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[Full title: Journeys for Cultural Exploration (3): Visit to Cambodia]

PAGES FROM THE DIARY I have a long association with Thailand. Two persons who stand out during that association are Mrs. Amara Srisuchat and Mr. Tharapong Srisuchat. Mrs. Amara had studied with my wife Mrs. Usha Satyavrat for her Master's degree in Sanskrit at the Silpakorn University, Bangkok. After that she had got herself enrolled for the Ph.D. course at the Sanskrit Studies Centre which had come up in the said University with me as co-supervisor along with Dr. Chirapat Prapandvidya, the erstwhile Director of the said Centre at the above University to work on the topic "Yoga Philosophy in Secondary Thought: Tracing Back to Yoga in Thailand's Past." She had come to know from the writings of Prince Damrong that there are about a hundred statuettes of Yogins in the Jaipur Museum. Since these had a bearing on the subject of her study, she was keen to see them and photograph them. This brought her to India on January 27, 2005 along with her husband. My wife received the couple at the Delhi Airport and brought it to our house where a room had been set apart for its comfortable stay. Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong stayed with us for three days, visited the National Museum and other places of interest. It being Mr. Tharapong's first visit to India, he was interested in seeing something of Delhi, at least its landmarks which he did along with his wife. On January 31, 2005 they, Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong left for Jaipur to accomplish their task CC-0. Prot. Saga phing the statuettes. It was during one of the sessions of photographing

Visit to Cambodia 183 in our house that they told me that the examination of Mrs. Amara's thesis was scheduled for early March and that there were two options for me, one, to send the report from here itself or to come to Bangkok and conduct the examination in person. I preferred the second option. I told them that I have never visited Angkor Wat which has been my life time wish. They said they would arrange it for me and accompany me to the site. That was the starting point of the journey which was to prove for me my life time experience. Mrs. Amara' examination was fixed for March 24, 2005. It was so arranged that I would leave for Bangkok on March 16, 2005 and Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong would receive me at the Bangkok Airport. Before leaving Delhi on February 3, 2005 they had told me that that they would be in India again as part of a Buddhist group visiting Buddhist holy places which would also include Dr. Samniang Luermsai, the Director of the Sanskrit Studies Centre of the Silpakorn University, Bangkok, and would be returning to Bangkok on March 17, 2005 a little earlier than I-their flight would land at 5.40 A.M. while mine would be doing so at 6.20 A.M. (they would be travelling by Thai Airways while I would be doing so by Indian Airlines). They pointed out that in case their flight would be late, their driver would receive me. But there was no need for that. Their flight had landed earlier and they were there to receive me. Before I proceed on with the details of my travels, I would like to mention here that Mrs. Amara is working with the Department of Fine Arts which she had joined after her graduation. She is at present Director of the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum, Sukhothai. Mr. Tharapong is the Director of Archaeology of the Sukhothai region. The journey begins: 16.3.2005 I came to the Delhi Airport around 10.30 P.M. The flight was at 12.50 A.M. Boarding announced, I proceeded towards the plane. Ato the entrance tollitian Airline official looked at my by S 3 Foundation USA

Boarding Pass and told me that there was another Boarding Pass for me. I had been upgraded, he told me. It was a pleasant surprise for me. The very start of the journey was on such a happy note. How it all happened, I do not know. I simply was thrilled. My new seat number was 5-A. It was a window seat. I always prefer the isle seat in view of my prostate problem. When I went to seat 5-A, the seat adjoining it, No. 5-B, was unoccupied. I merrily occupied it. When its allottee came, a young girl, she occupied the window one. So everything was according to my liking. 17.3.2005 In spite of the good comfort and the facility of the Business Class, I had no sleep. The air-conditioning was so strong that despite my wearing a suit-a non-woolen one of course-I was shivering. That partly must have been due to my low thermostat. Even moderate cold just freezes me. The flight arrived in Bangkok in time. Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong, as said earlier, were there to receive me. They brought me to Hotel Trang Bangkok in Bagalampoo, close to the Head Office of Mrs. Amara where they had reserved a room for me. After checking in the Hotel we, the three of us, went to have breakfast in the Hotel restaurant which had a typical Thai ambience with wooden chairs and tables in the open and with a small pond with big red fish swimming in it. After the breakfast Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong left me in the room to catch up with some sleep (which, in spite of my best efforts I could not) with the word that they would join me over lunch around 12.00 noon. About that time they knocked at my room and took me to the National Museum. There they took me to the room which had inscriptions, quite a few of them in Sanskrit, in stone. We had lunch thereafter in the Museum canteen which comprised fried rice with vegetables which was to be my staple diet during the rest of my sojourn. After lunch we went to the National Library where we met a scholar of the name of Cha Am who, though retired, has been re-employed by the National Library, the like of whom not being

