Project Summary
“Prasat Han Chey Conservation and Restoration Project, Phase II”
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
GRANT AMOUNT: $ 44,301
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Restoration work on Prasat Han Chey temple was initiated in 2006 by the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts with support from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. Unfortunately, excavations revealed that extensive repair of the temple's foundations were needed. This grant will allow the Ministry to make these repairs and reassemble the temple structure.
In addition to completing the restoration work, this grant will allow the Ministry to survey and map the entire face of the mountain where the Han Chey temple is located and to work with local residents to establish a Han Chey Cultural Heritage Management Committee that will be responsible for overseeing and protecting the site from vandals and other forms of destruction after the completion of the project.
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has formulated several strategies to overcome the deterioration of Prasat Han Chey and to protect the cultural heritage of this unique site. The project has three aspects:
1) Restoration - After removing trees and vegetation and making small scale excavations at the southern and eastern sides of the temple, the team discovered that the foundation of Prasat Han Chey is severely deformed. Therefore, in order to continue the restoration process, the team proposes to:
a) remove the remaining basalt blocks forming the walls of the temple;
b) level and strengthen the foundation of the temple; and
c) reassemble all the basalt blocks back into the original temple design.
2) Survey work - While clearing out surrounding vegetation, the team discovered the foundation and remains of a smaller temple to the north of the main temple. The Han Chey conservation team plans to excavate this area as well as survey and map all cultural features on the entire mountain face. The resulting information could help scholars better understand the lifestyle and economy of the Han Chey people. The Ministry of Culture also intends to use this information to develop a zoning plan for the mountain to turn the ancient site into a tourist attraction and to protect it from being destroyed by development.
3) Local involvement - The Han Chey team has achieved impressive results in its outreach efforts to local officials, villagers, monks, and school children about the history and value of the Han Chey site as well as about cultural heritage protection laws. In fact a local family even agreed to remove the canopy covering an ancestor's grave that was blocking the view of the Mekong river from the temple. Now the team would like to form a "Han Chey Cultural Heritage Management Committee" that will include representatives of the different local stakeholders. The committee will be tasked with preserving and protecting the site with the Ministry of Culture serving as a technical advisor to the group. The team feels a local committee would be much more effective in protecting the site than officials based in Phnom Penh, especially if the site does become a tourist attraction.
PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE
Prasat Han Chey, a group of temples made of brick, sandstone, and basalt, is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Kampong Cham town. The temples (prasat is the Khmer word for "temple") were built near the end of the 6th century A.D. and are some of the earliest known surviving temples in Cambodia. The Prasat Han Chey temple group is dedicated to the Hindu gods.
In a global and academic context, this group is significant because it is a rare example of temple construction from the early Chenla Period (6th century A.D.). Very few examples of construction remain from this time period, so Prasat Han Chey affords researchers important insights into art, culture and life during this crucial period in the development of the great Angkorian Empire.
On a local level, villagers continue to believe that Prasat Han Chey is a center for sacred spirits that protect them from illness and bad luck and also bring happiness and prosperity. Every year, nearby communities perform a special ceremony commemorating the spirits of their ancestors (neak ta) on platforms around the temple.
Programs and Events
Prasat Han Chey Conservation and Restoration Project, Phase II
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
Grant Amount: $ 44,301
Project Description
Restoration work on Prasat Han Chey temple was initiated in 2006 by the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts with support from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. Unfortunately, excavations revealed that extensive repair of the temple's foundations were needed. This grant will allow the Ministry to make these repairs and reassemble the temple structure.
In addition to completing the restoration work, this grant will allow the Ministry to survey and map the entire face of the mountain where the Han Chey temple is located and to work with local residents to establish a Han Chey Cultural Heritage Management Committee that will be responsible for overseeing and protecting the site from vandals and other forms of destruction after the completion of the project.
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has formulated several strategies to overcome the deterioration of Prasat Han Chey and to protect the cultural heritage of this unique site. The project has three aspects:
1) Restoration - After removing trees and vegetation and making small scale excavations at the southern and eastern sides of the temple, the team discovered that the foundation of Prasat Han Chey is severely deformed. Therefore, in order to continue the restoration process, the team proposes to:
- remove the remaining basalt blocks forming the walls of the temple;
- level and strengthen the foundation of the temple; and
- reassemble all the basalt blocks back into the original temple design.
2) Survey work - While clearing out surrounding vegetation, the team discovered the foundation and remains of a smaller temple to the north of the main temple. The Han Chey conservation team plans to excavate this area as well as survey and map all cultural features on the entire mountain face. The resulting information could help scholars better understand the lifestyle and economy of the Han Chey people. The Ministry of Culture also intends to use this information to develop a zoning plan for the mountain to turn the ancient site into a tourist attraction and to protect it from being destroyed by development.
3) Local involvement - The Han Chey team has achieved impressive results in its outreach efforts to local officials, villagers, monks, and school children about the history and value of the Han Chey site as well as about cultural heritage protection laws. In fact a local family even agreed to remove the canopy covering an ancestor's grave that was blocking the view of the Mekong river from the temple. Now the team would like to form a "Han Chey Cultural Heritage Management Committee" that will include representatives of the different local stakeholders. The committee will be tasked with preserving and protecting the site with the Ministry of Culture serving as a technical advisor to the group. The team feels a local committee would be much more effective in protecting the site than officials based in Phnom Penh, especially if the site does become a tourist attraction.
PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE
Prasat Han Chey, a group of temples made of brick, sandstone, and basalt, is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Kampong Cham town. The temples (prasat is the Khmer word for "temple") were built near the end of the 6th century A.D. and are some of the earliest known surviving temples in Cambodia. The Prasat Han Chey temple group is dedicated to the Hindu gods.
In a global and academic context, this group is significant because it is a rare example of temple construction from the early Chenla Period (6th century A.D.). Very few examples of construction remain from this time period, so Prasat Han Chey affords researchers important insights into art, culture and life during this crucial period in the development of the great Angkorian Empire.
On a local level, villagers continue to believe that Prasat Han Chey is a center for sacred spirits that protect them from illness and bad luck and also bring happiness and prosperity. Every year, nearby communities perform a special ceremony commemorating the spirits of their ancestors (neak ta) on platforms around the temple.