with many people attending was anticipated on the day I visited the pagoda, locals also organized a little Apsara dance performance to get themselves entertained prior to festivities. The dance was performed by their daughters – amateur but enthusiastic young Cambodians who appreciate their heritage and keep their ancient culture alive.

Photo: Apsara Dancing Has a Lot of Movement in Flexible Fingers

I walked into vihara because there was traditional Khmer music coming from the inside played live by a band and there were many shoes outside suggesting that many people are in there (Buddhists always take their shoes off before entering sacred buildings). Understanding that there was something interesting going on, I took my shoes off, wiped off the sweat from my head and stepped right in where heat was just as devastating and the light was dim.

The vihara was quite spacious with many people inside. It was very dark there. No artificial light, just a little bit coming from the outside through small windows. I was the only Caucasian there, but not the only tourist. There were a few Korean (I think they were Korean, I can’t tell Asian nationals from one another) people sitting close to the improvised stage on which young girls performed slow paced Apsara dance.

Photo: Cambodian Child Came to Check Out What Was Going on Inside of Wat Keseram's Prayer Hall

I wanted to take some pictures, but it was so dark in there it became extremely difficult. Luckily, Apsara dancing is not about speed. It’s about careful posing and a lot of balance. I had to really improvise with my camera because bad lighting conditions and moving objects (albeit slow moving) make for difficult photography. I tried my best.

Luckily for me, none of the locals made any signs of me being a disturbing element. I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but I occasionally moved from one spot to another in efforts to find the best angle with most light. The only other thing moving were the Apsara dancers on the stage so my commotion was easily noticeable. Regardless, nobody came to tell me to sit on my ass and stay quiet. I have been noticing this type of acceptance and tolerance of disturbers from the Western countries all throughout Cambodia. Khmer people in Siem Reap are so tolerant with tourists, they would probably not kick me out of there even if I walked in wearing a hat. Not that I would ever do that, but some other tourists do which I noticed when I started exploring Angkor temples. Such a shame that so many people from the west would show no respect for foreign cultures. Yet even though westerners abuse Cambodian traditions so much, I’ve never seen any local bust them for it. On a side note, perhaps it has a lot to do with how much people of Siem Reap like tourists’ money…

Photo: Synchronized Apsara Dancing by Young Cambodian Amateurs

Watching this Amateur Apsara dance – my first Apsara performance – was very enlightening. I really needed a break from the sun, but I also felt lucky I got here just in time to see these girls dancing. It was all very sincere. The dancers have performed several numbers accompanied by the music played by live band on the side of the stage and when they were done, they invited the foreigners to join them and learn how to Apsara dance. I had to respectfully decline this generous offer because I was dripping off sweat like I was in a sauna.

Photo: Teaching Tourists the Poses of Apsara Dancing

Young Koreans took on the offer and joined the dancers on the stage. That was when I realized how easy Apsara dancing seems when you watch it, but how difficult it is when you actually do it. They were teaching the Korean youth how to strike a pose. Moving from one pose to another was excluded, but let me tell you – any of those poses that seemed to easy when done by the dancers takes years of training to master. Apsara dancing is much trickier than is seems. I could tell by the faces of those Korean tourists that they were struggling big time to get simple poses done and for the most part, none of them could do it right. Apsara dancing is not easy, it just seems easy when you watch skilled dancers do it. These young ladies may have been amateurs, but they were impressive never the less. It was a truly uplifting experience. Too bad it was so hot and not enough light for good pictures.

Wat Kesararam – Pagoda of the Cornflower Petals

Wat Kesararam is the most confusing pagoda in all of Siem Reap. The inconsistencies in name were driving me insane and the more I was trying to find out which name was correct, the more confusing it was getting. Basically, aside from Wat Kesararam, this pagoda is often referred to as Wat Keseram. Not even Cambodians themselves know which name is right and which is wrong as each you ask them about it, they will give you different answer. Hence it is best to refer to it by its English name – Pagoda of the Cornflower Petals.