Visit to Cambodia 185 available and who had devoted his life-time to the study of inscriptions, particularly as of them as are in Sanskrit. He took us to a room where stones in different sizes and shapes were stacked which carried on them the inscriptions engraved in different scripts, Khom (the old Khmer script), Khmer, Mon and Thai including the marathon Sdok Kok Thom Inscription which even in its Sanskrit part-the other part of it is in Khmer-is a mini-kavya in itself couched in well-chiselled beautiful expression embellished with a number of figures of speech and metres. Mr. Cha Am, told me that there are over a hundred Sanskrit inscriptions in Thailand out of a total of 1406 discovered so far. Some of these are included in George Coede's work Inscriptionum du Cambodge and are available in Roman script while the others are published in Thai script with introduction and translation. At that point I suggested that it would be a good idea to bring them out in one volume with detailed introduction, notes and English translation and that I would be only too willing to undertake this work in spite of my advancing years. Mrs. Amara offered to transliterate them, as of them as are available in Thai script, in Devanagari script to enable me to go ahead with my work which would present among other things their linguistic and literary appraisal, a task not undertaken so far. The first study of its kind, it could yield wonderful results in view of some of the inscriptions, particularly the lengthy ones among them, being masterpieces of ornate poetry. After seeing the inscriptions we go up to the fourth floor of the Library to catch a glimpse of its large manuscript wealth. There on enquiry I learn that there is a Sanskrit manuscript too which describes the types of fools. It is published by a Thai Sanskrit scholar with Thai translation under the title to me. She also showed me some other interesting manuscripts. Vyakarasatakam , a copy of which the Librarian kindly presented While she goes to the almirahs to fetch them, I waiting in my chair stoutly resist sleep which seems to overpower me. I then decide to return to the Hotel and have some rest. The same evening I have a dinner appointment with Sri Hrisikesanandadas (Mr. Richard Shaw Brown) who is like a son Foundation USA

to me. He comes to me at 7.00 P.M. with his wife Champakalata but not his son Jiva, he not feeling well. He drops Champakalata at his house on the way to a restaurant just outside his show room of Astral Gems and Talismans in the Plaza named after him, Hrisikesa Plaza in Lumpini Night Bazar. It is he who has designed my Website which is a masterpiece of art and which is a standing monument to his love and affection for me. He is also bringing out a picture profile of mine to mark the completion by me of 75 years. After the dinner he drops me at the Hotel and I retire for the night. 18.3.2005 This day we had to leave for Siem Reap in Cambodia. Our flight was at 11.30 A.M. It was decided that Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong would come to my Hotel at 8.30 A.M. I was to finish my breakfast before that and was to be ready to leave for the Airport with bag and baggage. We reached the Airport around 9.30 A.M. At the Airport Mr. Tharapong brought for me the refreshments which he told me were complimentary from the Airline. We boarded the plane at 11.00 A.M. and reached Siem Reap at 12.20 P.M. At the airport we spotted a man with a placard with Mr. Tharapong's name on it. He was to be our guide for the three days we were to be in Siem Reap. He took us in the van that he had brought to Hotel Goldiana Angkor, a fabulous Hotel indeed. Immediately after checking in he took us to a restaurant of the name of Tonle Sap where a sumptuous lunch was served to us. Thereafter we left for a trip to the vast lake of the name of Tonle Sap. After crossing the uneven kutcha road running along side the Siem Reap river we reached the lake where we had a boat cruise. We passed by small houses built on wooden shafts. Somewhere there was a cluster of five or six of them earning the appellation village! We had a view of the residents of these watery habitats engaged in their routine chores. Some of the houses were equipped with gas cylinders and ovens and battery operated lighting system. What kind of life they are leading, I wondered.

