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Topic: The Khmer Empire Posted: 10-Jun-2006 at 01:05 |
The Khmer Empire
The Khmer empire was a powerful kingdom based in what is now Cambodia. The empire, which seceded from the kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalised parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Its greatest legacy is Angkor, which was the capital during the empire's zenith. Angkor bears testimony to the Khmer empire's immense power and wealth, as well as the variety of belief systems that it patronised over time. The empire's official religions included Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism, until Theravada Buddhism prevailed after its introduction from Sri Lanka in the 13th century.
The history of Angkor as the central area of settlement of the historical kingdom of Kambuja is also the history of the Khmer from the 9th to the 15th centuries.
From Kambuja itself - and so also from the Angkor region - no written records have survived other than stone inscriptions. Therefore the current knowledge of the historical Khmer civilization is derived primarily from:
- archaeological excavation, reconstruction and investigation
- inscriptions on stela and on stones in the temples, which report on the political and religious deeds of the kings
- reliefs in a series of temple walls with depictions of military marches, life in the palace, market scenes and also the everyday lives of the population
- reports and chronicles of Chinese diplomats, traders and travellers.
The beginning of the era of the Khmer kingdom of Angkor is conventionally dated to 802. In this year, king Jayavarman II had himself declared "Chakravartim" (king of the world).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_empire
This is a basic cut and paste job but I want to know more about the Khmer Empire. I am especially interested in the architecture of this empire and its relations with empires around it. Any information you could provide would help me greatly.
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Omar al Hashim
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Posted: 10-Jun-2006 at 02:41 |
Certainly very interesting. I had heard of the Khmer Empire before now, but didn't know anything at all about it. I wonder why there are so few records. 1150 wasn't very long ago.
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Posted: 10-Jun-2006 at 13:52 |
Originally posted by Omar al Hashim
Certainly very interesting. I had heard of the Khmer Empire before now, but didn't know anything at all about it. I wonder why there are so few records. 1150 wasn't very long ago.
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I read that the Chinese had diplomats in the empire for some time and they were impressed with what they saw. But most don't know much about the empire for one real reason, its location. If some of the monuments built by this empire were location anywhere but the jungles of South East Asia then they would be as well known as Egypt.
Angkor wat
Baksei Chamkrong
Banteay Srei
Baphuon
Lolei
Neak Pean
Phnom Bakheng
Preah Khan
Ta Prohm
South Gate
This is all located in one city, Angkor Thom.
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Omar al Hashim
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Posted: 12-Jun-2006 at 01:09 |
Impressive, I wonder why these sites were abandonded
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Posted: 14-Jun-2006 at 18:31 |
It was never abandoned.
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Posted: 14-Jun-2006 at 21:07 |
Originally posted by Hehe
It was never abandoned. |
He is right about it. The capitol of the empire moved as its influence started to decline. There were always people at the sites just not as many as there once was, mostly monks. Since there was not many people to take care of the city the jungle started to reclaim it.
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chimera
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Posted: 06-Feb-2007 at 16:03 |
The Champa and Angkor kings had rituals about their Naga snake ancestor. This was not known in India, but was a legend of Scythians who ruled Punjab with Kambojas>"Cambodia". Cyrus II of Persia became a Kambujiya when he seized Babylon, and performed the ritual marriage at the Tower, accompanied by the snake-dragon of the god Marduk 538 BCE.
Apparently Brahmins from Angkor fled to Bali when Thailand invaded, and some reached Bundjalung in Australia where Gambadjha ("kamboja /cambodia"?) on the east coast is a sacred site on a mountain top where 3 countries meet. The nearby swift stream is Dahndahra creek, Sanskrit "dhan dahra" meaning "swift stream". Indian people comment on the Indic nature of Bundjalung place-names on road-signs.
chimera
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Knights
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Posted: 24-Mar-2007 at 02:05 |
Angkor is an absolutely spectacular place, one I wish to visit in future years. While it is a heritage site, there is still an ongoing destruction of Angkor - that actually was no fault of humans. The Figs and plants in Angkor are wreaking havoc in amongst the thousand year old buildings. Their roots are the main problem, eroding and cracking the stone, while the sheer mass of the trees are crumbling some structures. Though I do not believe that all the trees should just be felled, I still reckon that something should be done to reduce the amount of damage done by the vegetation at Angkor. On a more breathtaking note!: Amazing.
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Suren
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Posted: 08-Jul-2007 at 17:20 |
This building is a masterpiece.
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ConradWeiser
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Posted: 12-Sep-2007 at 12:08 |
I voted for Ankor Wat as one of the "new" seven wonders of the world. Sadly it didn't win.
Oh well, at least the Taj Mahal got in there.
And does Baksei Chamkrong eerily remind anyone else of a Mayan temple?
Edited by ConradWeiser - 12-Sep-2007 at 12:39
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Another year! Another deadly blow!
Another mighty empire overthrown!
And we are left, or shall be left, alone.
-William Wordsworth
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Hehe
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Posted: 19-Sep-2007 at 03:48 |
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