Cambodian Pagodas

Up until now the only book I'd seen on Cambodian Pagodas was Ray Zepp's Field Guide, published in 1997 by Bert's Books. Ray was a trail-blazer with his series of Cambodia guidebooks and his field guide helped me understand some of the wall paintings I saw on my visits to numerous wats around the country. If you see a copy, buy it. A brand new book on the same subject is Wat Painting in Cambodia, published by the Reyum Institute and is the result of six years of research by graduates like San Phalla. Out of 20,000 photos from over 600 wats, Reyum have put together a book and an exhibition (that opens on 18 May at the Reyum Gallery in Phnom Penh) to document this important part of the social fabric of the country and its Buddhist beliefs. Find out more about the Reyum Institute here. Below: This typical wall painting is of Buddha and his 60 disciples called the Sangkha. Its from Wat Ponlea Chey in a small village near Stoung on Highway 6.