ANGKOR WAT: ONE OF THE SURVIVING ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLES IN SOUTH EAST ASIA.

Angkor War.

Nowadays a lot of Hindu temples are getting excavated in various locations around the Asian subcontinent. Last year, the remnants of an ancient Hindu structure depicting the picture of Lord Ram and Hanuman were unearthed from Iraq. This evidence portrays the predisposition of the people towards Hinduism during the ancient period.

Southeast Asia was highly influenced by the Hindu culture before the rise of Buddhism and Islam. There are a lot of temples present in nations like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia, which shows the domination of Sanatan Dharma during the primitive period.

One of the beautiful temples that are situated in Cambodia is “Angkor Wat” which is considered as the holy abode dedicated to Lord Vishnu and was made by Suryavarman 2 of Khmer empire during his regime back in 12^th century AD.

WHAT MAKES ANGKOR WAT SPECIAL?

It’s because of its enormity and pre-eminent architecture along with some fascinating scriptures dedicated to Lord Vishnu and its various avatars are there in this temple. These aspects made the temple a stand-out holy place for future generations.

A BRIEF HISTORY:

Angkor Wat is an ancient temple situated in Cambodia which was built by Suryavarnam 2 of Khmer empire back in 12^th century AD. The place on which this temple was constructed was known to be the city of “Yashodhapur” (ancient name).

If we stick ourselves with mythology, it was revealed by the 13th-century Chinese traveler Zhou Daguan that the temple of Angkor Wat was built in a single night by the help of a seraphic architect.

Another mythological speculation says that lord Indra had ordered to build a temple so that it can be a Palace for his son.

There are various theories regarding this temple and the reason behind its existence is still an enigma.

Though the historians and the Archeologists unraveled a lot of things related to this temple but they failed to interpret the actual name of the temple. It’s been said that this holy abode was called as “Varah Vishnu lok” during the primitive period. Unfortunately, the authenticity of this name can’t be taken into consideration.

Angkor Wat was left deserted for a lot of years due to which it turned into debris and was covered by the canopies of trees and green tendrils. Mother Nature engulfed this holy place for a lot of years, wild animals infested its premises. This sudden abandonment of Angkor Wat happened due to its ill facilities to protect itself and it’s inhabitants from monsoonal variations.

Angkor Wat was discovered by French naturalist Henri Mouhot back in 1860.

The operation of restoring this temple started back in 1908. The name of the operation was "Conservation D Angkor" which was carried out until 1970. After a few years, the operation of preservation and restoration of this sacred place was handed over to the Archeological Survey Of India (ASI). The ASI members worked diligently to restore the ruins of this temple. They worked on this project from 1986-1992.

HISTORY OF HINDUISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.

Image source : Google|image by: Aparna Sridhar

The ancient text of Ramayana mentions a place named as “Yawadvipa” which was the monarchy of JAVA and SUMATRA around 200 B.C.E. It has been stated in Ramayana that Sugriva had sent one of his army units to Yawadvipa for the search of Sita maa. This piece of information speculates the ancient map of “BHARAT” which was huge and the people at that time were sharing cultural similarities.

Till now the kings of Thailand use the title like “RAMA 9, RAMA 1, RAMA 2”. This title was endorsed from the name of Lord Ram, who is like a god for us (Hindus).

The cultural presence of Hinduism didn’t end here, it spreads its roots in the island of Indonesia. The temple of Prambanan in Indonesia was built in between 8^th to 9^th century C.E. This temple was built during the period when the Mataram kingdom was ruling central java.

I would like to conclude by saying that Hinduism isn’t just a religion it’s a way of life. The Balinese and few Indonesians still adhere to the traditions and the customs of Agama Hindu dharma which is a variant of traditional Hindu religion. Agama Hindu Dharma was born on the island of Bali.

The cultural presence around the South Asian region shows the influence of Sanatan Dharma during the ancient period and how it had left a mark in the form of temples and customs that still exists amongst us.

It’s the duty of Hindus to protect this religion and it's  idealistic principles so that it can serve as an inspiration and a reminder of Sanatan Dharma for the future generations.

Jai Shree Ram.