Photo: Wat Keseram in Siem Reap - The Pagoda of Cornflower Petals

Wat Kesararam is located at the north west side of Siem Reap, right on National Road #6, en route to Siem Reap airport. It is a very colorful pagoda the beginnings of which date somewhere to the 1970’s. The paintings on the outer walls are very bright and so are the lions and nagas – seven headed serpents the body of which serves as a balustrade around the temple. The balustrade is held up by statues of divinities that are repeated all around the structure.

Photo: Lion and Naga - Multiheaded Serpent at the Steps to Wat Keseram

I have not walked inside of actual temple, but it’s said to house extensive collection of Buddha relics. Since it was the second day of Pchum Ben festival, the pagoda of the cornflower petals was very much alive. Traditional Khmer music was being played back out of bad quality, old loudspeakers and dozens of people knelt inside the prayer hall chanting their prayers. More people were coming in and out, all bearing bowls with food which is what the festival of the dead is all about. This food is offered to their deceased ancestors to ease their way in the underworld.

Photo: Buddhists Commemorating Pchum Ben Festival at Wat Kesararam Prayer Hall

I noticed many kids running around and hanging off the barred windows of main vihara – prayer hall. There was some commotion coming from the inside and the presence of countless shoes before the entrance to it suggested that something must be going on in there (Buddhists always take their shoes off before entering pagodas or basically any other dwelling or sacred place). This is what attracted me to the vihara as it was also what detracted me from going to the actual temple to see what they say is a vast collection of Buddha relics. On the other hand, I’m glad I went in the vihara because this was my unique opportunity to witness real amateur Apsara dancing.

MORE PICTURES OF WAT KESARARAM AT:
Wat Keseram Photo Gallery

Wat Damnak

I woke up to a new day ready to explore more of Siem Reap’s pagodas. The sun was already baking the air outside which made me happy since it was rainy season in Cambodia, but this was the second day with no rain. Already well aware of how devastating Cambodian sun is, I fortified my skin with natural sun block (as close to organic as it gets), applied powerful mosquito repellent (don’t even bother with anything that contains less than 30% deet – Cambodian mosquitoes are vicious, plentiful and active during all parts of day and night), sat on my mountain bike and off I rode for Wat Damnak.

As always, I used the map provided in Angkor Siem Reap Visitors Guide to find locations of most relevant temples and pagodas in Siem Reap and used it as my main guide in choosing the best itinerary to get me there. Not that it’s in any way difficult, given rather small size of Siem Reap.

Wat Damnak is located near Phsar Chas aka Old Market, just on the opposite side of the Siem Reap river. If you were to take a walk around the Old Market, you would see the stone bridge right on its south-east corner. Take a walk across the bridge and by the time you made it half across, you will see the roof of beautiful Wat Damnak to your slight right.

Photo: Wat Damnak Front Gate with Cables Spoiling the View

Once I was across the river, I just followed the road that seemed to go in the general direction of Wat Damnak and it got me there. The entrance gate was the same way I got used to seeing from other temples I have visited before – magnificent, but spoiled by presence of disorganized bunch of cables which are used to electrify Cambodia. These cables spoil the view of basically every important or nice to look at structure in Cambodia, except from Angkor Wat temples since this part of the country has not yet been electrified. This was driving me up the wall as no matter where you go, you see beautiful temples, but you have no means of finding an angle under which to take a picture so it is not ruined by crap loads of cables cross knitted along each other.

This would have been the second day of Pchum Ben Festival. The 15 days long Festival of the Dead is an important part of Buddhist Khmer culture so during these two weeks I was encountering it on my every step. Pchum Ben was the most prominent within temple grounds. It always involved presence of dozens of monks, very loud traditional Khmer music played from really old loud speakers (awfully painful for the ears) and lots and lots of food and then some more.

Photo: Wat Damnak Vihara, the Prayer Hall

Just as with any Cambodian temple during Pchum Ben festival, there were many people around and lots of traffic in and out. It was a scorching hot day but locals were all nicely dressed and carried bowls with food they’d use as offerings to their dead ancestors and to local monks. I parked my bike by Vihara – the prayer hall. It was close to Wat Damnak’s entrance gate and there seemed to be most commotion happening there. Aside from noticeable crowds, there was also obvious audible effect as Buddhists inside were repeating chants with powerful unison after the leading monk.

