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NKFC Boung Soung at Bayon temple, Angkor - Photo © Anders Jiras

Sacred Angkor Dancers Perform at Bayon Temple

Cambodian dancers from the Conservatoire NKFC Preah Ream Buppha Devi re-sanctify Bayon temple in Angkor with a sacred dance ritual.

Shakti and Bhakti at Angkor Wat: devata on the south library of the second level.

Devata Goddess Temples

The Khmer civilization that grew to unify most of Southeast Asia between the 8th-14th centuries respected women. Today, we still see their temples filled with images of sacred women –termed devata, apsara or Khmer goddesses – who embody the feminine forces of the universe. While women and goddesses appear as icons in many ancient and modern societies, the Khmers gave sanctified women dominance over their state temples more consistently and more visibly than any other group.

Sacred dancers from the Nginn Karet Foundation for Cambodia school learn the ancient art of Angkor as a spiritual practice.

Cambodia’s Sacred Dancers Perform at Angkor on BBC TV

Near the Khmer temple of Banteay Srey at Angkor, “sacred dancers” study the ancient ritual art of Cambodian dance at NKFC’s school.

Sacred rituals of Cambodian dance were formerly done in private for exclusively royal audiences. Photo: Claire Byrne/Phnom Penh Post

Rare Rituals of Cambodian Dance Revealed in Buddhist Temple

Inside the quiet Buddhist pagoda of Wat Bo, visitors witness a royally sanctioned troupe performing ancient rituals of Cambodian dance in Siem Reap..

Rice Goddesses of Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand

The women of Angkor Wat, frequently called devata and apsaras, are related to many divine, semi-divine and mortal Asian females.

Bayon Devata Goddesses of King Jayavarman VII

On the towers above, serene faces gaze out over the jungle. But below, Jayavarman VII followed the example of King Suryavarman II by filling his monument with female energy. The portraits of sacred women, now called devata or apsaras depending on their style, surround the Bayon.

Two Khmer Devata Goddesses in Sikhoraphum Thailand

Just one hundred miles to the south, the Khmer civilization sanctified thousands of female images on the walls of their most important temples, both Hindu and Buddhist. But here, in what is now modern day Thailand, only two devata remain, fulfilling a mysterious spiritual mission long since forgotten.