The Sublime Empowers Nations

Mysterious and Magic Angkor

(National dignity of Cambodia, its hope, its aspiration)

Evelina Rioukhina, UNECE

Angkor is a symbol of power, of greatness, of immortality. Angkor Wat and the other stone temples of the ancient capital of the Khmer were built by god-kings to link the human and the divine in life and to allow the two to merge in death. As such, Angkor’s monuments legitimised sovereignty and served as palladium of the nation. The symbolic essence of such power is as potent today as it was a thousand years ago when the Khmer nation was grounded, and the passage of time through Angkor is marked as much by a metaphorical continuity as by physical change. Like Cambodia itself, Angkor has suffered bitter changes of fortune down the centuries, none more so than in our own time. Today, again accessible after long years of civil war, the ruins are once more attracting world attention as a priceless heritage site. At the same time, Angkor remains an enduring monument to the people of Cambodia, their past glories, their hopes and aspirations.

The name “Angkor” is derived from the Sanskrit word flagara, meaning “city” or “capital”, and from Jazavarman II onwards, Khmer kings legitimized and symbolized their power by building a temple-mountain at the heart of their capital. The precise limits of that capital were changed under various monarchs and the Angkor complex seen today comprises the remains of several successive cities, while the very earliest capitals stood a short distance away.

Angkor Thom and Bayon

Angkor Thom literally means “Great City” (“thom” is the Khmer word for “big” or “large”). The area of about 10 square km is surrounded by a huge wall some 8 metres in heights and a moat a 100 metres wide. In the wall are a number of large gates, the largest being in the center of the north and south walls. These two are set in the eastern wall. At its peak Angkor Thom may have had a population of a million people, more than any other city in the world at that time. Inside the walls a number of kings had their residences built.

In the heart of Angkor Thom lies the beautiful Bayon temple. It was built about a century after Angkor Wat. It is unlike most of the other temples; no walls surround the terrain, and the style is Buddhist. An imposing stope pile of 54 towers, each carved with four enigmatic faces of the Bolhisattva Avalokitesvara (or god Loki – opnions differ) was built by Jayavarman VII and although it is much smaller and more crudely constructed than Angkor Wat, it has an equal if not greater impact on the imagination. The Bayon stands at the centre of Angkor Thom, which forms the core of the ancient site as it survives today. This inner city is surrounded by a moat and approached at the four cardinal points via massive stone gates and causeways flanked by statues of gods and giants. Encompassed within this central area are a number of notable monuments in addition to the Bayon. These include the Bapthon, a pyramidal representation of Mount Meru constructed in the eleventh century at what was then Angkor’s centre. For many architectural and symbolic details a fitting explanation still has to be found. There are also some significant changes in style which leads archaeologists to believe that the Bayon was built over a long period of time.

Known best for its mysterious smiling faces, the Bayon keeps much mystery in itself. From afar it seems to be just a lump of rock, when you approach it you see the incredible forest of heads emerging from the jungle, but the magic begins once you have entered it.

Ta Phrom

Ta Phrom is located to the east of Angkor Thom. Quiet apart from any architectural interest, its fascination stems from the ruins having been intentionally left just as they were when first re-discovered, keeping exact image of ancient ruins in the jungles. The most special thing in Ta Phrom is that the trees tower giants from pedestals of monuments overtaken by nature. The intimacy of these temples is a delightful contrasts to the more grandiose temples of Angkor. There were several attempts to clear away the vegetation, but they provoked protests of some defenders of “the natural state” of the temples. The Conservation Society decided that Ta Phrom would remain in its overgrown state. Some work was carried out to prevent further collapses and to make the site safe for visitors. The temple is one of the largest, with an outer wall measuring 600 by 1000 metres, largely collapsed. The sanctuary is a square with sides of 120 m. Some parts are inaccessible.

Discovery of Angkor

Time has fostered many myths, none more persistent than the belief that Angkor was a mysterious lost city, hidden from the world. Rumours of a “lost city” in the jungles of Cambodia had been intriguing European visitors for decades. Attempts to find it were made at the beginning of 19 century. D.O. King, an English explorer, made an expedition to the Angkor region. After returning, he lectured on Cambodia, reporting that only one temple of the ancient Cambodian capital remained. E.J.F. Forrest, another English explorer, visited the region in the 1830s or 1840s. From the documents that remain, he seemed to have had some knowledge of the temples.

It was the French explorer and naturalist Henri Mouhot, who caused a well-justified sensation bringing Angkor to the world’s attention. It happened in 19581960, just more than a century ago.

Henri Mouhot was one of many intrepid young Europeans who trekked across unexplored parts of Asia. He was a botanist and made the expedition to Indo-China in order to collect and take species back to France to study. In Battambang, near the tongle Sap, a French missionary told him of rumours about ancient ruins in the nearby jungle. Mouhot was fascinated and decided to explore. He was guided through the dense tropical forest until he came across Angkor Wat. He spent three weeks there documenting the temples and drawing sketches.

Henri Mouhot died in 1961, at the age of 35 from malaria, while trying to discover a southern route into China by following Mekong River. He was buried in a crypt overlooking the Khan River not far from where he died. In an ironic twist, his own tomb was consumed by the jungle and lost until it was accidentally rediscovered in1990. His diaries were first published in 1963 as “Voyage à Siam et dans le Cambodge”. The discovery he made, led to his reputation as the “re-discoverer” of the Angkorian world.

You, too, can be Henri Mouhot, trekking through the Cambodian jungle hoping to discover a lost temple. There are an estimated 1,200 ancient temples scattered across the Cambodian countryside and while there probably isn’t anything like Angkor Wat hiding out there, there may be a few more Beng Mealeas, which is a large 11th century temple that was brought back to the world’s attention about two years ago. The land of Cambodia keeps its secrets, and the jungles hide the enigmatic temples, many of which have never been seen by foreign eyes. The mystery and magic of these lost temples are still waiting for their discoverers.

(This article is the continuation of the publication from October UNS).