Angkor - Part 3

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Next is the 'Ta Phrom' temple. This is the one which has been left to nature, trees growing all over it and around it.
Massive trees draping their fat roots down over the walls, reminiscent of pythons, crumbling walls and collapsed doorways. There weren’t too many people when we went. It was evening time, with long shadows, and quiet, and V wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible. Must have felt eerie. I would have liked to sit quietly and absorb the atmosphere, but no way. (Some of the photos which would have showed the atmosphere better, had us in their center, and hence I havn't posted them here.) A fantastic place. Again, I tried to imagine the first people who 'rediscovered' this place....how they might have felt.



There were many other temples, in various stages of ruin. One temple, with one part dedicated to Shiva, another part to Vishnu and another to ancestor worship.
There was one tiny temple with beautiful brick sculptures of Vishnu and Lakshmi.

There were a few hilltop temples which were wonderful at sunset.
There was one which was in the middle of a pond, except that there is no water now.

If history fascinates you and it is not clear, written, history and leaves room for a lot of speculation, WOW, this is a wonderful place. Who were these kings, why do they all have Indian names, how many were actually Indians, and how much of it was Indian influence on local people, why did they build such astounding temples and why did they finally abandon them? How could the people in the region have forgotten all about them within 200/300 years? (The first records talk of a king of Cambodia 'discovering' these temples in the 15th century, when the temples were built between 8th and 12th Century). All along history, people have been re-rediscovering them, but it took this French guy with influence among the British who finally got the world's attention on it. The books talk of 'Sanskrit' engraved on temple walls, but to us it didn’t look like Sanskrit. It looked like a combination of south Indian scripts and Sanskrit. What was this language? Perhaps there are known answers to many of these questions, but I still havnt found them. Most intriguing.

Other things about Cambodia: Naturally, the country side and vegetation reminds us much of India. And watching all the people, one wonders at the life in the same place 2 or 3 decades ago, during the Polpot era. You see very few old people. All taken care of by Polpot. The population is very young. All shops seem to be managed by really young girls.
Something that disgusted me: The trafficking. It is sickening. There are ads every where saying 'abuse children here, go to jail in your own' and such. There was a place selling tiny brass figures of Hindu gods, and among them were various obscene figures. It is really shocking.
Something that impressed me: The little children. They do most of the selling in the streets,: scarves, bangles, small artifacts... In spite of all the poverty, they seem to be so cheerful and happy. There was a little girl in one temple who brought a little paper to me and I thought she was trying to sell me something and I said I didn’t want it. She indicated that she wanted to give it to me and when I took it she smiled and ran away. She had drawn a flower and leaf on it! I felt so ashamed and also sad that I couldn’t give her anything in return.
Something that inspired me: I saw so many elderly people, many of them rickety, from all over the world come to see the temples . They braved the sun, the heat, and climbed hillocks to see a pretty sight. With walking sticks or someone for support they were walking all around the temples and admiring them. Really impressive.