66 and displayed the power of the “God King.” If it were merely an issue of stone structures, the pyramids of Egypt are to be sure larger. As regards beauty of form and structural decoration though, Angkor Wat is certainly superior. Starting with the statues of the Hindu goddesses on the walls, the reliefs and sculptures are replete with vibrancy and grace, and the sense of devotion imbuing those statues is indeed a message to us from those people of the past. An archaeological site that is known along with Angkor Wat is Angkor Thom, the erection of which commenced 30 years after Angkor Wat. Within the capital city are to be seen the royal palace, other palace buildings, small and medium size temples, royal warehouses, and several elephant houses, and besides there are straw-thatched residences large and small, all closely lined up. The central temple here is the Bayon, which was erected by Jayavarman VII (who reigned around 1181-1218), wherein he incorporated Buddhist beliefs and sought to deify himself. In Cambodia of those days, these national guardian temples were abundantly decorated with sculptures and reliefs from Hinduism and Buddhism. As they were viewed as tools meant to intensify the divine nature of the king, hence a fresh style of art was needed for the coronation of the new king, and more refined works of art were slated to appear. Angkor art became independent of Indian art in the 7th century, and since then, with the development and expansion of the dynasty it became forceful and imbued with originality, persistently probing the presence of life. As a French researcher put it, “Even in our country we have works of people such as Rodin. The sculptures of the Angkor era are outstanding because they have questions addressed directly to human beings.” The art is thus assessed very highly. Possibly these sculptures retain a universal value, and evoke feelings of empathy within everyone. Religion, culture, and even devices like farm tools that were obtained from India, were remodeled and refabricated into a Cambodian style. This history that has
元のページ ../index.html#72