I
am on my way to visit the Angkor temple called ‘Banteay Srei’. This
temple is not a part of the Angkor Archeological Park and is located at
least 25 KM to the north of Siem Reap. For anyone who wants to visit a
temple in Siem Reap, the person must first pass through a check post,
set up by the Apsara Authority, the organization which looks after the
safety, security and maintenance of the temples. My car had to travel
by this check post today, even when I was going to a place bit far
away. At the check-post, I present my 3 day pass for visiting the
temples and only then could proceed onwards. I am told that if a
vehicle is found to have bypassed the check-post, it would surely be
stopped further on the way. A fine of 200 Dollars per person and 100
Dollars for the driver is collected from the errant vehicles. To avoid
payment of such huge fine, everyone seems to follow the rules. On way, I
see a large lake and decide to stop here on my way back. The landscape
on this road to Banteay Srei, reminds me of south India, with paddy
fields stretching on both sides to the limit of my vision. This area,
in which I am traveling, is known as ‘East Baray’. This name comes from
the name of a huge water reservoir built by Khmer kings, which had
existed on this very land few centuries ago. Because of this, the soil
is very rich here. This fact however does not reflect in the rice crop
yields, as the farmers are dependent only on monsoon rains and there is
a general shortage of fertilizers. In the days of Khmer Kings, farmers
in this area, grew 3 rice crops every year, with the abundant water
supply from East Baray. Farmers today, can just grow at the most, one
crop in an year. The villages along the road however, look fairly
affluent. I learn that the affluence has come because of the flow of
tourists along this road. My car now takes a sharp left turn and comes
to a halt in a nicely developed parking area. This is the entry area
for the temple of ‘Banteay Srei’. It is clear that someone has taken
lots of pains to plan and develop this area with well arranged basic
tourist facilities. The time is 10 ‘O’ clock in the morning but the Sun
is already scorching. It is important that any visitor to Angkor, must
carry with him a good quality Sunscreen cream.
The East Entrance
I
start walking towards the temple.Banteay Srei means a Citadel of the
woman. This was not the original name of this temple. The temple was
known earlier as ‘ Tribhuvanamaheshwara’ (Shiva, the God of three
worlds) or ‘Ishwarapura’ ( Abode of God). This temple was built during
the reign of king Rajendravarman (944-968) and Jayavarman V (968-1001)
and was dedicated to Hindu God Shiva. This temple surprisingly, was
not built under authority of any of the Khmer kings and was built by
Yajnyavaraha, a Brahmin adviser to the King, who also was of Royal
descent. The present name was adopted much later. Why this temple is
called a Citadel of the Women, could be anybody’s guess. I read that
the name came from presence of some of the dainty and feminine carvings
on the temple.
The
first view of this temple could be a sort of an anticlimax, if one
visits this place after visiting a temple like Angkor Wat. Compared to
the bombastic dimensions of Angkor Wat, this place is a miniature or
even could be called tiny. This might have been necessary to highlight
or emphasize the fact that the temple is not built under King’s
authority. As I walk towards the temple, I compare it to the temples in
India that I have seen and I rate this one as just one amongst those.
Nothing very special. I walk through a gate. This must have been a
Gopura in the past but now only a door frame exists. There is a sort of
passageway and I proceed on that. On both sides, I see ruins of
several buildings. There are sign-boards here, that the ruins are worth
a visit. I however continue towards the entry tower or Gopura. This
Gopura, is part of a red enclosure wall which completely encloses the
temple complex. I look upwards. I see a triangular shaped Fronton on
top of the door frame. The Fronton is completely filled with incredible
kind of engraved figures of Gods, animals, flowers and many other
shapes. I realize as to why this temple of Banteay Srei, is called
the most beautiful temple in Angkor. I enter through the Gopura into
the inner courtyard and cross a pedestal, on which a broken sculpture
of Nandi the bull is seen. Only legs and part of the body exists. I
look ahead and see a sea of pink and red in front. Each and every
building in this complex has been constructed from a special pink sand
stone, which gives a special aura to the whole complex. They say that
the sandstone even smells like the Sandle lwood from India. Inner
complex has several annex buildings all along the perimeter. These have
been mostly destroyed and only the walls stand erect. At the center,
there is another enclosure with an entry gate. This entry gate is
blocked. However as the enclosure wall is of only few feet height, I
can clearly see all the details of the buildings inside this central
enclosure. As I go round the enclosure and see the walls and
particularly the lintels on the door frames, my mind is filled in
wonder. I had never seen before such exquisite and dainty carvings on
stone. The bass reliefs at other places are carved in such way that a
picture materializes in your front. In Angkor Wat, some of the bass
reliefs have three or even four depth levels to make carvings appear
more realistic. But the carvings here, are three dimensional. A flower
or a sea shell kind of shape, appears as if the real thing has been
pasted on the stone. This is just unimaginable.
