Kambujadesa (Celestial Ascendance)

The Khmer Empire, also called Cambodia, Kampuchea and Kambujadesa is a large sovereign nation that controls all of Southeast Asia, it is one of the world's superpowers. It is the second most populous nation in the world, after China. The Khmer Empire borders Bengal to the west and China to the north, it also has a sea border with Oceania.

Name
The official name of the Khmer Empire is Great Empire of Kampuchea. However, the full official name is "The Great Empire of Kampuchea, where His Imperial Majesty the Emperor reigns, the Empire of eternal peace and prosperity". This name is rarely used and almost only used in state ceremonies. In English it is commonly referred to as "Cambodia". Formerly it was also known as Kamboja (from which the English term Cambodia is derived) and Kambujadesa (land of Kamboja). The Cambodian Empire or Angkorian Empire are less common variants. It was once also called "The Joint Empire of Kambujadesa and Majapahit", mainly during the 15th and 16th centuries AD.

Administrative divisions
The Khmer Empire is is divided into 16 first level administrative divisions, which are called provinces/states. Each province is subdivided into several districts, which are divided into municipalities. Each province is governed by a democratically elected official, called a President. Brunei is the sole exception to this rule, which is governed by a hereditary monarch, the Maharaja of Brunei.

Culture
Due to its various ethnic groups, the Khmer Empire has many different sorts of cuisines, architecture and music.

Khmer Architecture
The period of the Khmer Empire is the period that began in the ninth century AD. If precise dates are required, the beginning may be set in 802 AD, when the founder of the Khmer Empire, Jayavarman II pronounced himself universal monarch (chakravartin) and declared independence from Java. Khmer Architecture developed out of Hindu architecture. Khmer architecture is mainly religious. There are many surviving Angkorian Temples with as crown jewel Angkor Wat. But there are non-religious buildings also such as the Imperial Palace of Angkor or the Great Library of Angkor. Angkor Wat and many other Khmer temples were previously covered in gold, but over the course of hundreds of years the gold has faded away. However, the Imperial Palace is still mostly covered in gold due to its monthly maintenance. The Imperial Palace is an enormous palace that was constructed on the orders of Emperor Jayavarman VII in 1270 and completed by his son Vizalavarman I in 1325. The palace complex is one of the largest in the world and covers an area of 4 sq km.

Varah Vishnulok Varah Vishnulok, officially Sacred Grand Temple of Vishnu is the largest Khmer temple and the largest religious building on Earth. It is the crown jewel of the Khmer Architecture. It was built by Emperor Suryavarman II in honor of the god Vishnu and as his burial place. Today it's a National Shrine visited by many tourists. Only priests and the Imperial Family may enter the temple, except on August 23, Suryavarman II's birthday, then everyone may enter it. The Inner Sanctum, the Holy of Holies, the centre of the Khmer Empire is only accessible to the Emperor and Empress where they pray once a year to the Gods for continuing prosperity in the empire. Entering the Inner Sanctum is sacrilege and the penalty is life imprisonment.

Vietnamese Architecture
Vietnamese architecture developed out of Chinese architecture and shares many aspects with it. The Empire of Dai Viet built many palaces, pagodas and temples before being conquered by the Khmer Empire. Governors of Vietnam constructed many buildings after the conquest. Examples: Imperial Palace of Hanoi, Imperial City of Hue

Thai Architecture
Thai Architecture developed out of Khmer architecture in the 13th century under the Thai governors. It shares many aspects with Khmer architecture. Examples: Ayutthaya, Grand Palace

Lao Architecture
Lao Architecture developed out of Khmer architecture in the 14th century under the Lao governors. It shares many aspects with Khmer architecture. Examples: Pha That Luang, Vat Phou

Burmese architecture
Burmese architecture is mainly Buddhist architecture (temples, wats, pagoda, stupas). It developed during the Pagan Kingdom and was continued under the Burmese governors. Examples: Shwedagon Pagoda, Ananda Temple. Indonesian architecture Indonesian architecture is both Hindu and Buddhist. It developed during the Srivijaya, Kediri, Singhasari and Majapahit Empires and was continued under the Indonesian governors. Examplesl: Borobudur, Prambanan, Wilwaktika Palace

Khmer Cuisine
Khmer cuisine (Khmer: សិល្បៈខាងធ្វើម្ហូបខ្មែរ ), or more generally, Kampuchean cuisine is one of the world's oldest living cuisines, and is regarded by many as one of the healthiest and most balanced cuisines on the planet. With an emphasis on simplicity, freshness, seasonality and regionalism – Cambodian food has won praise for its elegant and understated use of spice, its harmonious arrangement of contrasting flavours, textures and temperatures within the overall meal rather than a single dish, and its thoughtful and, at times extravagant presentation of dishes with plenty of herbs, leaves, pickles, dipping sauces, edible flowers and other garnishes and condiments.

