Phnom Penh, Cambodia ? Standing before golden statues of his ancestors and blessed by monks whose chants filled a hall in the Royal Palace, former ballet dancer Norodom Sihamoni — a man little known in Cambodia — took over the throne Friday from his father and ended the reign of one of Asia’s most colorful rulers.

Sihamoni, who has no political experience, was enthroned in an elaborate ceremony that included the blowing of conch shells and traditional music played with drums and gongs.

King Norodom Sihamoni greets his subjects as he leaves the royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Sihamoni was enthroned Friday.

Sihamoni was brought to the throne room on a litter led by palace guards and musicians. He repeated his oath to serve the country and its people three times while bowing before the golden-hued throne.

Fifty-two Buddhist monks — one for each year of the new king’s life according to the traditional Cambodian zodiac — chanted blessings for about 40 minutes. By the Western calendar, Sihamoni is 51 years old.

“I am extremely touched to have the opportunity to devote my physical and mental strength and intelligence to serve the nation and the people, and to continue the tradition and glorious achievements of my father,” King Sihamoni later told a few hundred dignitaries in the throne room. They included Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Sihamoni’s half-brother.

Absent from the ceremony was Sihamoni’s aged, ailing father, Norodom Sihanouk, who was put on the throne by Cambodia’s colonial ruler, France, in 1941 and led the country through wars, revolution and the building of a shaky democracy. He was a godlike figure for many Cambodians, and apparently sought not to take any attention away from his son.