THE PHOTOGRAPHY lt had long been an ambition of mine to photograph Angkor. I had already started with Khmer temples in ThaiIand for what eventually became another book, 記“お可ビ Go and this only made me 1 ore enthusiastic tO go tO Cambodia. AS a visual experlence, the S1te IS unlque. Nowhere else does great architecture and tropical forest coincide, and if Angkor was never completely abandoned and forgotten, it is certainly the LOSt City 0f our imagination. A11 the elements are present, and they are largely visual: the grandiose scale 0f everything, 仕 om the temples as models Of the universe tO the extent Of the bas-reliefs; the artistry Of the carving; the resistance Of the stone and its ability tO survive the centurles; and the envelopment by the forest. More than this, a romantic bonus is the obsessive creation 0f the giant stone faces by Jayavarman VII. If anything comes close t0 Shelley's Ozymandias, it is these, with the insinuating roots Of immense trees taking the place Of lone and level sands. Naturally, it was all the more attractive for being at the time virtually closed, as it had been for almost two decades, since the North Vietnamese Army and the Khmer Rouge had taken the temples during the war. lt meant, among Other things, that I could work on ground that had not already been thoroughly covered by other photographers. AII the important photography, from J0hn Thomson onwards, had been in black-and-white, and no ma)or bOOk in colour had ever been attempted. Nevertheless, the problems Of actually getting there were at the time formidable. Cambodia had virtually no consular representation, and the only means Of entry was through Vietnam, itself in a xenophobic period. I was fortunate that the Smithsonian magazlne agreed tO an asslgnment; after that, with persistence and luck, I reached Angkor in the rainy season 0f 1989. 11e state Of tropical ruin was never more pronounced. lt was remarkable how quickly the forest had started to reclaim the monuments. 、 had tO cut our way through S01 e , while Others were completely 0 仕 limits. I was supposed tO wait for an armed 302 guard before entering anywhere, but at Preah Khan one morning I started without. As I walked through the waist-high grass, there was a shout 仕 om behind. I stopped and turned. A guard was runmng, waving frantically. He pushed past me, and about twenty paces ahead knelt down. After a mmute he signalled me on; he had disconnected the tripwire attached tO a grenade. Every night the guards booby-trapped the outlying temples t0 catch Khmer Rouge patrols (who retaliated in like fashion). The modern catastrophe Of Cambodia was never far. The photograph that opens the chapter on Angkor t posed an unusual problem. For most 0f the big architectural sh0ts, I used a view camera with 4x5-inch film, and one 0f the needs 0f a large- format camera in 10W light was a long exposure, usually sOme seconds. AS the sun )ust started tO reach the tower, and I was about t0 sh00t, I saw the bubble in the camera's spirit level tremble. At almost the same instant, a b00n1 echoed around the walls. The morning artillery barrage had begun a dozen kilometres away. TO avoid the picture being shaken int0 a blur, I had tO time the exposures between the shells being fired. From a photographer's point Of view, one Of the attractive features Of l' く hmer architecture is that tWO quite different scales CO- exist perfectly. The best 0f the temples are indeed architectural triumphs, but at the same tlme are a canvas for exquiS1te carvings, these at a level Of detail where the texture Of the stone itself comes int0 play. Ph0tographically, this means moving from one world t0 another. At times there seems no limit tO the distances at which a temple can fill the frame-from afar, the towers 0f Angkor t are a powerful demonstration Of architecture dominating the forest, while from a few inches, the hand 0f an 叩 ra shows an equal dedication Of intent. The light, as always with buildings and landscapes, makes all the difference. At Angkor, the often complex arrangements 0f towers, galleries, pavilions, and the forest settings, add tO the normal variety ofweather and time Of day tO give an endless chOice.
