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Great Stories from Hindu Mythology which are told in Angkor Wat
By Aneeta Sundararaj
Angkor is an ancient city that has a series of buildings that was constructed over many centuries ago by various Khmer Kings. Angkor Wat itself was dedicated to the Hindu God, Vishnu by King Suryavarman II, who reigned between AD 1131 and 1150. The Temple was constructed over a period of 30 years, and illustrates some of the most beautiful examples of Khmer and Hindu art. Covering an area of about 81 hectares, the complex consists of five towers, which are presently shown on the Cambodian national flag. These towers are believed to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the Home of Gods and Center of the Hindu Universe.
One of the great stories of Hindu mythology is that of 'Churning the Sea of Milk'. This entire story was depicted in the stone carvings of Angkor Wat.
The story goes that Lord Indra ignored Sage Durvasa's presence, who in a fit of temper cursed Indra, "The pride of wealth has entered your head - Let Lakshmi forsake you." On account of Durvasa's curse, Lakshmi left Indra and went away. Because Lakshmi the goddess of power, bravery, enthusiasm and radiance left, Lord Indra's life became miserable. The demons that were waiting for such an opportunity invaded heaven, defeated Indra and gods in war and occupied heaven. Indra lost his kingdom and hid out of sight of the demons.
A number of years passed. Indra's teacher Brihaspati thought of finding a way out for Indra's troubles. He went with the gods to Brahma, who went to Vishnu with all of them and put forth the appeal of the gods. Then Vishnu said,
"Don't fear; I will show you a way out. The sea of milk must be churned. It is a very difficult job. Therefore, gain the friendship of the demons and get their assistance. Use Mandara Mountain as a churning rod and Vasuki, the king of the serpents, as a rope.
“I will come to your assistance at the proper time. When the sea is churned ambrosia will be produced. The gods must drink it and become immortal. It will then be possible for you to defeat the demons. When the sea is churned, Lakshmi who has disappeared will appear again. Her grace will be bestowed on you.”
The clever Brihaspati managed to strike a friendship with the demons who agreed in the hope of getting ambrosia and wealth. After initial difficulties posed by the sinking of mount Mandara into the milky sea which was set right by Lord Vishnu who took the form of a tortoise and hoisted it on his back, the churning started. After much effort and recovery of 13 precious things previously lost, and in the midst of the waves of the sea of milk, a goddess with heavenly looks came into view. She was standing on a fully blossomed lotus. She, who was radiantly smiling, was Lakshmi herself.
The gods and demons continued to churn the ocean for Amrit or nectar. Vasuki has wrapped himself around Mount Mandara, represented by a tower. At one point Mount Mandara started to sink, and had to be propped up by a giant tortoise, an incarnation of Vishnu. Finally Dhanavantri emerged carrying a jar of the elixir (ambrosia). Both the Asuras and the Devas wanted the ambrosia, but finally Vishnu with a slight of hand managed to give the immortal nectar to the Gods and the Asuras where defeated. Thus the churning of the ocean resulted in the immortality of the Devas.
Another point of interest which is distinct to the statues both in Angkor and many of the statues outside of India is the fact that in Indian religion an image cannot be worshipped unless it is 'alive' - that is animated by the spirit of the god. To bring these images to life, there is a ritual of consecration which basically consists of opening the eyes of the statue. Now in India, the image was that of either Shiva, Vishnu or Brahma. There was no 'human' element attached to this.
However, outside of India, the system of human cults (God-King) was widely practiced. What this meant was that the statues of the King and temples were to a certain extent, tombs, since royal ashes were inserted into the basics of statues that pictured the deceased in divine form. If people were sometimes admitted them, on great occasions, it was not to offer prayers or sacrifices for divine mercy but rather to prostrate themselves before the image of a God-King.
The presumption then made was that Angkor Wat was really built to be the replica of the home of Gods. According to Hindu Mythology, Shiva resides on Mount Kailash (sometimes called Mount Meru) which is the center of the world and the most striking and unique mountain in the highlands. It is said that in Angkor Wat, the central tower stands for Mount Meru. The temple ground is surrounded by a wall and a moat, not only for demarcation purposes, but also because in Hindu mythology Mount Meru is surrounded by other mountain ranges and oceans.
Whether they were funerary temples or mausoleums or tombs, what exactly happened to the people of Angkor? What really was the purpose of such an accumulation of religious buildings? It is thought that two things happened almost simultaneously; the first being the disintegration of the belief in the cult of God-Kings. The people of Angkor began to realise that their sovereigns were merely human and not Gods. The second, was the fact that the maintenance of the magnificent buildings finally sapped the vitality of the country like a cancer because of the taxes that would probably have been required to upkeep these buildings in all their splendour.
In conclusion, the connection between Angkor Wat and Hindu Mythology goes to more than just story telling and good architecture. It is an example of a civilization that was once glorious and perhaps more advanced than even we are today but owing to the megalomaniac tendencies of the sovereigns, the greed of siblings and the disintegration of morals, the eventual destruction of their societies was inevitable. Nevertheless, the fact that these monuments stand today are a testament to how great the stories of Hindu Mythology are and how much we can learn about great story telling from these masters story tellers of Hindu Mythology.
About the Author
Aneeta Sundararaj, a storyteller, is the creator of the bestselling program "How To Tell A Great Story". Aneeta's technique and famed “R.P.I. Principle”© has been used by many people and offers simple, cutting-edge strategies applicable universally. She is also the author of two 'traditional' books The Banana Leaf Men and Mad Heaven: the biography of Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr. M. Mahadevan. Visit http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com to learn more.
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