Glory Days of the Khmer

Friday 3 December – Monday 6 December

By the time we had arrived back in Bangkok after our tour of Thailand and had finally started making travel plans to get ourselves to India by Christmas, December was already upon us.  We suddenly realised we would have to start making trade-offs with respect to the amount of time we could spend in both Cambodia and Burma en route to Delhi.  Having originally envisaged spending a week or so in Cambodia, first in the capital Phnom Penh then exploring the remains of the magnificent temples of the Khmer empire at Angkor, we were now only able to squeeze in a mere three days.   Given our time constraints, we opted to head directly for Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor, and spent a weekend trying to cram in as much temple gazing as we could.  

Flying in, our first impression of Cambodia had been of a flat countryside of rice paddies and patches of open water.  We discovered whilst driving to our hotel that the road system left a lot to be desired -- dirt roads studded liberally with potholes (somewhat reminiscent of the roads in Mongolia).  And along the roadside, school children, bicyclists and men in uniform hobbling on crutches, the limp trouser leg or shirtsleeve attesting to the horrible reality of landmines.  These are admittedly superficial observations:  we had not come to explore Cambodia:  Angkor would suffice for this trip.

Scattered over something like 100 square miles of landscape which somehow manages to be simultaneously lush and dusty, the temples of Angkor comprise most of what remains of the great Khmer civilisation.  Under construction continuously from the 8th to the 14th centuries, the temples were mainly dedicated to the Hindu gods Shiva and Vishnu, and also to the Buddha.  Since they were destined as dwelling places for the immortal gods, they were built of durable materials (brick, laterite and stone) using the most exquisite craftsmanship.  As it would have been sacrilege to construct secular buildings (e.g. palaces and houses) with the same materials and care, these have not survived.

Once we had arranged the logistics, it was time to get down to business.  We were out before dawn to catch the sunrise at the spiritual center of Angkor, the temple of Angkor Wat.  Not only the world's largest religious monument, Angkor is considered by more than a few connoisseurs to be the most sublime work of architecture on the planet.  While we don't presume to judge that, we were mightily impressed.

Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century, at the height of Khmer power.  Simultaneously a temple complex and a capitol, it is a completely realized microcosm of the Hindu universe, culminating in the five peaks of Mount Meru.  Its grandeur is magnified by the quality and abundance of its decorative detail; the Khmers could carve stone with the best of them.

Over the ensuing several days, we rushed from temple to temple, experiencing something new around every corner.  From the haunting faces of the Buddhist Bayon to the doll-house-like jewel of Banteay Srei, from the overgrown "lost ruins" of Ta Prohm to the magnificence of Angkor Wat, we were totally captivated by the evident piety, ingenuity, sophistication and wealth of the ancient Khmer.  There is nothing else like Angkor on this earth.

How bitterly ironic that modern Cambodia was a shambles, its people limping around on crutches,  scarcely able to feed themselves.  And yet, as the abundance of offerings and monks made clear, their spiritual faith was unflagging.  Was that grounds for optimism, or pity?  We headed on to Burma, awestruck and saddened.