Angkor Vat

testo e foto di Hannes Schick

Without any doubt Angkor Vat, the sacred town hidden into the Cambodian pluvial forest stimulates imagination and excites attention. This collection of marvellous cathedrals and Buddhist monasteries with temples, high as mountains and basso-rilievo without equal, needs using superlatives. In the last ten years it has been possible to see this patrimony of humanity only to few people. For, going to Angkor Vat meant expose oneself to the Khmer Rouges danger and mines placed into the temples and all around.
Nowadays it is possible to visit Angkor quite easily and in comparative comfort. According to season, when you arrive the Siem Reap, the town can be far 800 meters till six kilometres from the Tonlè Sap shore. For a record tide, caused by the Mekong River. Once arrived and accommodated at Seam Reap you get to the 400 square kilometres of this immense archaeological park by motorcycle or a car, taken there by an experienced guide.

Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire, has developed in a span of 500 years. From its foundation in the IX century, until its decline in the XIV century b.C. In 889 King Yashovarman I inherits the two kingdoms of Fou-Nan and Tchen-la, that he incorporates into an only empire, for which he builds a capital titled with his name. The Cambodians instead name it simply Angkor that means “capital” in the Khmer language. In honour of the foundator, the successors built the Prasat Kravan temple and the Baksei Chambrong sanctuary. Then Angor enters a succession wars period, during which the capital is transferred to Koh Ker. Only under the reign of RajendravarmanII, Angkor becomes again, beginning the X century, the centre of a regained unity. Richer and more powerful than ever, the town launches itself into the building of new works (carried out by thousands slaves). Arise the eastern Mebon, the Lolei, the Pre' Rup, the refined women citadel, Bantteay Srei, the great catchment basins, the temple of the royal palace.
Phimeanakas is a lot of minor sanctuaries. When the great Rajendravarman leaves his place to his son Jayavarman V, at the beginning of the XI century, a new succession war shakes the empire. One of the two claimants to the throne reigns the time enough to finish the Ta Keo temple . Then the Suryavarman I dynasty brings calm and peace.
Suryavarman I does not carry out important works at Angkor, he confines himself to restructure temples and the royal palace. It will be his son Udayadithyavarman to undertake huge works. He builts an immense artificial lake, eight kilometres long and two kilometres wide called eastern Barai. The Barai is at the same time sacred bath and water reservoir. The centre of the lake is ornamented with an elegant temple, the western Mebon, built in the same period the Baphuon pyramid , the other structure left by Udayadithyavarman.

In 1113 a prince of no scruples takes the power: Suryavarman II. He's an insatiable conquer who submits the Cham and the Vietnamese populations. He widens considerably the Khmer influence area and incurs the Cham hatred who in future will reveal disastrous for the empire. Paradoxically, it is due to this irreducible warrior the most elegant and majestic building of the Angkor complex: Angkor Vat. Dedicated to Vishnu, this “mountain-temple” constitutes the symbol of Cambodia for the realists as well as for the Khmer Rouge. And while Suryavarman II builds Angkor Vat, he makes also the Thommanon and the imponent Beateay Samrè. After the thirty-second year of the Suryavarman II reign, the empire enters a long period of instability under the government of a succession of Kings that don't leave expressive traces.
This period endures till the coming, towards 1181, of Jayavarman VII. He defeated the Cham who dared to challenge the power of the Khmer, plundering the capital. Till his fall, Angkor Vat was deemed inexpugnable.

After the Chams invasion, Jayavarman VII, who contrary his Hindu predecessors was Buddhist, concentrates his efforts in reconstruction and defence of the country and the capital. He arouses massive city walls around the new capital adding a a hundred metres wide moat. Building huge mountain-temples he tries furthermore to ensure himself Gods' protection. The most known temples built by him are the Beantaeay Prei, Neak Pean, Ta Som and Ta Nei. The most beautiful work carried out by him is indubitably the great royal city: Angkor Thom with the supreme temple Bayon at the centre of the town and the forest of Buddha heads.
Jayavarman VII was the last of the great kings of Angor. After his forty years reign, weakened by a series of attacks by the Siamese, Angkor takes the long way of the decline. Still in 1926 a Chinese voyager, Tcheou Ta Kouan, arriving at Angkor Thom said words that have remained famous: “I greet the perfection “. In his book, Tcheou describes the fetes, the ceremonies and the costumes of the Angorians, as well as the march past of the armies with elephants and the passing of the girls adorned with flowers.

But the incomparable luxury of Angkor, extolled for centuries by the passing traders was vanishing. In 1430 the court abandons the capital due to the Siamese's attacks. Given over the town to pillage, the ancient town will loose many of its riches as well as the sumptuous covered of gems golden Buddha. During the following centuries Angkor sunk into oblivion becoming a ghost town, covered by vegetation, being only the capital of a wild kingdom. Getting near the ruins is an adventure few voyagers undertake. Neither the same Kmer knows much about their ancient capital.
At the middle of the XVI century a Cambodian king discovers the got lost town by a chance, during a hunt. He makes the vegetation taken off and establishes his court among temples and monuments, restructured by him. In this time in the European courts it is talked about the splendour of a royal town in the tropical forest, comparing it with Rome and Babel. Some romantic hearted explorers leave then to see it. Getting back they add mysteries and legends to their tales about Angor The Great.
At the end of the last century the French Governor for the Cambodia places there. For the colonialists Angkor becomes the symbol of the Indochina unity. In 1907 it is given back to the Cambodian sovereignty. It follows a long period of archaeological research and conservation, breaken in 1972 due to civil war and the Pol Pot's plunderers, who employed the stones of the temples to build a monument to the Khmer- Vietnamese friendship.

The Khmer Rouge troupes, stationed in the area, amused themselves mining or beheading many worship statues. Even after, under the Vietnamese occupation, the plunder of Angkor went on. In this period the art market was full of basso-rilievo, pictures and objects of the Khmer art, dated the Angorian period, that from Bangkok to Hong Kong reached staggering figures. In 1994 re Sihanouk launched a desperate appeal: “The struggle against the plunderers of Angor must constitute a sacred duty for all us “. Nowadays the mines have been removed and the major part of the vegetation covering the temples too.
It's a good moment for a visit; before Angkor becomes a kind of Disney park, as it is foreseen by a tourist plan of development elaborated by a multinational investor pool. Including light-show, a little train that brings around to see temples and artificial lakes and 300 rooms hotels.

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