神秘高棉文化古跡 叢林天堂吳哥窟

This ancient city is known to the world as Angkor Wat after its most beautiful temple. It is one of the most beautiful and mysterious historical sites in the world， located over 192 miles to the North West of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. Meanwhile， the true wonder is the city itself， which is actually called Angkor.

這座古城被世人稱為吳哥窟，以城中最美的廟宇的名字命名，是世界上帶有神秘色彩也是最漂亮的歷史古跡之一，位于柬埔寨首都金邊西北方192公里。同時，這座城市本身更可謂是真正的奇跡，這座城市實際上叫吳哥。

The first temples were completed in the eighth century by earlyKhmer king Jayavarman and his heirs kept building on his legacy. The whole of Angkor was built over a period of about 600 years. It never stopped. It was to recreate in Hindu mythology the Mount Mira， the Hindu Heaven. And the kings wanted to elevate themselves to a godlike status and progressive kings enlarged upon it. And so it just grew and grew. Each king wanted to build another temple. They were trying to create Heaven on Earth.

第一批寺廟在8世紀由古高棉國王耶跋摩建成，他的后代們繼承祖業，繼續修建。吳哥的整體建筑花了大約600年的時間，并且從未停止過。它要重現印度神話中的米拉山——印度人的天堂。國王們想把自己提升到神那樣的位置上，于是一代一代的國王不斷地擴建，所以它就越建越大。每個國王都想新建一個廟宇，他們試圖建造人間的天堂。

The history of Angkor Wat dates back to the kingdom of Funan. This kingdom was established by an Indian Brahmin， and in AD200， the country was peacefully settled by Indian traders. Four hundred years later， the kingdom had become a prosperous trading region. As the area was located on the Pilgrim rout between China and India， Hinduism and Chinese Buddhism was adopted by the new settlers. The Indian and Chinese influence can still be felt in Cambodia， and the temples of Angkor Wat closely resembles Hindu and Buddhist temples that can be found in Northern India and in Nepal.

吳哥窟的歷史要追朔到扶南王朝，扶南王朝是由印度上層人士所建立的，公元200年印度商人開始定居，400年后這個國家成為一個繁榮的商場。由于該地區位于中國和印度的英國清教徒中心，所以印度教和佛教也被移民者所接受。中國和印度也影響了高棉，因而吳哥廟宇的建筑也類似于在印度北方及尼泊爾所發現的佛教和印度廟宇。

Angkor Wat is the highest achievement of Khmer temple architecture， and is today the \"flagship\" of the temples at Angkor. The temple is a huge pyramid structure. The compound at Angkor Wat covers an area of 1，500 by 1，300 m （4，920 by 4，265 ft） and is surrounded by a vast moat 180 m （590 ft） wide. Along the causeway leading to the enormous entrance gate are balustrades shaped as giant serpents， which are believed to represent emblems of cosmic fertility. The temple consists of a towering complex of terraces and small buildings that are arranged in a series of three diminishing stories and surmounted by five towers. The roofed and unroofed structures are covered with bands of finely carved stone sculptures. During this time， beautiful sculptures and carvings in sand-stone was popular.

吳哥窟是高棉建筑中最高級的成就，也是最好的廟宇。而廟宇皆是巨大的塔狀建筑物。吳哥窟的規模涵蓋了1500×1300公尺，并環繞著180尺寬的護城河。沿著堤道即可進入蛇形欄桿的巨型門入口，該蛇形圖繪象征著生生不息的力量。而廟宇是由平臺和具有3個尖頂建筑物和5個塔狀的建筑物所構成的。而不管有無屋頂的建筑物都有一精美的帶狀雕刻。墻壁上亦覆蓋以圖像描繪有關印度神話和重要事物的雕刻。吳哥窟大部分的雕刻都是最好也是最精美的藝術品。這期間，雕刻精美的雕刻品和砂巖雕刻品是最受歡迎的。

The lush jungle paradise they created inevitably caught the attention of the neighboring kingdom of Siam now known as Thailand. After one hundred years of off and on battle， the Thai armies began to get the upper hand. At the end of it， the Cambodian people were exhausted. Their resources had run out. The Thais had a relatively easy victory when they finally sacked1 Angkor in 1431. But a mystery surrounds their victory. Without warning the Thai armies abandoned Angkor as suddenly as they conquered it and to this day no one knows why.

他們創建的奢華的叢林天堂不可避免地引起了鄰國暹羅王國(即現在的泰國)的注意。經過100年斷斷續續的爭斗，泰國軍隊開始占了上風。柬埔寨人最終筋疲力盡了，他們的資源消耗殆盡了。泰國人較易地取得了勝利，他們終于在1431年洗劫了吳哥。但他們的勝利卻罩著一層神秘的面紗。就像他們迅速征服它一樣，泰國軍隊一聲不響地迅速放棄了吳哥，至今誰也不知個中原因。

The Royal Court just literally walked away from Angkor completely. The couple of temples were maintained and visited from time to time. But basically they just turned their back on it. And the magnificent city became lost in the mists of time. Rumors of this sacred city floated throughout the jungles of Southeast Asia for centuries.

皇室完全地離開了吳哥。一些廟宇還得到維護并不時有人來看一看，但基本上皇室已經廢棄了吳哥。這座華麗的古城被湮滅在時間的迷霧中。幾個世紀以來，在東南亞的叢林中，一直流傳著有關這座圣城的傳說。

The locals were telling stories. There had been French naturalists through the area， but no one believed the tales. Then， in 1860 the French explorer Henri Mahout set out to find Angkor. One day he stepped into a jungle clearing and found himself walking through the imperial3 ruins of the ancient city. Over one hundred years later， the world is also beginning to understand the glory of Angkor.

當地人講述著種種故事。曾有一些法國自然學家到過這個地方，但沒有人相信這些傳說。后來，在1860年，法國探險家亨利·馬烏開始尋找吳哥。有一天他步入了一片叢林空地，發現他正走在這座古城的王國廢墟上。100多年后，世界才開始認識吳哥的輝煌。

Much of the history of the \"Lost city\" of Angkor is still a mystery， but Angkor has entered the \"Coca Cola\" and \"Kodak\" age， and as Cambodia is becoming more developed， the mystical atmosphere at Angkor will disappear.

“失落的城市”——吳哥窟的歷史仍帶有神秘色彩，但隨著進入“可口可樂”及“柯達”的時代和高棉的發展，吳哥窟的神秘魅力也將逐漸消失。

愛鏈culture

Khmer : 高棉又譯“吉蔑”，即柬埔寨。高棉位于中南半島南部，古名扶南國。因80％的居民為高棉人，故稱。

◆編輯：丁俊玲