Angkor Wat

2010-08-21T01:42:00.000-07:00

Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត) is a Hindu temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and part of his capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation — first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist.

Angkor Wat in the evening

Angkor Wat lies 5.5 km north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred on the Baphuon. It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures. It is the southernmost of Angkor's main sites.

Angkor Wat Sunset by zrim

Hence, Angkor Wat was converted from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.

One of the first Western
visitors to the temple was Antonio da Magdalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decorations and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of". However, the temple was popularised in the West only in the mid-19th century on the publication of Henri Mouhot's travel notes. The French explorer wrote of it:

"One of these temples—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo—might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."

Angkor Wat Temple

Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 2004 and 2005, government figures suggest that, respectively, 561,000 and 677,000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years. The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has also provided some additional funds for maintenance—as of 2000 approximately 28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples—although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities.

For more details please go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat

Looking into human nature

2010-08-20T02:12:00.000-07:00

The first time in my life to truly feel one's being is when I came across this person, Jiddu Krishnamurti. We may have ask in our life, what is this all about? we see the confusion, violence in every places and every form, yet we are trapped in this. There is no way out. We might create this or that group or organization in order to achieve a particular goal, yet after all confusion prevails. J. Krishnamurti looks into this life in a totally different way. His insight is so radical and revolutionary that one can feel when one gives whole attention to his teaching. The freedom of the mind can never be attained through authority, through doctrine, or any tradition.It happens through every day observation of everything happening in you and around you. we learn about fear, desire, hate, pleasure through self-observation. There is no other way. To understand more, please look at this:
http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/

I see

Angkor Wat

Looking into human nature