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Sunrise greeting at the first grand temple of the Khmer Empire

Mornings are the most pleasant time to visit Bakong Temple. The large stone temple gets very hot later in the day.
Bakong was the first mountain type of temple architecture design in the Khmer imperial era. It served as a state temple for king Indravarman I, in the first dedicated Khmer imperial capital at Hariharalaya.
Today this is the Roluos Group of temples east of Siem Reap City, Cambodia. Other well-known temples here is Preah Koh and Lolei.

Large Hindu influence
The temple was dedicated to Shiva, and its main consecrated image was a lingam called Sri Indresvara. This step pyramid mountain temple draws inspiration from other large Hindu temples in the region built around the same time. Most notably the fantastic Borobudur temple in Java, outside Yogyakarta.
Bakong temple was the last large construction in Hariharalaya. Indravarman’s son and heir Yasovarman I moved the capital to Phnom Bakheng in the early 900s. Bakheng Hill is just south of what we today call Angkor Thom, the big (capital) city.

For those interested in comparative historical timeline, this temple was finished as a state temple in 881CE. In Norway, the first unification of the kingdom under one superior king established the first larger Nordic kingdom.

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Photo shows two young novice Buddhist monks in deep orange robes on top of a temple structure looking out to a landscape covered in deep, thick green forest. In front of the then, they can look down on a temple tower in early Khmer imperial style in good condition. To their right, an equal tall temple tower on the same level as the first are in clearly less renovated. Darker areas, worn down details and more hidden reliefs gives the impression of how this must have looked when Bakong temple was rediscovered. It is a sunny morning, with clear blue sky. Cambodia is as safe, comfortable and kind as ever. Angkor and Siem Reap welcomes visitors. Enjoy your visit to the Kingdom of Wonder.

I closed my eyes. And in that moment, I realized this wasn't merely the sound of weaving fabric. It was the fundamental pulse of human progress. The very same sound that built empires, composed symphonies, and launched discoveries.
the sound of how civilizations began: the relentless, rhythmic heartbeat of repetitive discipline and consistent effort. This is the sound of creation itself.

#HumanHeritage #art #handmade #LostArts #Weaving #TraditionalCraft #Loom

Food and drinks offering at Chheng Meng, Tomb Sweeping Day

Tomb Sweeping Day, “Chheng Meng” in Khmer, is a festival to honour the ancestors. The festival is of Chinese origin. Qingming is celebrated in Cambodia among the Chinese exodus, and among Khmer with intermarriage or with other strong relations to Chinese culture.
It is a celebration of spring, by honouring and remember the ancestors by cleaning and decorate their graves, pray and bring offerings of food and drink, money and high value items.
After the rites and cleaning of the graves, the Khmer family gathers for food, drinks and celebrating family, friends and neighbours at one of the family members houses. It is always a great honour to be invited to attend.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501266506/families-gather-at-cemeteries-for-tomb-sweeping-day/

#2019CE #ancestors #AncestorsDay #ancient #angkor #art #bluesky #buddhism #Cambodia #chhengmeng #Chheng #Meng #Chinese #MemorialDay #ChhingMing #QingMing #Festival #ClearBrightnessFestival #countryside #culturalday #daytrip #Empireheritage #history #honour #humanheritage #imperial #khmer #Nikkor #Nikon #Pagoda #roadtrip #roluos #roluosgroup #Siem #Reap #siemreab #sites #temple #sweepingtomb #Tomb #Sweeping #Day #visitcambodia #visitsiemreap #wat #worldculturalheritage #incense #burning #offering #gifts #paper #money #car #motorcycle #villa #house #food #drink #offer #pig #pork #cake #water #juice #beer #fruit

Photo shows a set up of food and drinks offering in front of a horizontal grave. The main item is a full-size BBQ-pork. It is surrounded by offerings of fruit, cake, juice, water, beer, and utensils. The offerings are placed on a picnic mat. The grave has a blue door and a front in a half-moon. The front is white, and the outline is red.