RELATED GALLERY:
Wat Damnak Photo Gallery

Shrine to Ya-Tep in Siem Reap

The Ya-Tep Shrine is unique in a way that it’s built right in the middle of a major road passing through Siem Reap (National Highway #6) so the road splits to go around it. Since Ya-Tep Shrine is a small structure, it only creates an effect of a traffic circle, not any major detours. Despite its small size, it’s a busy shrine that enjoys immense popularity among local Khmer people. It is said that the statue of Ya Tep that is housed within the shrine is a powerful spirit locally known as Neak-Ta. Neat-Ka spirits are localized, meaning that they protect the land where they are located and the people who live in the area. Ya Tep spirit is also believed to bring good luck to people playing the lottery so the shrine gets particularly busy on days of the draw.

Ya-Tep Shrine in Siem Reap. People are Praying While Traffic Flows By on Both Sides

While Ya-Tep Shrine is a standalone unit that’s not part of anything bigger, it is located right between two important landmarks of Siem Reap – Royal Residence is to the south of the shrine and Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine to the north. Ya-Tep Shrine is basically right in the middle of the road that separates these two.

People of All Ages Come to Pray Before the Statue of Ya-Tep

The night when I discovered majestic Flying Foxes in the Royal Independence Garden and stayed to take pictures of people bringing offerings for the dead, the Buddha and the Monks since it was the beginning of Pchum Ben Festival was also the night I first saw Ya-Tep Shrine. Well, no kidding since it’s only half the road across. Local Buddhists who paid a visit to Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine also stayed for a player and burned incense sticks before the statue of Ya-Tep.

Fruit, Flowers and Burning Incense Sticks Accompany the Prayers of Buddhist Cambodians

The popularity and high regard of Ya-Tep Shrine was truly evident. Each time I would be passing by on my bad ass bicycle, whether it was during the day or after dark there would be people kneeling and praying before the statue of their local protector. Speed bumps to the west of the shrine slowed down the traffic so vehicles don’t run into the island housing the shine or people who frequently come to the shrine to pray. Sadly, because of close proximity of several major landmarks, poshy hotels (Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor and Victoria Angkor Hotel) and Angkor Shopping Center, the area is overrun with Tuk Tuk drivers who will do their best to annoy the heck out of you while you are enjoying the sweet shriek of gianormous Fruit Bats. Ahh well… Tuk Tuk drivers, the plague of Cambodia.

Devoted Buddhist Leaves Offerings for the Statue of Ya-Tep in Siem Reap

Khmer Woman Praying at Ya-Tep Shrine on Pchum Ben Festival After Dusk

Cambodia Flying Foxes – Huge Fruit Bats (Pteropodidae family)

As soon as I could recognize what was making that loud shriek I could hear from a block away I was impressed with extraordinary size and numbers of these bats. These bats are locally known as the Flying Foxes because truly the reference to a flying mouse would be highly disproportionate to their actual size. I would have never thought bats this huge exist. As I have later found out, Flying Foxes belong to the Fruit Bats sub group (Pteropodidae family) and some fruit bats are known to grow this huge. There were thousands of these flying foxes high up in the trees and since it was dusk, they were all waking up and started getting active. It took me a while to recognize a shape of a bat against the dark blue sky, especially since I’ve never seen a bat of such humongous size.

Cambodian Flying Foxes aka Fruit Bats Flying High in Crowns of Tall Trees in the Royal Independence Gardens

This entire place had an amazingly magical feel. First of all I found myself amidst beautiful garden with pathway lined with huge trees tops of which were a dwelling place of monstrous bats and secondly, in the middle of it all there was a small-ish, but gracefully illuminated shrine which was incredibly busy because it was the first day of Pchum Ben Festival and both nearby Ya-Tep Shrine as well as Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine are believed to gain magical powers this time of year allowing Buddhist devotees to deliver their food for the dead. I was impressed how none of hundreds of people visiting the shrine would pay any attention to overwhelming numbers of huge flying foxes above their heads. And similarly, none of the thousands of bats flying over the shrine would care about any of us humans down below. It was such a sense of incredible harmony between men and nature my heart felt like jumping out of my chest with joy. I’m very environmentally conscious and seeing animals strive in an area close to humans gives me some hope for our future as the species.