C ん 4 力 v 召れ Angkor Thom When the usurper Tribhuvanadityavarman seized power 仕 om Yashovarman II, around 1 165 AD, a Khmer prince ー the future Jayavarman VII ー had rushed 仕 om the Cham kingdom of Vijaya t0 defend his king. By the time he arrived it was all over, and he had t0 suspend the struggle for some considerable while. He was resolutely encouraged towards the supreme throne by his chief spouse, Princess Jayarajadevi, and patiently awaited his time for more than twelve years, in whereabouts which remain obscure. When the news came 仕 01 れ hiS country Of the ruin Of the usurper and the victory 0f the Cham enemy Jaya-Indravarman IV, Jayavarman immediately set out for Angkor with his army. ln Bayon temple, on a part of the bas-relief frieze of the southern gallery, the artists depict a huge naval battle between l' く hmers and Chams. lt is commonly accepted that this was the battle which took place on the Great Lake and was the prelude tO the reconquest Of the capital, which is why it is given such pronmnence. But further bloody battles were to follow, until the last encounter and final victory, which probably had as its theatre the royal palace. Whether or not this was so, the battlefield became the site for the future temple Of Preah く han, and an inscription ofJayavarman VII which refers to it, speaks of a lake of b100d. King Jaya-Indravarman himself perished there. The victory gained the town of Yashodharapura for Jayavarman VII, but not the Khmer empire. The ensuing campalgn which allowed him t0 gain control of it has a11 t00 Often been termed a 'liberation'. This is unrealistic and markedly anachronistlc: the inscriptlons themselves assert that Jayavarman's task was tO reunify an emplre "shaded under many parasols", where each 'parasol' was, 0f course, a king. The pacification 0f the empire implies that each Of the kings had t0 accept a new supreme ruler, and it may not have been plain sailing. ln fact it was only in 1 181 , four years 〃イ可、 7 砒 . 'at ・〃 za 〃を 77. 203
THE FIRST A. NGKOR: CAPITAL OF YASHOVARMAN I The reader is invited tO imaglne what yashodharapura, the first Angkor and capital Of Yashovarman I must have looked like at its moment 0f glory, with its temples palaces houses, gardens and ponds. lt was designed SO as tO have at its approximate centre the hill now called Phnom Bakheng, on the summit ofwhich Yashovarman had decided t0 build his state temple. The capital seems t0 have been enclosed within a four kilometre square earth-bank' demarcating a substantial town. Subsequent く hmer klngs were never tO build a town Of such with the exception Of Preah く han at Kompong svay about which history yields SO little information. ln comparison with medieval France, it should be recalled that the walls 0f Paris built bY Philippe-Auguste around 1200 enclosed a mere 273 hectares, later extended t0 439 bY Charles V• Or that the outer wall Of Carcassonne city was no more than metres long and enclosed an area less than one-tenth that ofYashovarman's capital! The earth-bank of the original Yash0dharapura can be traced for about eight kilometres on itS south and Ⅵ℃ St sides. The north Of the western Side was re¯used as the east dike 0f the west Baray when it was constructed in the 1 1 th century. On the section which remains clearly visible it can be seen that the earth-bank is flanked bY another, some 300 metres away' which has given rise t0 the idea that the capital had originally been within a double enclosure. ln fact' the second parallel earth-bank' which tO its north connects with the south dike Of the 、で st Baray' can scarcely have been built before the middle of the 1 1 th century' probably later' and possibly in order tO provide a new reservolr. No trace remains 0f the gate-lodges 0f Yash0dharapura. They would have been at the end 0f the four great avenues, 13 metres wide and flanked with pondS' which begin from the axes 0f Phnom Bakheng and they may have been wooden edifices. On the Other hand, it is possible as there was no stairway on the south side 0f the hill' that the town did not have a southward exit. By contrast there were tWO towards the east; one leading t0 the shrine on Phnom Bakheng and the other t0 the royal palace. ln fact the causeway which began at the north-west corner Of the lndratataka reservoir ended on the le れ bank Of Siem Reap river at a point which nowadays is in the alignment 0f the south wall of Angkor Thom and not in that 0f the eastern avenue 0f Phnom Bakheng. The presumption is that in Yashovarman's time this causeway had been built t0 lead tO a triumphal way ending at the royal palace, but which was subsequently completely buried under the walls 0f Angkor Thom. This would imply that in the first Yashodharapura there was the same arrangement Of tWO parallel eastern access ways as would later appear at Angkor Thom; one leading t0 the state temple and the Other t0 the royal palace. lt is clear that subsequent remodelling over the wh01e area has greatly disturbed the original design, but the traces which remain allow it tO be retraced without t00 much difficulty. 