Arts

Sculpture
Khmer sculpture refers to the stone sculpture of the Khmer Empire, which rules mainland South East Asia, from the 9th century. The most celebrated examples are found in Angkor, which serves as the seat of the empire. By the 7th century, Khmer sculpture begins to drift away from its Hindu influences – pre-Gupta for the Buddhist figures, Pallava for the Hindu figures – and through constant stylistic evolution, it comes to develop its own originality, which by the tenth century can be considered complete and absolute. Khmer sculpture soon goes beyond religious representation, which becomes almost a pretext in order to portray court figures in the guise of gods and goddesses. But furthermore, it also comes to constitute a means and end in itself for the execution of stylistic refinement, like a kind of testing ground. We have already seen how the social context of the Khmer kingdom provides a second key to understanding this art. But we can also imagine that on a more exclusive level, small groups of intellectuals and artists were at work, competing among themselves in mastery and refinement as they pursued a hypothetical perfection of style. The gods we find in Khmer sculpture are those of the two great religions of India, Buddhism and Hinduism. Priests supervised the execution of the works, attested to in the high iconographic precision of the sculptures. Nonetheless, unlike those Hindu images which repeat an idealized stereotype, these images are treated with great realism and originality because they depict living models: the king and his court. The true social function of Khmer art was, in fact, the glorification of the aristocracy through these images of the gods embodied in the princes. In fact, the cult of the “deva-raja” required the development of an eminently aristocratic art in which the people were supposed to see the tangible proof of the sovereign’s divinity, while the aristocracy took pleasure in seeing itself – if, it’s true, in idealized form – immortalized in the splendour of intricate adornments, elegant dresses and extravagant jewelry. The sculptures are images of a gods, royal and imposing presences with feminine sensuality, giving impressions of figures at the courts with considerable power. The artists who sculpted the stones doubtless satisfied the primary objectives and requisites demanded by the persons who commissioned them. The sculptures represent the chosen divinity in the orthodox manner and succeeds in portraying, with great skill and expertise, high figures of the courts in all of their splendour, in the attire, adornments and jewelry of a sophisticated beauty. But if we go beyond this initial impression, we can pause to observe some of the details of the sculptures, such as the double arc drawn by the eyebrows on the foreheads, evoked below by the wisely sketched curve of the noses and farther down, by the double arc which masterfully outlines the lips and the double chin. Following a hypothetical vertical line down still farther, we find another double arc outlining the breasts, and then, continuing down from the waist all along the skirts and ending in the ankles, we find almost at the bottom, a twisted double arc intended to represent the other side of the skirts. This detail serves, above all, to eliminate a certain hieratic fixedness, which was relatively common in the Khmer statues of lesser quality.

Dance
Cambodian Dance can be divided into three main categories: classical dance, folk dances, and vernacular dances.Khmer classical dance is a form of Cambodian dance originally performed only for royalty. The dances have many elements in common with Thai classical dance. During the mid-20th century, it was introduced to the public where it now remains a celebrated icon of Khmer culture, often being performed during public events, holidays, and for tourists visiting Cambodia.this classical Dance is famous for its using of hands and feet to express emotion which known as there are 4000 different gestures in this type of dance. Provided as repeating a golden age in 1960s, Khmer Classical Dance which know as The Royal Ballet of Cambodia after select as UNESCO's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, has led one of its dance to be a outstanding dance of all for culture and society. Reamker, a Khmer version of Indian, Ramayana had influenced strongly to Khmer classical dance. It involved in Khmer gesture, movement and story line. The dance that divided from Reamker Dance known as Robam Sovann Macha and Robam Moni Mekala. In fact, all of Dance reminded the audience of celestial dance which is an angel or Apsara in Sanskrit mythology in goal of bring the good luck and success to the viewer. The Classical dance is create by the heart of high art as the performer is decorated with themselves with a branches of jewellery. Apsara Dance, a Khmer dance that has survived since the Angkor Era, has been singled out to attract foreign tourists and to make the richness of Khmer culture known to the world. Apsara Dance was promoted by Princess Norodom Buppha Devi before the Khmer Rouge times and recently has received an award as one of the main symbols of Cambodia. Khmer folk dances, which are performed for audiences, are fast-paced. The movements and gestures are not as stylized as Khmer classical dance. Folk dancers wear clothes of the people they are portraying such as Chams, hill tribes, farmers, and peasants. The folk dance music is played by a mahori orchestra. Cambodian vernacular dances (or social dances) are those danced at social gatherings. Such dances include Romvong, Rom Kbach, Rom Saravan, and Lam Leav. Some of these dances have much influence from the traditional dances of Laos. But Rom Kbach, for example, take heavily from the classical dance of the royal court.



