The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-03
TIE WONDERS OF oAMBOD1A.
It's Ufstory. and ita Ruins.

ACCOUNT nN one Ut n DhSNNhn OF u N0uTutV
recently made 10 Cambodia, in farther India,
giving some very interesting information about
that distant and little-knoWn country.
The great marves Of Camb0da are the
enormous ruins Of NankOn, Of which DR.. Bdstian
says -
"They are frequently termed the mysterious
ruins, and there Is certainly good deaf that Is
sti ange and curious about them; but the most
curious appears to me the fact that they have so
long renamed entirely hidden from travellers
and Oii.ntalists. There g a short notice I'm the
papers OF a medigval writer (De Mancancdol
that, during his soiOurn In Cant odia in the year
1870, the servants Of the kin. happened 10 dis
cover 10 the depths Of fo.est the remains of an
immense city adorned with sculptures of fautas-
tic animals and bedtiug inscriptions which no
body could reud,
This city he calls Angcor; and Ankhor, or
more correctly, Nakhon thc Indian Nnghara)
Is the name Of those ruins which only few
years ago were redisyovored, having been forgot
ever, no reason TO wonder Rt the obscurity they
were buried In, II we reiit Ct on the state Of geo
graphical knowledge regarding CambOdia, Of
which country one might say that nOthng was
known NJ all, and scarcely the name of that great
lake which now shows itself so fruitful an object
for exploration"
The history of the country is perfectly silent
on these ruins, and the natives ascribe their build
ing 70 the gods. Here is the
LEGRND OF THE PALACE.
"Phra. In (the IDdra Of Brahminical mythology
relatts the legend, sent -Phryttakam, or
Vitsauukam, 10 raise this palace and prepare it
for the royal residence Of one of his numerous
sons, the Offspring Of Irritation with a lady Of
the terrestrial world. As the other Rols would
not allow this imp, in whom they smelt the man,
to remain In heaven, his divine sire, to console
him for the loss, had city constructed on earth,
imperfect imitation of the stately halls he was
Obliged TO quit. Others say that NiCkOu Vat
copies in its design only The stable of Erawiddi
the favorite elephant OF Indra; but as. in Ultra
India, the stables of the white elephants often
equal the habitations OF the kings, the differ
CnCe Is of small account
DESCRIPTION OF THE RUINS.
"These places bear the traces of the gaudy
cOlOrs and the rich gliding which were once used
to cover the statues of the polymOrphous dedes
with multiplicity OF hands and arms, but they
are now stripped of their ornaments, and stand
in solitude, abandoned and forsaken. On the
highest platform Of the central tower at the Cam
bodiHn structure is enthrOned the fOurfold figure
of Buddha; and when the great patriarch Budd-
haghOsa with bis train of shaven monks entered
the sumpiuous coloDnades of this palace, cher
shed as their Hereditary abode by long line of
kings, then the temples Of idolatrous sacrifices
fell and the old Classical name of Inthapatta1uri
was changed into that of Nakhon Vat Che City
Of honasteries), which thenCeforth became a
convent dedicated to the priesthood.
"The ancient inscriptions are considered as
wholly unnteligble by the present CSmbOdans
but more from aZiness and fear of mental exer-
ton, as the letters although of more antiqu ited
form, are generally similar enough TO the Pail
and the words In most cases differ from those
now in use. One or the other event recorded in
these inscriptions may perhaps still give q clue
to historical facts connected with these ruins, as
nothing of that kind is to be hoped for from the
written history of Cambodia, which begins with
the CambOdan kings removing TO their new capi-
tai of Basan or Panompen, and thence to Lawek.
They had left the fertile plains exposed to the in
roads of the Siamese, who just then began TO
laWnm NlNaW NWNt NNN NnQ
tired into the inaccessible swamps round the
shores Of the great lake"
HIsToRICAL ITEMS.
"The traditions l collected from the people in
Cambodia speak of the son of king Of ROmah,
who, banished his country, married the daughter
of the dTagon.king in kamphuXa- Thibodi, the
great country born out of the water, and accord
ing TO The Javanese, who likewise allude TO an
ancient colony from Rohm, settled at the noun
tain Of Sunung Kedang, their first civ ii ger, the
holy Tritrestra, was married 10 Bramani Kali of
Kamboja. II Indian inscriptions could be be-
leved, Raja Deb, Pal Deb of the Pala dynas'y in
Bengal, added KambOja TO his couquests in the
ninth century, and the victorious Suren is brought
there by the annals of the Malays In the tenth
century Cambodia constituted tlourishing em-
pire, strong enough to conquer parts of Tonquin,
and IL even checked the progress of KuDlai-
Khan, who, it is said, attracted by its wealth,
sent an army against it. The Cochin Chinese
historians, however, asCribe the honor OF con-
querng the Tartar conquerOr 10 their own king
Tschmg-i-hiouen. Alter the dismemberment Of
the prosperous monarchy over which the Mdha-
raja Of Iabedj had swayed bis sceptre, a constant
and intimate intercourse was kept up between the
maritime ports on the Indian and the Eastern
Seas, by the fleet of the Stem, who had been
taught 10 excel in navigation by the Ma ay settlers
in Chiampa. The Malay Cheritras describe
their proud capital, IhrOning on the waves,
and give a Javauese mother to Raja Ti5nak
The name of Stem was afterwards adopted
by the Thai in Siam, which country was for
a1WF lVAnvu #nR Ifnn lafsn Of
Panji the faVorite hero of rOmances and plays in
Java, was ennobled by his descent from Hindu
prince So, whom his royal father wuotd during a
stay In Kalinga; Wutu Rahu, the first Brah-
mana ofthe Sewa caste who settled in Bali, came
from Telinga, and the kings of Madura, the
Ptolemes of the East, had long before that time
entertained intercourse with Europe by en-
bassies, as well as the sover, igns of CeylOn.
This latter island has always exercised agreat in
fuence on the countries of Ultra-India, and, be-
fore being devastated by The DImila, rivalled in
the spendOT of its temples both CambOdiA and
Java, whose CmperOrs, like those OF Menangka-
bau, tIansit rred the classical name of Iankapura
to their own countries. The dynasty which pre-
cCded the MalayO-J Jayanese one, in Singhapura,
had received the kingly title from Ceylon or
| Smgha, the Isle OF Lions"
THE RUINS SIX HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
"The description given by . Chinese officer,
| who travelled through Cambodia in the year 1895
is too interesting 10 be omitted here because not
withstanding the runous state OF the buildings at
| the present time, its details can still be verified
in nCaily every particular. The capitol, he says
! had five gates. each double; the chief one had
! two openings, the others only one. Beyond the
| gates there was great ditch. From the ditch
| were causGways of communication with the grca
bridges. On each side of the bridge were fifty
| four statues OF stone, representing their deties
These we're very large, and, like statues in gene
| ral, they had menacing aspect. The live gltei
| were all alike, The pillars of the bridges wert
| of stone, aud adorned with figures of s'rpents
| Each serpent had nine heads Each Of the fifty
| four statues held a serpent in its hand, to ward OF
| those passing. Over the gates were large bust
| OF Buddha, Of stone. Each bust had five faces
| looking towards the west. The one in the ceutr
| had gold head-drcss. On each side of the gat
| were figures of an elephant carved on stone.'"
DIR. Bastan expects TO shortly publish a bOo
| of travels in CambOdia.