7 ' んじ尾川 / 〃 S Q / ツん〃 0 ″ん立 tO 測引・ O_ / 、おたんビ〃 g じ 0r7 ℃ d ″ん devata, 〃 d 〃 d 0 怩可ビ 60 ″〃 t0 〃じ t0 れ℃ 0 〃 78
蠡気第 4 一い第 ・婦「の第スミ - ) 言ッ 、せす , 、、気をゞノ E / ゅん〃おア 0 〃ん〃 g 0 〃可ビ角記〃 g 立尾 as お〃尾 E / 孕力のな眤ド ra 記 . T, んビ 7 れ ) 〃 s ビ Q / 、 F カ℃ ' 〃 x こ t0 ビビ立ビ〃な 0 〃じビ 0f 7 と pro ん川 . them filled with laterite blocks. Thus there is evidence of yet another remodelling, its aim being simply tO enlarge the surface area Of the terrace. The relief friezes were subsequently extended northwards, in a project which was never fully completed. THE 'HOUSES OF FIRE' The Preah l* く han temple inscription mentions the existence of 121 'Houses of Fire' which seem tO have been placed at regular intervals along several Of the main roads Of the Khmer empire. lt was deduced, somewhat hastily, that these 'houses' were d ん ar 川 sa , or resting-places for travellers. Common in lndian civilisation, recently they could be frequently seen and indeed put t0 practical use in the villages 0f Camb0dia. But the 'Houses 0f Fire' were in fact sandstone shrines, and can plausibly be identified as a specific type 0f building, corresponding t0 a series 0f edifices which were composed Of a long hall with a tower tO the west and a forepart tO the east, with light entering through windows which all open southwards. Moreover, they were not an inventlon ofJayavarman VII, since a one is attested in the reign Of Suryavarman l, in the first half 0f the eleventh century. lt is not known what type 0f ceremony was held in them, but the inscrlptions indicate that fire had an important role in Khmer temples, and had its own guardians. The relief friezes 0f Angkor t and Bayon depict Angkor Thom 269
: 物望物・第を UDAYADITYA 、 ARMAN ll The successor 0f Suryavarman l, Udayadityavarman Ⅱ , was crowned in February or March of 1050 AD. There appears to have been no blood relationship between the tWO kings. On the contrary, the new ruler Of the く hmer country seems tO have been a relative 0f Viralakshmi, his predecessor's chief queen, whO was descended 仕 om the line of Yashovarman l's wife, the mother of Harshavarman I and of lshanavarman Ⅱ . The reign 0f Udayadityavarman Ⅱ was marked, however, by various upheavals, related III epic terms lll an inscription which ー exceptionally ー celebrates his faithful general Sangrama. ln 1051 , at the outset 0f the reign, Sangrama had t0 crush the rebellion 0f a certain Aravindahrada wh0 until then had defeated several generals sent by the king. Later, in 1065 ) Sangrama was once agaln sent out 1ntO the north-east, ln a zone quite near Angkor, t0 put down Kamvau - a general on whom Udayadityavarman had showered honours - who had risen against the klng "blinded by the effulgence 0f his own glory, and scheming in his heart the ruin 0f him t0 whose powerful favour he owed that glory". A short while afterwards, new troubles arose in the east, fomented by individuals whose identity iS obscure. lt was once more Sangrama Whose task it was tO counter them, and according tO his eulogists he soon caught and captured them, and handed them over to the klng. lt is an lrresistible pleasure tO quote this extremely lively account Of the battle which matched the faithful Sangrama with the traitor Kamvau: "The glint 0f the scimitars, the pikes, the lances and the myriad arms which were brandished, and which rushed hither and thither made the sky shine suddenly with bright flashes. Many a brave enemy captain riddled with wounds sank intO the sleep 0f death, with limbs stained in floods of thick b100d , resembling mountaln ranges. On seeing the enemy chief advance towards him with bow in hand' Sangrama, with his skilled eloquence addressed him in a proud' deep V01ce: 'You depraved madman, I have long sought you! HOW can anyone wh0 attacks lndra not be fearful, despite being lnsane? Stay, stay, great hero! Sh0W me you valour. As soon as I have the proof 0f it I will despatch you to the domain of Yama (the god 0f Hell) ! ' Thus challenged, the proud hero replied haughtily: 'Cease your efforts to lntimidate 1 れ e , 0 hero! Soon you Will see 1 y heroism!' T んビ e 立じ〃こ〃 c ビカ av 市 0 〃可お叩″ 0 〃 . , ん c ん盟じ 0 川が e c のバな″じ d ビ 7 96 . T んビの挙の〃ん・〃 d な c Ⅲ・尾 召〃 d の•go ~ 〃 g 7 ℃ー 0r4 ″ 0 〃 . 136