Main Sanctuaries
Fine workmanship
There
are three sanctuaries at the rear with the middle one having an
elongated shape. In the front there are two side buildings called
libraries(I do not know why?) . Most of the structures have only one
entry door. However on all sides of the structure, dummy and engraved
door panels are seen. There are few idols of monkey faced humans
sitting next to the sanctuary doors. I understand that these are not
originals but copies. The originals have been moved to museums for safe
keeping.Attempts have been made to steal even the replicas. The
lintels on the doors and the windows each tell a story from Hindu
mythological scriptures. Since I have read most of the stories in the
past, its fun for me to see the carvings in details. I can see Demon
king Ravana shaking the Himalayan abode of God Shiva, while Shiva’s
wife Parvati is terrified. In another panel, Krishna fights his uncle
Kounsa in his palace. There is a beautiful fronton depicting God Indra
blessing the animals, birds, trees and humans with celestial rain . One
of the best frontons depicts the story of the God of Love Kamdeva,
shooting his flowery arrows at Shiva so that he would get enmoured with
the beauty of Parvati. Shiva gets angry instead, opens his third eye
and burns Kamdeva. Later, Shiva marries Parvati and brings Kamdeva
back to life.
Indra’s Celestial showers
Shiva and God of Love
Shiva and Ravana
Krishna and Kounsa
Vishnu as Man-Lion
Besides
the detailed carved lintels and frontons, flower designs and the
Apsaras appear on each and every temple carved exquisitely. Its time
now for me to move on.
I
go around the temple and manage to get some good shots of the temple
reflections in the waters of the mote. While returning, in one of the
side buildings, a fronton showing Vishnu’s Man-Lion incarnation, is
kept on the ground. This is another exquisite example of the art at
Banteay Srei.
Because
of its beauty and the small size, this temple has been looted the
most. Even the celebrated french author Andre Malraux, tried to steal
four Devata statues from this place. Most of the original statues have
been now moved to museums with dummy replicas kept here. But such is
the beauty of these sculptures that attempts were made, to steal even
the dummy replicas.
Banteay Srei reflections
Reluctantly,
I move out of Banteay Srei and start my return journey. I stop on my
way, to see one more temple ruin. The temple of Preah Rup was built by
Khmer King Rajendravarman II (944- 968). I included this temple in my
itinerary because this temple was built some 175 years before Angkor
Wat. This temple sanctuaries are built with bricks, which were glued
together with a vegetable glue.
Preah Rup Temple
Lintel Carvings
The
temple construction appears similar to Angkor Wat, with three levels. I
find the climb rather steep. My efforts are rewarded however, when I
reach the top. I see some beautiful carved panels showing Indra riding a
three headed elephant and an Apsara in much simpler attire.
On
the road, I cross again the big lake. The shoreline is dotted with
many fine Khmer food restaurants. I decide to break my journey here and
enjoy some Khmer dishes for my lunch.
Sra Srang, largest swimming pool in the world
Royal bathroom
The
lake in front is known Sra Srang (Royal Bath) and is called many
times as the largest swimming pool in the world. It was built
specially for King Jayavarman VII (1181-1220) to allow him to bathe in
Royal grandeur and also meditate. An island was built in the middle of
the pool with a wooden hut for that purpose. I linger for few moments
on the Bathing platforms and imagine how the things must have been hear
one millennium ago.
After
lunch, I am on my way to see perhaps the last temple on my itinerary,
the temple of Ta Prohm. This temple was again built by King Jayavarman
VII (1181-1220) dedicated to his mother. Some say it is a Buddha
temple. There is view also that this temple was originally for Brahma,
the ancestor of all Hindu Gods.
Ta
Prohm is a classic example of the encroachment of the Jungle on
structures left unattended for a long period. There is so much
vegetative growth here that even in the blazing sun, the temple area ,
always shaded because of the huge trees, is very cool and relaxing.
A joint effort by India and Cambodia
The
car drops me at the east entrance. At the entrance I see a big
signboard announcing that the Government of India and Cambodian
Government are co-operating to renovate this temple. I really feel
happy that Indian Government is making some effort to restore this
precious heritage of the mankind, particularly when it bears such
direct relationship with ancient Indian culture and traditions.
Incredible Ta Prohm
The strangler
I
walk along well shaded pathway which leads me to the temple. In front
of me, I see a most weird and crazy scene. There is a stone platform.
On top of the platform a dilapidated stone building stands with a huge
tree growing out of it. The view is fit to be in a Indiana Jones type
Hollywood potboiler. In fact several movies have been shot at Ta Prohm.
The latest one being Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider . I pass the
building and see how this huge tree has spread its roots on the
building,holding it in a vice like grip. Many years ago, I had seen a
film called “20000 Leagues under the Sea”. In this film a huge squid or
an octopus was shown with long tentacles. Trees of Ta Prohm remind me
of that creature.