Visit to Cambodia 187 From the lake we went to see an ancient temple Prasad Bakung. It was a steep rocky climb to reach it which taxed all my stamina. I made bold to go up stopping many a time on the way for breath, apprehensive though I was to put my weak heart to too much of strain. On the way Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong lent their hand quite often. Half way through an unknown young man held me by the hand and helped me go up till I had reached the top. This had greatly touched me. After all, good samaritans do exist in this world and we do have visions of them off and on. At the top after crossing the flat surface we had to climb stairs with precious little width. It required all the skill and care to go up them. Why there should be so small stairs and how King Jayavarman VII could have climbed them was the question uppermost in my mind. I found the answer to this after a pause in the climb being taken to be part of the tapasya. It was a climb to the shrine and not a mountain trekking. How could one go up without undergoing tapasya? After climbing the stairs at two or three levels I reached the topmost level which provided a panoramic view of the fields and farms below. The topmost level has five shrines, two on each side and one in the middle, the middle one being larger than the others. It is dedicated to Siva the guide, his name was, Vajra, told us. From the top level we also saw the wonderful spectacle of sun-set. It being twilight, we thought of getting back as also the big crowd that had assembled at the top. For the return on reaching the flat surface from the stairs, we chose the elephant way, a long kutcha winding path used to ferry the tourists to the first level, the flat one. The charge for the elephant ride was $ 15 per person for the ascent and $ 10 for the descent. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant and on reaching the Hotel retired for the night. 19.3.2005 This day we had to move out very early, our schedule being very hectic. We left the Hotel after breakfast at 7.30 A.M. Our first stop was Bantey Srei, the ancient temple at a distance of 35

kms. from Siem Reap city. It being under renovation, only some portions of it were open for public. The very entrance to it has the sculpture of Indra mounted on his vehicle, the Airavata with three trunks. The other interesting sculptures in it were the lifting of mount Kailasa by Ravana with Parvati wearing a worried look touching the chest of Siva. Below in three successive levels were shown the anxious seers, the shocked animals and monkeys. The marvel of art was the engraving of Ravana with his stretched twenty arms bending flat to lift the mountain. Another interesting piece of sculpture was the one where Visnu was shown on the serpent bed, the Sesa-sayya with Laksmi pressing His feet and a lotus stalk appearing from it with Brahma issuing out of it, a common enough motif in this part of the world. On the way to Bantey Srei we did stop for a couple of minutes to take few snaps of the Pre Rup, the pyramid temple, built by King Rajendravarman II. Its tall central sanctuary flanked by four towers sits atop a high three-storey base. Our next halt was Neak Pean. To provide an unique touch to his religious complex King Jayavarman ordered the construction of a substantial baray to the east of the town. It is Jayatataka, three and a half kms. long and 900 metres wide which is now in a dried out state. In its centre on a 300 metre an 'island', now known as Neak Pean was built which when translated into English means "entwined serpents' after the twin snakes coiling around the main. sanctuary. The main feature of the 'island' is thirteen areas of water which are visible as carved cruciform ponds that have been restored. The central pond, 70 metres square, is flanked at the four cardinal points by smaller square ponds which are at least theoretically able to receive waters of the central pond through gargoyleo sheltered by sandstone chapels, and carved with a human head to the east, a lion to the south, a horse to the west, and an elephant to the north. In the middle of the central pond is the only sanctuary tower of the group, rising from a circular base. It is in sandstone and of relatively modest proportions. Eight further ponds which lack a masonry facing, completed the rest