Oddly enough, as I have found out later, flying foxes or any other kind of bats that can be found throughout Cambodia are habitually killed for food. Virtually anything that can be eaten, is eaten in Cambodia. Not only bats, but also spiders, cockroaches, snakes, toads and whole lot of anything that has meat on it. Luckily for Royal Independence Gardens flying foxes, because these gardens are right opposite Royal Residence and because of presence of holy Buddhist place (Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine), killing these fruit bats was strongly prohibited here. The Royal Independence Gardens were a safe-haven for Flying Foxes. It was a sanctuary where they could peacefully live and breed and both they do. They truly strive here.

Fruit Bats Waking Up from Their Dwellings in High Trees Into the Night in Cambodia

I have fallen in love with Royal Independence Gardens immediately after this first exposure to it. I have fallen in love with shriek these bats make and with their sizes and numbers. This became my most favorite place in all of Cambodia and I would visit often, especially if I didn’t particularly feel well.

The shriek of Flying Foxes was like poetry to my ears. There were so many people around, but all I felt like doing to to take off my camera, walk up to the walkway amidst the trees where the bats live, spread my hands wide, kneel down and say: “Come to me, my babies. I have arrived at last!”

Photo of Flying Fox Fruit Bat Taken in Siem Reap During the Day

Call me a freak, this is how awesome Flying Foxes sound. It’s an insanely loud and hair-rising shriek but when you see the power these bats wield given their numbers and size, it makes you feel powerful as well. Fruit Bats were for the win. They never seemed to have come too low to get close to people and during the day, when they slept they were inhabiting highest branches of the tallest trees in the gardens. They kept their distance from people and none of the Cambodians seem to pay any attention to them. Everyone acted as if there were no bats there. Nevermind the deafening noise and blatant presence. I must have truly looked weird having been completely captivated by them.

Busy Entrance to Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine with Flying Fox Bats Hovering Against Dark Sky Above

Since it was already dark, taking pictures of fast flying Fruit Bats was extremely difficult. I also only had wide angle lens mounted on my camera so my options for capturing a decent photo of Flying Foxes were narrow (basically equal to none). So instead I went and visited the Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine which was entirely immersed in haze from burning incense sticks. Hundreds upon hundreds of them. I was unspeakably grateful for my bicycle because it was just thanks to it that I made it to this magical place on this evening. I could not have been asked for a better place to be on the first night of Pchum Ben Festival.

Royal Independence Gardens in Siem Reap

As I leaving Lucky Mall, I took my right turn on the traffic lights where Siem Reap’s Sivatha Bulevard is crossed with National Road #6. According to the map this was near direct way back to Two Dragons Guesthouse and I was really looking forward to munching on my fresh watermelon. As I started riding down National Road #6 and started getting closer towards Siem Reap’s Royal Residence, I noticed quite prominent shriek coming from the opposite side. According to the map, that’s the location of Royal Independence Gardens. Since it was already dark (it basically gets dark at 6pm every day in Cambodia), I didn’t feel like strolling Royal Independence Gardens, but the shriek was so paramount, I felt attracted to it and wanted to find out what was making it.

View of Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine Through Trees of Royal Independence Gardens

At first I thought there must have been some ponds within the Royal Independence Gardens with millions of some viciously exotic frogs who spend their nights trying to out-shriek one another and I wasn’t far from the truth. There truly are small water reservoirs at Royal Independence Gardens, but these were no frogs.

Another thing that instantly caught my attention as I started passing by the Royal Independence Gardens was tiny Ya-Tep Shrine in the middle of the road breaking traffic in half and another, bigger shrine called Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine on the left hand side, opposite Royal Residence palace, basically directly within Royal Independence Gardens. Because this was the beginning of the Pchum Ben Festival there were many people around and with all that shriek and major commotion I felt compelled to pull over, park my bike and hang around for a bit. I was truly looking forward to munching on my watermelon, but this could wait.

