Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
Hello friends,
Today I ll tell you about Angkor Wat, Cambodia. When you’re visiting the temples, wouldn’t you rather be taking in the sights instead of burying your nose in a guidebook? Here i’ll give you an idea of who built what, when, where, and also the symbolism behind the temple structures. I’m obviously not an Angkor Wat historian, but here’s what I’ve gathered so far. Jayavarman II was the founder of the Angkor empire, and he proclaimed himself a devaraja or god king (deva = god, raja = king) possessing similar powers to the Hindu god Shiva. You’ll find that this god-king theme was also adopted by his ‘successors’ throughout Angkor Wat’s history. The Angkor Wat Discovery is the somewhat controversial concept that refers to the visit of French naturalist Henri Mouhot to Angkor Wat in 1860 and the publication of his travel notes in 1863. These memoirs had an umprecedented reception in Europe and Mouhot was credited with the discovery of the "lost city of Angkor". However, the French explorer was not the first European to visit Angkor Wat nor the first one to write about it. The ruins town Angkor was the capital city of Cambodia and centre of the Khmer empire from the late 9th up to the early 15th century. In the 13th century the total area of Angkor was approximate 400 square kilometre and at this time it was one of the biggest towns worldwide. The town was build around one temple on the top of a hill, which symbolic –up to the cosmically of the Hindus - the mountains of the centre from the earth. Step by step the Khmer kings build more and more temples devote to the Hindu gods. when you’re watching a sunrise over Angkor Wat or clambering Tomb-Raider-style over the ruins of Tha Promh, the modern world feels a long way off. But don’t be fooled by the epic history – Cambodia is a country on the move. With riverside boulevards and art galleries popping up in Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap’s growing reputation for hip cafes and thumping nightlife, Cambodia tours aren’t all about the temple-gazing. (Although we have to admit, the gazing is pretty darn good).
Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls. The temple is a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride that has factored into Cambodia's diplomatic relations with France, the United States and its neighbour Thailand. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863. From a larger historical and even transcultural perspective, however, the temple of Angkor Wat did not become a symbol of national pride sui generis but had been inscribed into a larger politico-cultural process of French-colonial heritage production in which the original temple site was presented in French colonial and universal exhibitions in Paris and Marseille between 1889 and 1937.
Moreover, the 17th century brings us accounts of Japanese settlements at Angkor. An inscription with Japanese calligraphic characters found on a pillar on the second floor of Angkor Wat dating back to 1632 is good proof of it. Another Japanese man, Kenryo Shimano, is the author of the oldest known Angkor Wat plan. During his travels to Angkor some time between 1632 and 1636 he drew a very detailed map of the temple. Because of the invasion from Thailand in 1431 the Khmer moved their capital city in the south and Angkor with his temples was leaved to the tropical forest. Just in 1858 the French Explorer H. Mouhout discovered the temple ruins and in the following years they would be uncovered.In 1987 started the restoration of these unique ruin places.
That was my knowledge about Angkor If have any suggestion or information feel free to share with me. I must admit, Angkor Wat history is fascinating and these temples grow on you. The more time you spend among the temples, the more you read about them, and the more you imagine how life was lived during the ancient times, the more you feel that strange lure and magical attraction about them.
