We decided we still had enough time to break out one last
trip before second semester begins. High
on the list of things to see was Angkor Wat, Cambodia. We booked a flight, a hotel and just like
that we spent the weekend in Siem Reap, a city just outside the UNESCO site
Angkor Wat. What a great Valentine’s Day
celebration.
“ The Khmer civilization centered on Angkor was one of the
most remarkable to flourish in Southeast Asia.
Between 8th and 13th centuries, a succession of
Hindu and Buddhist kings created magnificent temples in stone. Their elaborate carvings and intricate
architecture continue to amaze the world.” It draws millions of visitors every
year.
The young Prince Jayavarnan II was 14 when he slew is uncle
to take over the kingdom in 790. He began to establish his kingdom and power
with the construction of Angkor Wat built as a funerary for himself and to
honor is protector Vishnu. The temple is
built on a flood plane and was an architectural feat to withstand the ever-rising
tide and monsoons that occur in that region seasonally for all of these
years. It is constructed mostly of
sandstone, covered with a concert like frosting that allowed the etching and
carving in the stone that demonstrates not only the construction process but
the life style of the people in the kingdom and their interaction with the Gods
on Hinduism, most especially Vishnu.
We got up at 4:00AM to be out to the sight for the sunrise
over the Angkor Wat temple, we dressed and hired a tuk-tuk to drive us through
the sleepy town to the site. Unfortunately
the cloud cover was heavy enough to block the sun until it was mid
morning. It was great to relieve the
heat but not so great for the sunrise view. So much for a great effort but it
was really uneventful after sitting in the dark for about 45 minutes around the
mote of the temple. No Sunrise photo for us.
We have a fairly good frame of reference for religious
architectural feats now, last spring we visited Machu Picchu and the Inca ruins,
before that Israel with the Christian, Jewish and Moslem sites, Italy and the
Greek ruins with Mike, Mexico’s pyramids and Chitzanitchia. And now add to the
list Angkor Wat with the Hindu and Buddhist links. We are very blessed to have the privilege of
seeing these historic religious constructions that represent the five major
religions of the world. It has really helped to sharpen my focus on my own
religious beliefs. The foundation of
civilization is religion and it comes in all forms. It is easy to recognize
religion in ancient civilizations; it is the quest to please the Gods that hold
the common thread that keeps a civilization together. It is amazing to witness that around the
world.
We were able to find a small branch of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Seim Reap to attend on Sunday morning before
we left for the airport. They dedicated
a new building in October, probably the nicest church building in the city and
the members there are very proud of the their building. They all take their shoes off at the door to
keep the building looking like new creating a huge pile of flip-flops at the door. It
was fun to see the deacons in a white shirt and tie with no shoes. That was a perfect ending to a very inspiring look at Angkor Wat.
No comments:
Post a Comment