When visiting Soc Trang, visitors will not be able to help but be fascinated by Khmer pagodas, with many shapes and outstanding colors. In the entire province, the Khmer ethnic group accounts for about 31%, the total population is over 1.3 million people, with 92 pagodas.

It can be said that Khmer temples are places containing spiritual values, profound beliefs, places of religious activities, and centers of cultural activities of the Phum and Soc communities. Therefore, the Khmer temple is an architectural and decorative work with many aesthetic values, expressing cultural and artistic features and is the most sacred space.

Overall, the temple’s architectural works include: fence, temple gate, main hall, sala house, monk’s house, crematorium, cremation tower… The entire value of architectural art is concentrated Mainly in the main hall, built in a central position and with a higher foundation than other buildings.

The main hall faces East, because the Khmer people believe that the Buddha resides in the West facing East to save sentient beings and bestow blessings. The main hall is also a typical place of architectural art and decorative carvings of the Khmer people. Therefore, the main hall must be built according to certain specifications and dimensions. Looking at the main halls of Khmer pagodas with their three-layer roofs and the soaring corners of the dragon’s tail, they give us a soft and flexible feeling, creating plenty of light inside the pagoda.

Khmer people believe that the triangle has the symbolic meaning of the number 3 such as: Buddha – Dharma – Sangha; Past – present – future,… Not only that, the windows and pillars of the pagoda are the numbers 3 – 5 – 7 – 9. On the Buddha altar there is a 3-layer parasol representing the three jewels, 5 levels representing There are 5 incarnations of Buddha, 7 floors means it takes 7 lives to die, 9 is the number of temple spaces. Thus, the entire temple is reduced to an isosceles triangle as a philosophical symbolic convention.

On the walls inside the main hall, artists painted paintings telling the story of the Buddha’s life from birth until he became a Buddha. On the ceiling of the main hall, there are also paintings depicting scenes of fighting between Fairies and Chans or scenes of Fairies performing ceremonies, scenes of Absara offering flowers…

At the altar of Shakyamuni Buddha statue, there is a lotus statue pedestal divided into many levels, decorated very meticulously. On the lotus throne is a Buddha statue placed in the middle. Regarding the Buddha statue motif, it is most commonly worshiped when the Buddha attained enlightenment and sat in meditation (land of the assembly). The second most popular motif used for worship is the Buddha statue in an upright position, saving sentient beings. The statue wears a loose cassock, covering its back. Buddha’s right hand hangs down at his side, his left hand is in front of his chest, palm facing out, long, round fingers pointing up. In the palm of the hand there is often a spiral line which is the precious form of Buddha.

         In Khmer pagodas, sculpture and decoration are very important and are used everywhere such as roof corners, columns, roof friezes… On the outer walls and columns of the main hall are embossed statues and statues. round or carved, representing the images of Reahu (Tiger), Fairy, god bird Kâyno, Chan (Yeak)…

Hopefully through this article, you will better understand of CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC VALUES of the Khmer ethnic

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