Visit to Cambodia 189 of the complex in shape. A wall surrounds the whole group and many Buddhist artefacts have been found there. In the central pond itself a statue of reclining Visnu has been discovered and to the north has been found a Saivite Linga. To the south there was an image damaged beyond recognition while to the east there is the famous image of the horse Balaha. It has been claimed that the Neak Pean group is a representation of the Buddhist Anavatapta, a miraculous lake in the Himalaya which heals all illnesses and from which spring four rivers through the mouth of a lion, an elephant, a horse and an ox. This almost matches with the site in question except for the fact that the ox is replaced by a man. But it does not correspond to the words of the Preah Khan Stele: the original name was Rajyasri, the Fortune of the Kingdom and the site was clearly Hindu. The supposition must, therefore, be that it was given the Buddhist character during the modifications that must have occurred before the 13 th Cen. A.D. These included the wallingin of the south, west and north gates of the main shrine with stones carved with the images of Lokesvara and probably the horse Balaha. To the east of Jayatataka or Neak Pean, as it is called at present, was the temple of Ta Som famous for the carved faces of its western entrance pavilion until necessity wreathed in the branched roots of the banyan tree. It was perhaps the temple mentioned as Gaurasrigajaratna which housed a total of 22 divinities. In the afternoon we saw two temples. Preah Khan and the more noteworthy Ta Phom built by King Jayavarman in the memory of his father which was discovered in the midst of the jungle. Massive tree roots like huge serpents crawl over the roof and walls. In its central courtyard surrounded by the walls of the gallery beautifully carved figures of devatas are sculpted in the panels between the false windows lining the gallery. The panels wherever they exist are beautifully carved. One of them which particularly amused us was the one which was being weighed down by a huge banyan tree growing over it. Unfortunately no

restoration work of this temple has been undertaken. It remains as it was discovered in the jungle. In the late afternoon, though tired and exhausted, we head towards our final destination after passing by the Bayon temple known for its peculiar style the world famous Angkorwat. We visit its different sections and galleries and see its long rows of stone carvings with unmatched intricate art work. It is late evening when we come out of it. We then after a short rest head towards the Tonle Mekhong restaurant for dinner which is accompanied with a cultural performance which includes some scenes from the Ramaker, the Cambodian Ramayana. Mr. Tharapong takes a few snaps of the performances which he graciously presents to us. To say the least, the performance was simply exquisite. So also was the food. We had a long day but it was the most rewarding one leaving us with memories to cherish for long. 20.3.2005 The previous day I had been enquiring from the guide if there are some Brahmins or Bakus as they are called in Cambodia. He said he would find out. There may be one or two to serve as assistant to Buddhist monks in a monastery. On enquiry he found that there are none but there is a gentleman who, though not a Brahmin, is performing the rituals of Brahmins having learnt them from the last Brahmin (now no more) by working with him. He is associated with Wat Bo, the biggest Buddhist monastery in Siem Reap. Our day, the last day at Siem Reap, starts with a visit to the Handicrafts Centre where we see how wood carvings, sculptures and lacquerware is made. We saw the artisans at work. The guide at the Centre explained to us their working. We had the first hand experience there of the making of the lacquerware. A paper with a line drawing of an art piece based on a motif in Angkor Wat like the figure of an Apsara with tiny holes in it is pasted on a piece of wood. After it is removed, it leaves its impression on it according to which the artisans carry out the carving. Then lacquer

Visit to Cambodia 191 is applied on it on which the gold coloured bronze foil -it is not actual gold; that is too costly-is pasted. On stone too the line drawing with a carbon paper beneath it is pasted. The carbon paper helps in leaving on stone the impression of the line drawing according to which chiselling is carried out. After visiting the Handicrafts Centre we go to Wat Bo in search of the man who helps in the performance of the Brahmin ceremonies. To our good luck we find him there. As chance would have it, he was found making preparations for a ceremony for warding off evil. That way we could see something of the Brahmin ritual in practice. The gentleman had made a sort of a rectangular frame with six-layered walls of plantain trunk interspersed diagonically by bamboo sticks making squares of equal size. Of the four squares the picture of Rama is put in the central square and Sita and Ravana in the left and right squares respectively with a picture of the afflicted person in the remaining last square. Normally the frame has three layers but the number can go up to 15 depending upon the destination and the direction of the afflicted person. That a person is afflicted with evil is determined by the series of misfortunes visiting him. With that determined, the exorcization ritual is taken up. A heap of rice is brought in white cloth and a symbolic figure of the afflicted person is drawn with hand. The afflicted man then lies with his feet towards the frame. It is through the horoscope that it is determined as to in which direction he is to lie. The man for the warding off of whose evil the ritual was going to be performed was to lie in the direction of Rama. After the ritual the frame is cast away. The rice nobody can partake of except the Buddhist monk who is present throughout the ritual occupying an elevated seat behind the head of the person lying flat. The gentleman who was making preparations for the ritual showed us a book in Khmer on Brahmin ceremonies which are performed according to rules prescribed in it. Outside the shrine in the corridor we found a man reading aloud from a text. The gentleman helping perform the Brahmin ceremonies told us it was the Brahmin text on ceremonies that '

