Cambodia. Forgotten Angkor …

In the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, the waters of the Tonle Sap fall into Mekong river, and then flowing into the lake with the same name. That waterway we reach the famous huge lake, near which  there is a priceless treasure of Khmer culture of Angkor, the ancient capital of the empire, from IX to XII century dominated throughout South-East Asia.

I have been here more than ten times, but, entering the world of stone, surrounded by lush vegetation, each time re-experiencing deep emotion. First visited this magnificent buildings twenty-nine years ago, fascinated by “Angkor pilgrim” by Pierre Loti, “In the Shadow of Angkor Wat” by Tadeusz Shafar and “Angkor Khmer Empire” by John Audrika, which awakened in me a passion for this fantastic place, where on the surface of Moscow, scattered dozens of magnificent churches, monasteries, fortresses and mausoleums, braided tentacles of tropical forests.

Now nine o’clock, the heat is simply unbearable, but we tirelessly walking the paths and galleries of Buddhist temple Ta Prohm, which was destroyed by time and huge tree trunks.

Century after century the aerial roots of fig tree braid the statue of the lovely celestial dancers, ruining neighbour wall, penetrate into the construction slit. Two hours later we have returned to our vehicle equipped with air conditioning, then we were refreshing with soft drinks and went to Preah Khan (”the holy sword”). The huge temple was built in honor of the King Dzhayyavarmanom’s victory over Tjamamy at the end of XII century.

French naturalist Henri Muo, who discovered Angkor in 1861 after four centuries of unconsciousness, wrote in his message: ‘I have seen monuments of architectural art is enormous in size and, in my opinion, are an example of the highest level compared to any monuments, retained from ancient times. I have never felt so happy as now, in this beautiful tropical surroundings. Even if I knew that I must die, I would not have traded this life of pleasure and convenience of the civilized world. ” Perhaps he was visited by some kind of premonition: a few months later Muo, before coming here for several years worked as a teacher in Russia, fell ill with malaria, and after twenty days died.

Great Dzhayyavarman VII not only built a huge temple complexes, but also ensure to his people prosperity. He built hospitals, bridges, roads, and created an irrigation system, which allowed the local fields to collect three or four crops of rice per year. Beautiful monument of the Angkor complex is the most famous and well-kept temple of Angkor Wat, which was built over thirty years during the reign of Suryavarman P. Temple is considered as the largest church in the world and is typical of Asian architecture combination of elegance and harmony. It is no accident that King had his temple in its walls and became a tomb-mausoleum. The fortress of Angkor Tom deserves the special attention the central church of the Bayon and its fifty-four huge towers, each of which is decorated with four appearances of the Buddha with forever frozen on his lips a smile of religious ecstasy.

The magnificence of the Khmer Empire dimmed somewhat during the wars between tyamam and tayam. In 1431 Siamese troops fully captured Angkor city emptied as if for him swept ruthless epidemic. Over time, wet climate and lush vegetation made the capital in ruins and the jungle completely absorbed her. Hard times in the history of Cambodia are not allowed to attend a brilliant masterpiece of Asian architecture. Only in December 1992, UNESCO included it in the list of world heritage sites, and a year in Tokyo, established the International Coordination Committee, sets out to revive the splendor of Angkor.

Under the leadership of the Committee began intensive restoration work. The Americans took up the temple of Preah Khan, the French restored the Terrace of Elephants and the Leper King, the Italians – Pre Rup, Japanese – Bayon. In October 1995, Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Malaysia signed an agreement on joint development of tourism infrastructure in an area of one hundred hectares, in close proximity to the monuments. The agreement referred to the establishment of Angkor’s largest tourist center in the whole Asian continent. It seems that the proclaimed goal is actually achieved. In a small area of Siem Reap, located on the periphery of the temple complexes, has already built an extensive network of more than a hundred hotels, which includes a very cheap Guest House, and the Grand Hotel.

There were crowds of tourists in the past year there were almost 200 thousand of them. But because the monuments occupy a vast territory, the crowd did not catch the eye. Only about six o’clock in the morning, hundreds of foreigners come to Angkor Wat, to admire the way over the turrets of the magnificent temple of the sun rises. And the evening sometimes they are going to have on the ruins of Phnom Bakhenga, where Angkor Wat is opened in all the grandeur of his design builders.

Generally, Angkor has become a tourist must-see destination of the visit to South-East Asia. Undoubtedly, a very convenient new airline, which delivers passengers directly to Siem Reap, without a stop in Phnom Penh. It is quite expensive to visit Angkor now, entrance on the territory of the temples is $ 20 per day, and tickets for three days is $ 40. And in the restoration fund is no longer receiving a penny that caused protests of many sponsors involved in the conservation project of this area, full of mysterious charm of the world stone buildings. But … in a country where corruption flourishes is most powerful in the world, the protests did not make any results.

Money is not enough not even to restore the monuments, but also to protect it from many thieves.

Afterword

“The most stunning archaeological event of XIX XX century contemporaries called the opening of the tropical jungle temples of medieval Cambodia. Interest was so great that the pavilion of Khmer art at the Paris World Exhibition collected hundreds of thousands of visitors. And many have question: why did Cambodia, rather than neighboring states, has reached such artistic heights? Someone see it in the hard work and talent of the people, in the wisdom of its rulers. Others draw attention to the convenience of areas Khmer settlements lying on the trade routes between India and China, and the long-standing relationship of these lands with ancient civilizations, including the Hellenistic world. Ethnographers have long noted the special stability of Mon-Khmer peoples in comparison with all other peoples of Southeast Asia.

And the story simply notes that by mid of IX century, the territory of Cambodia (Kampuchea States) extends almost the entire Indo-China peninsula, and it presents a great power, which becomes the center of Angkor. Here on the land area of about 231 square kilometers is found more than sixty eight medieval churches. But Angkor is far from a religious complex and not a single city. This is a whole network of cities, under construction for centuries, and linked by roads, bridges, wide channels. Each of the walled cities of elaborately planned ensemble of areas, swimming pools, theaters, towers and galleries, riding, arenas, libraries, and pavilions. In addition, the ancient Khmers had a unique irrigation, decisively changed the landscape.

A huge number of series constructed at Angkor for four hundred years of religious buildings demonstrates the incredibly rapid construction. Temples were built simultaneously with the four sides, and the number of workers had to reach a fantastic amount. Thus, the construction of the world’s largest temple complex of Angkor Wat took less than forty (!) Years, and yet only area decorated with reliefs of the first floor gallery walls is 1200 square meters. From the monument to the monument can be seen as complicated and refining architectural plastic image of the temple. As clearly expressed desire of Khmer artists multiply already found elements to develop them, bringing to full completeness. How to reach the freedom of artistic treatment of an arsenal of tools that allowed to deviate from verified canons. And how high-level sense of building and unity of aesthetic perception of the whole and its parts from medieval Cambodian.

But the modern restoration of Angkor monuments brought many problems. Often have to deal with the temple piece by piece, even the stones, and then in the same manner to fold back. This practice, born in the tropics method anastiloza, and not always been effective. The extraordinary strength of connection between the stone slabs or linking them to the roots of trees are not allowed to open the world many treasures of Khmer architecture. And unlikely to be restored color pictorial ornamentation and gilding the towers of one of the greatest architectural creations of mankind.