Visiting the Battambang Museum
The building housing the museum features a distinct post-colonial architectural style. It is accented by pediments heavily decorated with Khmer motifs and intricate, overlapping red-tiled roofs.
Upon arrival, you are greeted by the famous lions positioned on either side of the main entrance, constantly facing those who approach. These lions serve to frighten and ward off evil spirits, preventing them from entering the interior.
Exhibition halls
The first gallery is dedicated to numerous bas-reliefs, stone statues, stelae covered in inscriptions, and heads of devas. These reliefs frequently depict religious legends from Hinduism, the faith adopted during the Angkorian period before Buddhism became the official Khmer religion. The Mahabharata, or the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, is often represented. It is one of the two foundational epic war poems of Hinduism. A massive stone linga is also on display. It acts as the symbol of the masculine principle, often referred to as yang in Asia.
Many statue heads are also preserved here. They bear a striking resemblance to the Buddha, but they most often represent the founding King Jayavarman. These statues, all dating from the Angkorian period (10th to 15th centuries), were collected from temples surrounding the city, such as Wat Sampeu and Wat Ek Phnom.
In another room, you can view the collection of Buddha statues, including two spectacular, finely crafted footprints. These statues are primarily sculpted from painted wood and date to the modern era (19th to 20th centuries). However, perfectly preserved bronze and stone pieces are also present, dating from much earlier periods (10th to 13th centuries).
Finally, a section of the museum is reserved for prehistoric artifacts, including a surprising reconstruction of a human skeleton and pottery found nearby. These pieces provide evidence of human presence in this region dating back as far as 70,000 BC.
The collection concludes with various pottery and everyday objects that serve as witnesses to life during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
It is not always open, so you sometimes have to ask someone to open it up for you, but it is worth a visit to see it without the crowds and it has some lovely pieces of Angkorian art.