he was learning. Like him he too is not a Brahmin but has developed interest in Brahmin ritual and has started familiarizing himself with it. No descendants of the Brahmins took to the ancestral profession of priesthood with the result that no Brahmin is left now in Cambodia to help perform the ritual, a situation engulfing sadly enough the Brahmin community of Thailand even where the younger generation is not interested in continuing with the ancestral profession leading to gradual erosion in their numbers causing immense distress to the present Rajaguru and other senior Brahmins who see in it the possibility of their extinction at some point of time. We are told that there are a few Brahmins in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, the last remnants of a community that had once exercised immense influence in matters religious and temporal in Cambodia. The guide, once a monk in Wat Bo, wanted us to have a round of it and see in its upper floor some of the objects discovered from areas around on display there. After this round we make our way to the Hotel, lift our bags and proceed towards the Airport. We reach Bangkok. There Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong had arranged a room for me in the Royal Hotel opposite Sanam Luang and the campuses of the Thammasat and Silpakorn Universities as also the National Theatre and the National Museum. I checked in the Hotel. After that Mrs. Amara and Mr. Tharapong left. Tharapong was to be back to Sukhothai to join the Minister of Culture who was visiting it the next day. Mrs. Amara was to join her brother in Bangkok. Before saying goodbye she told me that she would be back early the next day to take me to Kanchanaburi for a visit to Prasad Muang Sing. 21.3.2005 We left for Kanchanaburi at 8.00 A.M. It was about 11.00 A.M. when we arrived at Prasad Muang Sing. It is a heritage Park now. An employee there first took us to the room where the replicas. of the sculptures from the Prasad were on display and then Prasad itself. She also gave us a handout detailing the history and the description of the Prasad. It is 45 kms. from Kanchanaburi

Visit to Cambodia 193 and 175 kms. from Bangkok. It has been developed as a Historical Park. Muang Sing means the City of Lion. This ancient city and its monuments can be dated to the 13 th and 14 th centuries. The Bayon style in Khmer art as evidenced by the city layout and architecture indicates the relationship between Muang Sing and the ancient Khmer kingdom during the reign of King Jayavarman VII (1177-1237 A.D.). According to a stone inscription by Prince Vira Kumara in glorification of his father King Jayavarman VII twenty-three cities were mentioned as places where the king enshrined images of Phra Jaya Buddha Mahanath. One of these cities Srichaiya Singhapura is believed to be the present-day Muang Sing Khmer sanctuary. The name Muang Sing was not mentioned in the official list of provincial cities of the Ayutthaya period. It was first known in the Rattanakosin or Bangkok period during the reign of King Rama 1. There are four monuments within the city wall of Muang Sing. The principal monument, Monument No. 1 is almost in the middle of the city. Monument 2 is near the northwest corner. Monuments Nos. 3 and 4 are 200 metres southwest of Monument No. 1. Monument No. 1 is a building complex comprising wall, gates, gallery and several other structures. It is built by laterite stone decorated with stucco reliefs and is plastered. The main building (Prasad) is a single tower-like ruin. The radiating Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara statue was presumably installed in the building which has a gallery and four gateways (Gopuras), one on each side of the gallery wall. The Monument 1 was laid out in the form of Mandala, a mystical diagram of the universe. Mount Meru in the centre of the world is symbolized by the Prasad which stands in the middle of the sanctuary while the continents and oceans are represented by ponds, ditches and dykes. Monumen No. 2 is also made of laterite stone supported by wood and covered with lime plaster. It consists of three towerlike structures in the north-south direction on the same foundation. There are only two gateways, to the east and the west. The