THE DEMARCATION OF THE EMPIRE.• FOUR LINGA ln 1018 , as though tO mark out his domain, Suryavarman ordered the consecration Of three / / 〃 ga ) each named Suryavarmesvara, 'the Lord Of Suryavarman'. One was tO the north at Sikharesvara (the Lord 0f the Peak), nowadays Preah Vihear, a magnificent temple built on a promontory in the Dangrek mountains; the second was at lsanatirtha, an unidentified site, but 行なん WhiCh means 'ford' would strongly indicate somewhere on the Mekong river, t0 the east. Finally, the third / / 〃 ga was on the hill 0f Suryadri, today's Phnom Chisor, 60 kilometres south 0f Phnom Penh. During his conquests, Suryavarman had already placed the western 〃〃 ga at Jayakshetra, the 'field Of victory', which is nowadays 、 t Baset near Battambang. He has also been credited with great conquests in lands which are in today's Thailand, as far as present-day Lopburi, where a stele has been discovered with an inscription 0f the king's dated 1022. The stele could however have been taken there fror れ another site. The conquests in the Malay peninsula are more doubtful, however, and there is little hard evidence that Suryavarman's rule extended much further than the lands which had already been controlled by Jayavarman V, except perhaps in the Lopburi reglon. A FORTIFIED PALACE At Angkor Suryavarman abandoned the palace and the state temple 0fJayavarman V, probably because they had been his enemy's property and therefore probably the scene 0f his final battle. He gave the hand 0f one 0f his daughters in marriage t0 his minister Yogisvarapandita, together with this whOle complex. The latter was a descendant Of Jayavarman ll and had been in the retinue ofJayaV1ravarman, SO little imagination IS needed tO suspect him Of treason. He moved closer to the original site of Angkor and built a palace which, for the first time, was enclosed by walls. This is today's royal palace 0f Angkor Thom' and its enclosure walls were tO be used by a number Of subsequent kings. There is some evidence t0 suggest that the palace was built over a former property belonging t0 the line Of Suryavarman l, and that the king was doubly eager tO make his seat there' because he knew he would be under the protection Of his ancestors' spirits. Within the enclosure, apart from his royal palace, about which more will become known when the current excavations are complete, he built the temple mountaln which is tOday called l)himeanakas: 'the aerial chariot'. lt is unusual because Of its relatively small scale, even taklng intO account that itS pyramid rises 仕 01 第 ground level, and not from the usual spacious terraces. lt could be surmised that' given his 月カ 0 あ〃可ビ B 10 〃 / 〃おゆ 0 〃 gzving 〃立可 0 盟ん 0 ん ad s 催〃 0 砒ん可記た g 〃 . 132
THE INSCRIPTIONS The most ancient indigenous writings to have been found are carved in stone, the only medium which could, tO an extent, withstand the ravages Of time. They date from the fifth and sixth centuries, and are in Sanskrit. Not long after, in a text dated 612 AD there appears the Khmer language, but already with many loan-words from Sanskrit, perhaps because all the stone inscriptions are closely concerned with Hindu or Buddhist religious practice. Sanskrit indeed came with lndian travellers, whose gods were adopted by the Khmers, and perhaps first of a11 by their kings. They thus needed t0 use the indispensable language in which their prayers and worship were expressed. Some 1 , 200 inscriptions in Sanskrit and Khmer have been found in the land formerly occupied by the Khmers, most of which have been translated and published by George CCdés, the doyen 0f Khmer studies. They were carved from the sixth tO the fourteenth centurles, and generally placed in shrines. They are exclusively religious documents, by which I mean that they always concern religion or the adminlstratlon of the temples. Of course, here and there, there are allusions to the life of the 'laity' which give preclous hints about the everyday life 0f the Khmers, but these are never the maln alm Of a text. The inscriptions are the principal sources fror which, in one way or another, the ancient history Of the l•く hmer country can