Burning gifts and wish for the ancestor’s support

Tomb Sweeping Day, “Cheng Meng” in Khmer, is a festival to honour the ancestors. The festival is of Chinese origin. Qingming is celebrated in Cambodia among the Chinese exodus, and among Khmer with intermarriage or with other strong relations to Chinese culture.
As it is a celebration of Spring, this festival is in the first week of April after the current Roman Calendar. It is not an official holiday in Cambodia, and it is often celebrated in Khmer families on one of the weekend days closest to 1st of April.
An important part is for the families to bring forth offerings, food, drink, incense, gifts and prayers for luck and support.
The burning of incense and paper gifts are burned during this festival too. The idea is that this sends gifts to relatives who have died. Burning paper items such as villas, money, household items, motorbikes and cars is the transmission of the items and materials to one's ancestors.
This will give the ancestors a better and more comfortable afterlife. In return the ancestors will give blessings and luck to the family.

https://cambodianess.com/article/reduce-paper-burning-at-chinese-new-year-experts

#2019CE #ancestors #AncestorsDay #ancient #angkor #art #bluesky #buddhism #Cambodia #chhengmeng #Chheng #Meng #Chinese #MemorialDay #ChhingMing #QingMing #Festival #ClearBrightnessFestival #countryside #culturalday #daytrip #Empireheritage #history #honour #humanheritage #imperial #khmer #Nikkor #Nikon #Pagoda #roadtrip #rolous #rolousgroup #Siem #Reap #siemreab #sites #temple #sweepingtomb #Tomb #Sweeping #Day #visitcambodia #visitsiemreap #wat #worldculturalheritage #incense #burning #offering #gifts #paper #money #car #motorcycle #villa #house

Photo shows a small fire where paper money, paper house and paper carpets are burning – a paper car is about to be put on the fire. In the background there are some funeral tombs towers decorated with colourful paper strips. The fire is in strong sun, but there are some roofs shielding against the sun.

Cleaning and honour the ancestors graves

Today is Chhing Ming/Qing Ming, Tomb Sweeping festival in Cambodia

Originally a Chinese festival, Tomb Sweeping day is celebrated all over Southeast Asia among ethnic Chinese and local families through intermarriage.

Its many names point to the main theme of the day is: Spring Festival, Chinese Memorial Day, Ancestors' Day, Cleaning Ancestors grave, the Clear Brightness Festival, or the Pure Brightness Festival.

It is a celebration of spring, by honouring and remembering the ancestors by cleaning and decorate their graves, pray and bring offerings of food and drink, money and high value items. After the rites at the family graves, the family gathers at one of the family members’ homes to share food and drinks and have a small party.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2021/04/01/tomb-sweeping-day-chheng-meng-in-khmer-to/

#2019CE #ancestors #AncestorsDay #ancient #angkor #art #bluesky #buddhism #Cambodia #chhengmeng #Chheng #Meng #Chinese #MemorialDay #ChhingMing #QingMing #Festival #ClearBrightnessFestival #countryside #culturalday #daytrip #Empireheritage #history #honour #humanheritage #imperial #khmer #Nikkor #Nikon #Pagoda #roadtrip #rolous #rolousgroup #Siem #Reap #siemreab #sites #temple #sweepingtomb #Tomb #Sweeping #Day #visitcambodia #visitsiemreap #wat #worldculturalheritage

Photo shows four Khmer ladies decorating a top of a horizontal grave tomb with colourful paper strips. In the background a group of other people are preparing a show of gifts of food, drinks, valuables in honour of the ancestors. In the background other graves of other types, like the square stupa and richly decorated taller tombs. The mood is proud and grateful to celebrate the ancestors and their significance for the family and friends gathering to clean and decorate.

Cerro azul (Guaviare), de lo más increible que haya visto. Estas pinturas rupestres, artes, de hace más de 10 mil años, elaborados por nuestros antepasados, me llenan de admiración, respeto, intriga y misterio. Me invitan a reflexionar y pensar en la vida y el pensamiento de quienes las crearon, en su forma de ver el mundo y en el legado que dejaron plasmado en la roca, un testimonio eterno de su existencia. Feliz de poder compartirlo con ustedes.

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Cerro Azul (Guaviare), one of the most incredible places I have ever seen. These rock paintings, artworks created more than 10,000 years ago by our ancestors, fill me with admiration, respect, intrigue, and mystery. They invite me to reflect and think about the lives and thoughts of those who created them, their way of seeing the world, and the legacy they left etched in the rock, an eternal testament to their existence. Happy to be able to share it with you.

#CerroAzul #CaveArt #AncientHistory #RockArt #Archaeology #PrehistoricArt #CulturalHeritage #TimelessLegacy #HistoryMystery #HumanHeritage #History #Art #Heritage #Mystery #Ancestors

#humanheritage

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