ARCHAEOLOGIST CHARLES HIGHAM UNRAVELS THE MYSTERIES OF ANGKOR

“YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF one of the greatest monuments in the world – Angkor Wat.” So begins track one of the Temples of Angkor Audio Tour. The voice – even, measured, authoritative – belongs to Professor Charles Higham, a renowned academic and author of several books on ancient South-East Asia.

Higham is the David Attenborough of archaeology. His passion and eloquence on the subject has led him to host documentaries for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. His latest project is an audio guide to the temples available as a CD or digital download – so simple, one wonders why it hasn’t been done before. But the sheer magnificence of Angkor Wat makes it almost sacred ground and this project demanded perfection. Here, Higham shares his insights on Cambodia’s greatest treasure.

Of all the archaeological sites you have seen, what makes Angkor Wat different?

It’s incomparable. My first visit to Angkor Wat was in 1998. I’ve been to many great sites – the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, Teotihuacan in Mexico, Troy in Turkey and even the tomb of Alexander the Great in Greece – but nothing can top your first visit to Angkor Wat. It’s not only beautiful, but filled with mystery. From whichever angle, its lotus towers are a masterpiece. Seen in the early dawn, or from afar by moonlight, it radiates mystique and awe.

Why is it mysterious?

No one has ever really examined it archaeologically until now. Nobody knows what lies underneath the moat, underground, awaiting discovery. It is important as a key monument in the social and architectural history of the Angkorian civilisation, but its real importance lies in its potential. We know a little about the day-to-day activities of Angkor’s people, but certainly not as much as we would like to.

Angkor Wat is more than just a temple, isn’t it?

Yes, it’s actually a temple mausoleum. It was built to house the ashes of King Suryavarman II after he died. It’s believed that he went to live in the sacred world of Vishnu, the Hindu god. The temple is adorned with over 1,000 heavenly maidens, or apsara dancers, that welcome the king to his new domain. It’s key that Suryavarman was a devotee of Vishnu, since most Angkorian kings favoured Shiva. Buddhism came later.

The five towers of Angkor Wat represent Mount Meru, the Hindu home of the gods. Angkor Wat is a representation of heaven. The 200m moat that envelopes the temple represents the holy ocean that surrounds Mount Meru. So, it’s literally heaven in stone and heaven on earth.

Is the famous Bayon face an image of Buddha or King Jayavarman?

Probably both. It may well represent Jayavarman VII as a bodhisattva, or an elightened person who on nearing Nirvana stays on earth to help guide others to the right path.

What was Angkor Wat like in its heyday?

We have remarkable descriptions by a Chinese visitor called Zhou Da Guan, who visited in 1267 and lived in Angkor Thom. He said in his records that the towers of Angkor were magnificent. They were covered in gold and shone for miles. Other inscriptions from the period describe banners floating in the breeze as well.

And it was crowded! There would have been over 80,000 people dedicated to maintaining the temple, including holy men who performed ceremonies, clothing and feeding the sculptures of Vishnu (the Hindu god). Although we think of them as just stone, the people then considered the statues to be alive.

When the ashes of King Suryavarman II were placed in front of Vishnu’s statue, it was said that this symbolic act opened up the statue’s eyes. That’s how Suryavarman II became a god-king.

What about Angkor made it such a thriving city?

Anthropologists maintain that there are two factors vital to the survival of ancient civilisations: Net Rural Marginality, which in Angkor meant a surplus of crops (the kingdom needed plenty of rice since it had no currency and many people worked for food); and an investment in charismatic authority – Angkorians saw their king as a demigod.

Which is your favourite part of Angkor?

The bas reliefs. Those which line the parameter of the main temple are 800m long and are said to be the longest set of reliefs in the world. They are meticulously carved – you could spend a lifetime studying them and still miss vital details. Every single time I go back, I see something different. It’s a whole newsreel superbly depicting life in the king’s court, his going into battle as well as a series of other remarkable themes.

There is a depiction of Suryavarman being carried on a palanquin (similar to a sedan chair), and underneath there is a dwarf, shown much smaller in proportion to the others in the relief, but fully grown, so definitely not a child. Dwarves were members of the entourage – they must have liked the idea of having little persons running around. Suryavarman himself is depicted larger than life, wearing a great crown and jewellery on his arm, looking very superior and regal.

What are the biggest misconceptions you’ve heard about Angkor?

One thing that gets up my nose is that so many guidebooks say it was Henri Mahout who rediscovered the temples of Angkor. That is not true. It was revealed to the world by the intrepid Portuguese who arrived in the 1580s. The official recorder Diego de Couto filed a report that sat in the Lisbon archives for years and was not really appreciated until the 1950s. Diego’s reports were quoting other countrymen who had visited it. They called the temples “Angar”, declaring “it is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen”.

How can visitors help to preserve Angkor?

Treat the monument with the respect it deserves – our behaviour affects the health of the monument. Don’t touch any carvings – your sweat can corrode them. Don’t clamber all over the stones or leave rubbish around. Behave with decorum and respect. Don’t shout and scream. These are monuments of great veneration to the Cambodians today. Don’t respond to any hawkers or sales people trying to sell you antiquities. It will almost certainly be a fake and if it is real, it’s a crime against the state. It’s what I call cultural rape. You wouldn’t believe it, but there are still collectors who want a genuine Angkorian head. So on a dark night when no one’s around, looters go in and chop a head off an apsara which gets smuggled overseas and ends up in someone’s living room. Cambodia’s heritage is being stolen by these looters. Stop the demand for these products, and you’ll stop the supply.

Have Siem Reap’s temples yielded any recent discoveries?

Hardly any archaeology has been undertaken at Angkor, but now the first major fieldwork is taking place. We now know that the barays or reservoirs were, in fact, for irrigation as well as ritual purposes. Excavation teams have also discovered that the Siem Reap River is an artefact. It wasn’t a natural river, but was dug up in ancient times to divert water from the Puok River to the north.

What’s the best way to experience the temples?

You should have a guidebook or listen to the audio tour to get the full understanding of what each monument is. But most importantly, you must also walk around. Get lost and feel the magic of the place. Learn as much as you can, and then simply let your imagination run riot.

PLUG AND PLAY
The Temples of Angkor Audio Tour (www.tourcaster.com) can be loaded onto any MP3 player for US$25. You can also buy the tour pre-loaded on your own personal MP3 player which is re-recordable and yours to keep for US$45. Each tour comes with a numbered map and a miniature compass to help you find your way around. Proceeds from the sale of the tour go towards funding Heritage Watch (www.heritagewatch.org), a non-profit organisation working to preserve Cambodia’s archaeological wonders.