Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-09-07
A Wonderful Ruin.

Angkor-Thom was begun in Indo-
China by the ancient Khmer people.
The walls were two miles long and
from twenty to thirty feet high and
were so thick that today two automo-
biles could drive abreast on the top.
Into that remarkable piece of defen-
sive masonry were built five huge
gates, perhaps twenty-five feet high;
and each Of the four sides of the tow
.cr5 that surinountcd them was beau
tifLi!y carved to represent the contem-
platve features of Buddha.
On the artificial terraces in the heart
of the city the chief temple, called
Bayou, was erected; il was completed,
it is thought, in the tenth century. The
temple had fifty towers upon the
faces of which Brahma was represent
ed-an old instance of one religions
succeeding another. In the centre of
the temple eight of the towers rise to
a considerable height above the others.
The whole building is made up of
countless galleries and towers, and the
entire interior is long array of most
magnificent bas-reliefS. There are six
teen separate gates.
Though the inhabitants Of Angkor-
Thorn built the great walls, they could
not greatly have feared invasion, for
they erected their finest temple almost
a mile from the city. 1t is called
Angkor-Wat and once was veritable
city in itself. 1t began building in
the twelfth century and was dedicated
to Brahma, but later it was devoted to
Buddhistic worship. Some idea of
the size of it may be gained from the
fact that the moat round it is more
than three miles in circumference and
hundreds of feet wide. On the west
side a paved causeway leads across
the moat for quarter of mile to
the outer rectangular gallery, which
is three hundred yards long; great
central door that you reach by a flight
of steps opens into it. Another great
cauScway a quarter of mile long has
to be traverSed before you come to the
temple itself. Both causeways are
much alike.
The temple was built on artificial
terraces that are as extensive as the
mounds of Assyria. The buildings
the temple really is a succession of ed
ificeS-are made of fne-grained sand
stone, and every stone was placed
so carefully and so truly that for al
most a thousand years they have re-
manned firm; mortar was unknown 10
the builders. ColOnEaded galleries of
bas-reliefS of wonderful artistic beauty
are within the temple The highest
tower is two hundrcu and twenty feet
high, and multitudes or pilgrims have
visited the elevated shrine: so many
indeed that in many places their bare
feet have worn hollows in the stone
steps.
For years the French colonial au-
thoritieS have been working to clear
away the jungle round tie temple
and to repair the buildings that have
suffered most. Towers have been
shored up; leaning columns have been
pulled back into place, and where the
steps have worn, new cement steps
have been added Perhaps the most
interesting Of all the work that the
French have done is the repairing of
various enormous idols that invading
enemies had thrown down and broken.
for about 1873 the Siamese looted the
temple. and from that time on it was
deserted. Many of the idols were
found broken into a number of pieces
one OF god with six arms. had every
arm broken from the body. But the
French have gone patiently to work to
restore them all, and though the war
interrupted the work of restoration. the
s'upendous task has at length been !
resumed.
\ negro boy walked into drug
store and asked D,r.,-;.,,,.,