Street Vendors by Royal Independence Gardens After Dusk

I’ve parked my bicycle by the small gate that was used as a barricade to prevent motor vehicle access to the Royal Independence Gardens. There was about 100 people around. Few street vendors were selling decorated flowers, incense sticks and live birds. The smell of burning incense stick was so prevalent, the haze from the burn was so thick you could touch it. I didn’t mind it as Cambodian incense sticks have really pleasant, oriental smell that’s not offensive in any way. This whole place seemed so alive now that the sun was down and Siem Reap was engulfed in the darkness of the night, I really wanted to stay and see what exactly is happening. Plus there was that continuous loud shriek that was raising so many questions and even though it added indescribable creepiness to the night, I was attracted to it and perceived it as music to my ears. Then at one point I looked up against dark blue sky of the night and my breath was taken away. There were thousands upon thousands of bats size of an eagle filling the sky. They were the creatures making that shriek, not frogs and none of the people seemed to mind. I was in awe.

Decorated Green Coconut for Sale at Royal Independence Gardens as Offering to Buddha

Flower Bouquet for Sale as Offering at the Shrine

Pchum Ben Festival in Cambodia – Feeding the Spirits of the Dead

As I was receiving my introduction to Buddhism, I was told about the reason why Wat Preah Prom Rath pagoda was so full of people, why traditional Khmer music was being played from a loudspeaker why there was so much food all over the place. It was the first day of Pchum Ben Festival, which was loosely translated to me as The Festival of the Dead or sometimes as The Festival of the Souls (or spirits).

Pchum Ben is a Buddhist Festival but even though Cambodia is surrounded by other Theravada Buddhist nations, Pchum Ben is only celebrated in Cambodia and nowhere else. Pchum Ben Festival celebrations last for 15 days with final, culminating day falling on the 15th day of the 10th month of the Khmer calendar. Granted, Khmer calendar is different from the Gregorian one which is the one used by western countries so even though it was the beginning of September, the Pchum Ben Festival has already started.

Cambodian Buddhists Praying During Pchum Ben Festival at Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple

The most prominent observation a foreigner notices during Cambodian Pchum Ben Festival is the fact that it involves a lot of food. You see Khmer families coming to temples and pagodas carrying dishes with food which they arrange along the walkways while they spend hours chanting prayers inside temples, kneeling before statues of Buddha. As it was explained to me, the food is meant for the dead. The premise of Pchum Ben Festival is to feed the spirits of the dead. Cambodians firmly believe that the act of feeding the souls of their deceased predecessors will make their stay on Earth more enjoyable.

During Pchum Ben the spirits of the dead descend from the spirit world and walk the Earth. Those who are still alive prey for their souls and offer them food. As it goes with Buddhist Monks in Cambodia, people also bring food for them. The festival is very spiritual and considerably one of the most important festivals in Khmer calendar. As the history of Pchum Ben has it, the festival was originally celebrated for three months but has been shortened to 15 days as modern lifestyle makes 3 months of celebration complicated.

After me and my girl guide were done talking about the life of Buddha, we went to the prayer hall where several people were already gathered and chanted their prayers as one while their chants were played back from a loudspeaker. As confused westerner, I asked if I could join them for a prayer and take a few pictures while I was at it. There was no issue with that as Cambodians are vastly tolerant of foreigners when it comes to cultural and religious differences.

Pchum Ben - Festival of the Dead, Notice the Time on the Clock. I Had 15 Minutes Till my English Lecture at 5pm

This was the beginning of Pchum Ben Festival but as it became apparent during the following 15 days, Pchum Ben was a big deal for Khmer people who take the festival very seriously and dedicate most of their focus to it while the festivities last. Even Cambodians who are otherwise non religious would prepare their food and bring the offerings to one of the temples. during Pchum Ben Little did I know at the time that the most significant events of my personal stay in Cambodia will be directly connected to Pchum Ben. Let the festivities begin!