Ta Keo
The Magnificence
and uniqueness of the Khmer temples of the Angkor fame, is commendable. The
powerful Khmer kingdom was instrumental in establishing a civilization in
Indo-China / S E Asia central to the Vedic culture of ancient times.
This temple –
Ta Keo, literally means ‘mountain temple’. And the mountain it represents the
mythical mount Meru. According to the
Vedic cosmology the mount Meru is a sacred mountain situated at the centre of
the universe. Ta Keo is without a roof just like a pyramid but not ending up in
a vertex. Going up to the top tier via narrow and steep steps is like scaling a
mountain peak itself. There are enough warning signs for the visitors to be
careful while negotiating the steps. And some tourists find coming down the
steps more troublesome as there is a real chance of tumbling down if one is not
careful to keep balance by slightly leaning backwards.
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Going up is arduous ....
|
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| ... and coming down is equally torturous. |
It was an enjoyable
exercise anyway and I caught some mountain climbers on my camera.
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| I went up and came down too |
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After scaling the peak you deserve a shot.
|
This temple –
Ta Keo, literally means ‘mountain temple’. And the mountain it represents the
mythical mount Meru. According to the
Vedic cosmology the mount Meru is a sacred mountain situated at the centre of
the universe. Ta Keo is without a roof just like a pyramid but not ending up in
a vertex. Going up to the top tier via narrow and steep steps is like scaling a
mountain peak itself. There are enough warning signs for the visitors to be
careful while negotiating the steps. And some tourists find coming down the
steps more troublesome as there is a real chance of tumbling down if one is not
careful to keep balance by slightly leaning backwards.
Going up and coming down the small tread steps is really tough and dangerous. Other temples they have fixed iron stairs.
ReplyDeleteMount Meru is a mythological mountain in the Hindu mythology. Khmer civilization has a strong Hindu base.
ReplyDelete