14 of the cameramen in charge of the shooting. He has now passed away, but he was a close friend who left behind valuable photographs of the Angkor ruins of the 1960s. On my second visit I had a thorough look at Angkor Wat and its surroundings. Enshrined within the silent jungle lay various stone temples large and small. Beyond the neatly dug enclosing moat towered five large spires, and embossed carvings of scenes from Indian mythology were visible on the walls of corridors, pillars, tower gates and so on. I saw battle scenes, scenes reflecting the daily lives of people, and statues of Hindu gods, besides a giant four-faced Kanzeon Bodhisattva that retained the vestiges of a Buddhist temple. At sunrise in particular, the ascent of the flaming sun behind the five great spires of Angkor Wat are moments for us to encounter a truly resplendent dawn, and at dusk, when the reddish orange light shines obliquely into the corridors of the ruins, the reliefs on walls appear as though to be daintily raised. As twilight looms and the area sinks into darkness, the shrine seems to rise as a silhouette, evoking feelings of devotion within me. Such experiences not revealed in photographs, because we need to be present at the spot in order to encounter them. Angkor Wat was precisely that. Those massive edifices within the stillness of the jungle, teeming with undying myths, celebrated narratives, and profound faith, astounded and captivated me by their awesome power. I promptly accepted the situation, and determined then and there to pursue the path of Angkor research. I consequently decided to remain in Cambodia, and unravel the mystery of the temple. On speaking to Professor Rietsch about this he seemed confused, but then he requested Dr. Groslier, an adviser to the Conservation d’Angkor of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, to be my sponsor. This Conservation d’Angkor was an institution of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia. In actual fact however from the time of the French Indochina era, it was French
元のページ ../index.html#20