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Showing posts from December 7, 2008

The Guardians of Hariharaalaya

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One goes to Siem Reap only to see Angkor Wat. But only after landing there does one start discovering the other treasures scattered all over the old Khmer kingdom. The travel planners dole out these treasures according to the time you have. The amazing Angkor Wat and the bewitching Bayon are fixed items and others are a-la-carte. I was overwhelmed by the lists. Reading up about each one made me rue the fact that we had apportioned only three and a half days for Siem Reap. It was like the proverbial kid- in- candy- store ; in my case, an archeology-nut me in a countryful of ruins. I had to give up Phnom Bakheng , the cradle of the Devaraja cult, the birthplace of the First Angkor Empire, with the huge presiding Lingam , Yashodhareswara, (established by Yasovarman I in 889 AD.) still standing, open to the sky, atop the hill. It rained on the evening of my plans for it. So, abandoned. But, as a compensation, i managed to visit Bakong in the old capital Hariharaalaya, now part