A long time ago I spent a few years studying Khmer. I reached the point where I was able to start reading a newspaper called Nagaravatta.
Nagaravatta was published in the late 1930s and early 1940s and it is a very important source for understanding intellectual, social, political, and cultural developments in twentieth-century Cambodia.
I was able to obtain microfilm copies of this paper, and I printed out much of it. That is what I started to study. However, I then got sidetracked with other things, and later I moved and couldn’t bring those print-outs with me. . .
So, many years have gone by and my knowledge of Khmer has faded, however, Nagaravatta has now been digitized and with the help of OCR and translation tools, I find that I can work my way through its articles again.
I just read one today entitled “Our Resident Superior Went to Visit the New Market in Phnom Penh.” This article dates from August, 7, 1937 and it’s about a visit by Resident Superior Léon Emmanuel Thibaudeau (I believe) to the site of the newly-constructed Central Market (Marché central), known in Khmer as “Psar Thmei” or “New Market.”
The Central Market is an Art Deco-style modern building. However, upon visiting the new construction, Thibaudeau found that there were lion statues standing at its entryways. Finding it odd that such a modern structure would be adorned by these non-modern statues, Thibaudeau inquired about this matter with the members of the Municipal Council (Krom Chumnum Krom Meung ក្រុមជំនុំក្រុមមឿង) who were there to receive him.
The article states here that:
“The Municipal Council responded to the superior, stating that while the construction was indeed modern, it was done in the Khmer Land (Srok Khmer), and that as for the two lions standing at each entrance, [the lion] was an extraordinary animal (?, satv assaa សត្វអស្សា) of the land or an animal symbolic (lit., “regular,” bracham ប្រចាំ) of the land.”
It then goes on to say that:
“All of the newspaper agents in Krong Kampuchea (meaning Phnom Penh?, ក្រុងកម្ពុជា) have different views than the understanding of the Municipal Council, however, this matter will have to wait for a future meeting of the Municipal Council.”
If I’m reading this correctly, then it looks like in the construction of the Central Market, someone decided that it would be a good idea to put “Khmer” lions at the entranceways. This was not the Resident Superior’s idea, and it also does not look like it was the idea of Cambodians either, as the comment about newspaper agents not agreeing with the Municipal Council seems to indicate this.
I haven’t been to the Central Market in years, but I don’t remember seeing any lion statues, and in briefly looking online, I don’t find mention of them either. Is it the case that at that later meeting of the Municipal Council, the members decided to remove them?
If so, I wonder where the lost lions of Central Market are now?