southern gallery walls are blank while the interior wall of the north was open as indicated by a row of wooden post holes. Bases of statues were reportedly found inside the 5 the gallery. Parts of sandstone sculptures found were images of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in the Bayon style. Other antiquities found include bronze figures of Nagas used as decorations for palanquins. Monument 3 is the ruins of a building of brick and laterite of a small scale. Monument No. 4 has nothing left of it except the base. It is a rectangular building divided into four sections. Fragments of plinths for sacred statues and incomplete religious sculptures were found from here. After the visit to the Prasad we started on our return visit. On the way we stop at a Mall which Amara tells me sells royal products. Among other things that Mrs. Amara buys from there includes a bag of sweet tamarind which is a speciality of Thailand and milk tablets which have been developed under the royal patronage. It is the first time I saw such a thing and felt not a little intrigued thereby. We reach the Hotel. Amara tells me before leaving that I have to get ready the following day very early, around 7.30 A.M. to go to the National Museum where Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was to open an exhibition at 9.00 A.M. 22.3.2005 I go to the Hotel restaurant at 7.00 A.M. To my surprise I find Mrs. Amara there. We have breakfast and reach the National Museum at 7.45 A.M. It is a festive atmosphere there. The Directors and high officials of Museums from all over Thailand are present there in strength. The visitors are given two kinds of passes, yellow and green. First I am allotted a yellow one. Mrs. Amara on enquiry finds that the green ones are special and those with them can follow the Princess into the exhibition hall. She manages one green pass for me. There is a high pavilion where a gilded chair is laid for the Princess with a few chairs facing her. On the ground under a shamiana there are single seat sofas in three sections. A lady asks me to take a seat in the middle section

Visit to Cambodia 195 in the front row which I do. Shortly thereafter a young man comes and says"would you please change your seat?" which I do willingly since I do not want to interfere with the arrangements made by the organizers. The front row in the middle section was meant for the dignitaries who were to be honoured by the Princess on that occasion and my presence in that row was not in order. As soon as the Princess occupied her seat she noticed me and greeted me with folded hands. This transported me to a new world of unbounded joy. I could not have wished for anything more. The Princess whom people were bowing, was wishing me. The ceremonial part over, the Princess went to the exhibition hall. I followed her. When confronted, she again greeted me with folded hands and told me that "she was telling the people that during her trip to India she had visited ten Museums, two of them in New Delhi, one the Archaeological Museum and the other the State Museum (by this she meant the National Museum)". When face to face again, she told me at my query that she would be coming to India again in November this year to receive the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace and Development. At that time she would spend a day or two in Delhi and would like to visit the places which she had not visited so far. I suggest to her to visit Orissa which would enable her to see the Golden Triangle, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark. She smiles and says next time she would see the Golden Triangle. After the Princess departs, Mrs. Amara takes me to Mr. Cha Am in the National Library to collect the text of the Sdok Kok Thom Sanskrit Inscription and to find out from him about some other lengthy Sanskrit inscriptions of Thailand which could provide me with sufficient material for the linguistic and literary appraisal of Sanskrit inscriptions of Thailand which I like to attempt in my paper that I intend to present at the forthcoming Conference on "Sanskrit in Asia: Unity in Diversity" scheduled for June 23-26, 2005. Mr. Cha Am says that Prasad Panom Rung Sanskrit Inscription and the Sdok Kok Thom Sanskrit Inscription are about the only lengthy Sanskrit inscriptions in Thailand. The text of the Prasad Panom Rung Sanskrit Inscription I already have. The text of the Sdok Kok Thom Sanskrit Inscription Mr. Cha Am

makes available to me by loaning me the book Inscriptionum du Cambodge of Prof. George Coedes where it is published. Mrs. Amara gets it Xeroxed, returns the book to Mr. Cha Am and gives me the text. So I now have the text of both the lengthy Sanskrit inscriptions of Thailand. 23.3.2005 I stay back in the Hotel and write the diary. Later I visit some friends too. 24.3.2005 I go to the Silpakorn University to join my other colleagues for the Viva-voce of Mrs. Amara. Her performance is very satisfactory. Everybody is pleased. She is admitted to the degree, the first Ph.D. of the Silpkorn University, Bangkok, a rare distinction indeed. 25.3.2005 I leave back for India.