Seim Reap, Cambodia
Yesterday, I woke at 4:30am, picked up my box breakfast from the front desk at 5:20am, and joined a fellow traveler to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. A guide and driver met us in the lobby of the Victoria Hotel, ( my new favorite hotel site in SE Asia ), and shepherded us into a 1990 era black Toyota Camry. In the dark we drove the 6Km. to the site of the ancient Khmer ruins and walked the 1/2 mile into the temple complex along the king's road which was once lined with silver. About 200-300 others were waiting in the dark, all of us watching our step on the uneven stone slabs as we walked.
Directly in front of Angkor Wat is a huge pond filled with fuschia water lillies that, from the distance, look like graceful pink dots against the still black pond. I ate my breakfast as I watched the temple grow slowly lighter, the night giving way to greys, then soft lavenders and baby pink as backdrop to wisps of white clouds. The three towers of Angkor Wat stood like massive soldiers against the new morning glow, the detail of each tower emerging as if we had just put glasses on our myopic eyes. Cameras were poised around the pond, tripods set up, a little soft chatter as the drama unfolded.
And then, just off the far eastern tower, the tip of the yellow-red sun slid upward. In 3 minutes, the temple was flooded with bright light, and the magic moment was over, the temple again looking stark against the bright light. It is a sight I won't soon forget ( and you may already know how I feel about the sky and connection--see earlier posting from the Mekong for details.)
While that was the highlight of my visit to the Khmer ruins, there were others in this vast network of ruins that were accidently found by a French naturalist who was in Cambodia to research a species of insects and stumbled onto the mounds of jungle growth that had covered the ruins for the past 4-500 years.
The Khmer dynasty reigned in SE Asia from the 9-15th century and the most significant ruins are in Seim Reap although there are other sites throughout Cambodia. The Khmer civilization is now considered the largest pre-industrial city in the world, covering 3000 square Km.( about the size of Los Angeles.) At its height, there were probably one million people living in the area. Until the excavation and research had been accomplished ( which was largely impossible during the Civil War when the Khmer Rouge were in power ), Tikal, the stunning capital of Mayan culture located in Guatemala, had the prize for most advanced, largest city.
There were two kings who researchers have credited with the most magnificent structures in Seim Reap. Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113-1150 built a personal temple mausoleum known as Angkor Wat. The religious emphasis of the temple was influenced by India's Hindu beliefs which were transmitted to the Khmer during the long period the traders who traveled by ship to SE Asia waited for the winds and tide to favor a return to their native India. During the 6 months they were in the Khmer empire, their many Hindu gods became known to the Khmer and are reflected by the sheer height of Angkor Wat. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu, and the bas relief telling the stories both of the king and the gods are remarkably well preserved--and represent brilliant craftsmanship.
Jayavarman VII, a great warrior, was partial to Buddhism, so the complex of his temple, Angkor Thom, is adorned with the smiling Buddha carved on all four sides of the temple to represent Buddhist virtues such as kindness and equinimity. The structure is maybe half as high as Angkor Wat.
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It's worth mention that the difference in the two temples is significant from the standpoint of world religions. The Cambodians now have a mixed religion that embraces both Hindu and Buddhist tenets. ( Again, this is the Cliff Notes version not my theological explanation based on my theology studies. ) Looking at the image of the two temples from a distance, and understanding the emphasis of each one is like having a primer in two philosophies that permiate both eastern and western religion--the notion of the imminent and the transcendent.
In the western world, Christianity embraces both but different sects of Christians emphasize one or the other of these viewpoints. The imminent philosophy leans toward seeing man/womankind as flawed, sinful,marked by Original sin but having God within so that if we can dig deeply toward our inner goodness, we can reach paradise--with great difficulty. The transcendent advocates, however, believe that man is innately good, made in the image and likeness of God, and is able to change, grow, prosper in goodness--has the ability to transcend and become more and more God-like, more holy.
The Buddhist/ Hindu mix is the same notion--even the structures support it. The Hindu, more transcendent viewpoint, build high structures to reach close to the gods. In the top of these temples, only the high priest and the king can go to get closest to the gods--to become god-like.
Conversely, Buddhist temples ( true with Angkor Thom ) are architecturally more horizontal, emphasizing the importance of the individual within community--people on earth trying to alter their karma to reach paradise.
So, there you have it. The Khmer were smart enough to eventually encourage both Hinduism and Buddhism, to embrace both.
I leave Cambodia today, this land of the poor, marginally literate, family oriented and conservative society. But they appear to be struggling mightily, at least the people I have met, to overcome years of battling and corruption. It is almost otherworldly here with the smell of jasmine and wood fires in the air, the sounds of kookoo birds, the cappuchin monkeys playing overhead--even an occasional elephant and nearly extinct crocidile for the undiscriminating tourist.
I wish them good luck and blessings on their future.
M.C.
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