be retraced. Truth tO tell, given the reasons for their existence, lt iS almost mlraculous that they reveal SO much about this history. ln contrast, the inscriptions Of neighbouring peoples such as the Mons Of ThaiIand, for example, are infinitely poorer in historical data. lt iS important tO understand clearly Why the ancient Khmers tOOk SO much trouble tO engrave texts in Sanskrit, in l' く hmer, or in bOth languages, in stone, sometlmes with such skill that the stones are real works Of art. Sanskrit was the learned language 0f lndia, and probably always remained little-used by the population outside the temples, but it was quite simply the language 0f the Hindu gods whom they worshipped and for whom they contrived to build their remarkable temples. The gods brought them prosperity in this world and beatitude in the next, SO they had tO be well looked after on the one hand, and well understood on the other, through the medium 0f the only language they could understand. With very few exceptions, Sanskrit exists as poetic texts ln more or less elaborate language according tO the capacity 0f the author. These works were addressed tO a particular god and were apparently meant tO attract his attention tO a man WhO had honoured him by building a shrine, or more Often by offering gifts. ln most cases the poem seems tO have been composed on the death Of the donor, at the critical moment when he had most need of the god he had served. D ビ″可ビわパげゆ 0 〃 0 カカら 0 襯 D 砒 the g 襯〃 g 可立〃 za 749 t0 757. 伝なビの川砒な〃記 d the 花襯 2 んじ 0 〃立 r 〃 C 々 0 〃一行〃 , カん襯か 0 〃 , StO 〃ビ pear な . 阨ム 0 伝なビ〃川 r 可 to ビー 474 , 〃 d た〃 g 可記なー 76 , 000 〇 22 . ・ T 〃〃ぬ朝〃立ツら K 90 & 第℃襯乃・ん K ん〃 んたん 6 ハビ d 砒ビ〃 97. な〃 0 ん 0 〃記 d ビ月〃 g た or Khmer Civilisation 17
apparently the heir tO land bequeathed by, a certain Gavya, against people whO had attempted tO selze it and declare their ownership: "On the death of Gavya three men: Hi, Pu and Ke, intending to gain possession 0f these lands by force, declared "this land is ours. ・ Hem ordered Pu tO personally take away the boundary stones 0f the property which had been placed there by order 0f the king. ・ Gavya's descendent, Sahadeva, informed King Jayavarman (V) in writing 0f the offences committed by these people. ・ the act 0f Pu and accomplices was thoroughly investigated by ministers and court counsellors and was recognised by the king as manifestly unlawful. ・ "let Hem's lips be cut off and Pu's hands be severed according t0 the guilt Of each 0f them," thus was the king's order. ・ and Sahadeva asked the king for Ke, the son of his maternal grandfather, who handed him over together with his family and his lands. ・ later those named Pan, Ap, Gadakesa and lsanasiva as well as the woman named Ayak laid claim anew to the lands of Gavya. ・ AIthough they had seen and heard the tale of the fate which befell those who had tried tO seize those lands, they were foolish enough tO want tO take them. (Sahadeva complains to King Jayavarman wh0 orders an inquiry). ・ by order of the king, Ap had his feet crushed and suffered 仕 om this; Pan had his head crushed and died as a result. ・ as for the woman Ayak, she had her head crushed and her relatives fled in fear headlong in all directions to hide. ' The above is a sample of the punishment meted out to the foolhardy. The mscription also tell 0f many forms 0f corporal punishment; 'cageing', blows t0 the face, beating with sticks, cutting 0 仕 ears or the nose, or for people 0f the highest castes, stiff fines. Capital punishment alSO certainly existed, but no definite example is recorded in the epigraphy. Jayavarman V died around the year 1000 AD. A new period 0f dramatic upheavals was to befall the Khmer empire. 120 第ツいを : ド : ・を第第当、 ' つを、マ : みを
THE FIRST ANGKOR The end of the reign of lndravarman I (after 886 (D) was marked by a bitter power struggle, a C1rcumstance which was tO arise frequently in the following centunes. Apparently it was between brothers and it ended in victory for Yashovardhana. lt featured a naval battle on the Great Lake, echoed in an inscription: "ln his victorlous march he destroyed myriads of ships which had appeared 仕 om a11 sides of the vast ocean ... ”、Ⅱ 1 ⅱ e the combat was assuredly fierce it was apparently confined tO the area Of the capital and the royal palace 0f Hariharalaya. A significant outcome was the destruction 0f the palace, and it is likely t00 that the war resulted in the ruining Of the main shrine of Bakong temple after it had been profaned