Repairing the dancers hall
It
is not possible to walk straight through Ta Prohm on a per-determined
route. The trees have grown in such haphazard and crazy fashion that
you have to go round avoiding them. I loose all sense of orientation
and just follow the guided path. On my way, I see a big crane and few
experts working on the roof of one of the Galleries, which was damaged
recently, when a giant tree s fell on it during a thunderstorm. In
spite of the unwieldy and unearthly growth of the trees, collapsed
walls and heaps of stones lying everywhere, I see some beautiful
carvings and Apsaras, hidden in nooks and corners. At one place I find a
Unique Lintel decoration with the Trinity of Hinduism, Bramha-Vishnu
-Mahesh. Unfortunately the central Shiva is missing from the
decoration, perhaps stolen. Further down the path, I see even more
number of trees growing on top, sides and along the temple balconies
and galleries. The stone walls cracked because of this onslaught, have
turned green with moss as moisture leaks through. In some dark alleys
of the temple, I get a very eerie kind of feeling. But then, just on
the next corner, a beautiful carving appears suddenly.
Elephant’s foot
Hindu Trinity of Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesha
An Apsara
Ta
Prohm was one of the largest monastic complex during Khmer days. An
inscription on stone in Sanskrit found here tells us its story. Ta
Prohm owned 3140 villages. 79365 people lived in these villages and
maintained this temple, which included 18 high priests, 2740
officials,2202 assistants and 615 dancers. Among the property of the
temple, there was a set of gold dishes weighing more than 500 Kg, 35
Diamonds,40620 pearls, 4540 precious stones, 876 veils of silk, 512
silk beds and 523 parasols. I do not know whether the figures given in
the inscription are true or not. One thing is certain. The temple was
extremely wealthy. A Tirupati temple of sorts in those times perhaps.
I
walk out through the western Gopura. The Gopura has, by now familiar
to me, quad faces of the King. As my car leaves the temple, I look
back. I can still see the smiling faces of the King perhaps beckoning
to me to come back again.
As
my car is speeding towards Siem Reap, I have a strange feeling that
even though I have seen for last three days, many temples of the Khmer
era, I am unable or incapable to complete the whole picture of Angkor
in my mind. In other words, there is no closure. Something is missing
and I can clearly see th missing link. The temples I saw were all
empty shells. There was no idol seen in any of the temples. The central
sanctuaries, were just vacant waiting for someone to take the place of
honour. . I know that I would have to look for this missing link,
otherwise my trip to Siem Reap just would not be complete.
I
decide to go to the Angkor National Museum for the missing link. The
name of the museum is somewhat misleading. It is actually a commercial
enterprise launched by Vilailuck International Holdings, a private
trust from Thailand. They have invested money in the buildings and
infrastructure. The exhibits however, are all genuine and are on loan
from National Museum in Knom Penh and ‘ ‘Ecole Française d’Extrème
Orient (French School of Asian Studies)’, originally a french
institute, now run by Cambodians. The museum even though much smaller
than National Museum at Knom Penh, covers only Angkor era and would
suffice my purpose.
The
museum has eight halls. The first hall has thousand Buddha idols. This
does not interest me much because many places boast similar kind of
Buddha exhibits. However next 7 halls have the exhibits, I am looking
for. There are statues of Khmer kings, their history, wars and
achievements. There are idols or at least the replicas of the idols of
the Gods that adorned the temple sanctuaries once. Vishnu in his full
glory, Shiva in human form and also in Linga form. The next hall
exhibits the stone inscriptions that were found in the temples. Some
are in Khmer language and some in Sanskrit as their legend plates
suggest. However the Sanskrit inscriptions are not written in the
Devnagari script as done in India. My efforts to read these are futile.
Here the Sanskrit inscriptions are written only in Khmer script. There
are more halls depicting other objects like pots and utensils. The
final hall has many statues of Apsaras, some beheaded, some without
legs or hands. Still the beauty of the original work of art quite in
place. Some more details about jewelery, ornaments and the costumes of
men and women of those times. I come out of the museum, totally
satisfied. I realize that I have spent about 2 hours here.
There
is no feeling now of any uncertainty. No dissatisfaction of having
only watched a shell. I feel sort of complete with a feeling that I
have seen the temples of Angkor completely and fully.
As
I think about these temples, Khmer kings and people, I feel saddened
by the fact that Indians know so little about this place and its
people. Here are the people who still claim that their ancestor was an
Indian, they still follow a religion born in India, picked up Indian
culture a millennium and a half ago, made it their own and raised the
glory of that culture to unprecedented grandeur and have left these
glorious monuments behind for all the world to see. Yet, Indians, know
so little about them, have done almost nothing, as these people
suffered in horrible civil wars and are still struggling to become a
nation. Not many tourists from India come here. There are no direct
flights to Siem Reap from India.
I
have mentioned before a quote from famous English author Somerset
Maugham. He says that “ No one should die before seeing Angkor Wat” I
would prefer a little modification to this quote. I would like to say
that No Indian should even think of dying before seeing Angkor.
(Concluded)
23 November 2010
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