by bloodshed. The only recorded name is that of the victor, Yashovardhana, son of lndravarman I and Queen lndradevi. He had not been his father's designated crown prince: on the contrary lt was through his mother that his main claim on the emplre arose. He had himself crowned supreme king 0f the Khmer kings in 811 覊た (between April 889 AD and ApriI 890 , most probably in 889 ) taking the name of Yashovarman ー 'he who has Renown as his protector'. At that time the king was doubtless in his prime. ln all probability his father had been a king before he seized supreme power at Harihalaya and thus was quite advanced in age when he died. lt is a plausible supposition that Yasovarman I was at least 30 at that time, that he had already been entrusted with a governorship ー perhaps that of the land where his future capital would be established ー and that he had had to curb his impatience while he endured his father's rule. Moreover he is praised in several inscriptions as an athlete Of extraordinary strength For example, it iS recorded that "with a single stroke Of his sword he cleft a large heavy copper bar int0 three pleces". other verses convey the impression that he used tO provoke hiS compamons t0 fights 仕 om which he is glorified as always emerging the victor. S 々化可、ん襯 0 ん市・〃 / Ba た〃 g s り虎じ . 907. いイ G Ⅲ・〃花り 〇 22 . ・ / イ c の / 〃 g ロ・〃たた可防訪〃″なじ 0 〃 んた S ん襯らか陀ロ IO お Of ビ〃 0 ん夜・〃 tO れ , 夜・ Q ー 2r452 ー / ( r424 〃 . 73
FO 尾〃ビ 0 〃ビ襯 ~ 〃 ca ″ S ビれ観 , Of 月〃 g た 07q 防〃ビ 7 92 . 凌レイ、→イ冢 / ~ ・新冖 ノゞえ′「石 . 298 SO ″ーれ℃立じ or 〃夜・ Of 7 と Pro ん川を〃 c / os ″尾 . 〇市可 C んん〃 za らんビ〃 za わパ可ツ々 c ビ to G ビ ogr 叩んた記 S たりリ ねカ市砒 0 〃い〃ビ〃イ 0 ″ん ( I? 加矼・ 0 の , 記 particularly dark period 0f Khmer history, Queen Ang Mei, a prisoner of the Vietnamese around 1840 , had had the profile of the three famous towers ofAngkor t engraved on her personal seal. THE SECOND DISCOVERY OF ANGKOR BY THE 、 VEST The West was quite unaware of the l•く hmer rums, as no-one had noticed the reports the Spaniards and the Portuguese had written about their expeditions. There are no references tO these in the accounts written by the Frenchmen WhO arrived in Ayutthaya at the end Of the seventeenth century. ln fact the first European tO report the existence of the monuments of Angkor was not the famous botanist Henri Mouhot, as has Often been asserted, but a French nussionary, Father Bouillevaux, whO had settled in Battambang, which at the time was under Thai jurisdiction. ln his memoirs he expresses S01 れ e disgust at having been upstaged in this way, and proves that he had a good knowledge 0f the 0ther visitors t0 Angkor who had been there before him. ln his book published in 1874 , he writes: "Before I proceed, I wish tO register 1 第 y protest against a certain system Of exaggeration and charlatanlsm. lt is claimed that in Cambodia and elsewhere some valuable discoveries have been made. MOSt Of these fine discoveries have long been known. Thus for example the pagoda of Angcor and the ruins of Angcor Thom were not found by Mouh0t, as has been claimed, for the good reason that they never were forgotten nor lOSt. The miSS10naries knew Of them, and have given succinct accounts Of them. Portuguese travellers in the sixteenth century had visited them, and indeed certain Chinese chroniclers in the thirteenth century mention them 1 ore or less clearly in their accounts. Mouhot saw Angcor after a number Of others, and in particular after me, but his expedition attracted much publicity and he introduced this country tO many readers. The officers Of the Mekong expedition, ln particular Monsieur de Lagree, have studied the monuments intensively and they provide interesting descriptions Of them. This is the truth ... But let us not exaggerate. ' lt was indeed Father BouiIIevaux, five years before the visit of Mouhot, who revealed the existence Of the ruins, which in fact had not greatly excited hil . But tO give him his rightful credit, the role Of Henri Mouh0t, whose explorations lasted from 1858 until his death in 1861 , was much more important than that of the missionary. From that time on, explorers and archaeologists worked tirelessly on the monuments, trylng tO wrest fror them the secrets Of the civilisation which had created them. Much more remains tO be done, but great progress has been made, and it is hoped that, after the appalling cataclysm suffered by the Khmer, a11 and sundry will be able tO see the marvels Of Angkor, and witness the renaissance 0f the Khmer people.