Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume VIII, No. 5 [‎16r] (34/154)

JOURNEY ROUND SIAM.
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tired out there, even the most casual spectator cannot fail to he over
whelmed with admiration and amazement as he gazes upon these
wonderful galleries, pretty side buildings, and lofty sculptured towers
rising up before him in silent grandeur and magnificence. It is a
solitary and desolate spot, And nothing is to be heard but the gentle
sighing of the wind as it rustles the leaves of the melancholy palm
trees, or whistles along the deserted corridors, now damp with age
and infested with swarms of ghost-like bats. All round and in the
centre of the ruined city itself grows dense and lofty jungle, and
one can well imagine the beasts of the field holding high carnival
amongst the fallen and broken pillars when the clear moon looks down
upon these ancient monuments of human greatness. The imagination
pictures to itself, too, the time when Angkor Thom, the city, was the
capital of a powerful empire, and Angkor Wat the holy shrine and
temple of the dense and busy population that once trod these jungle-
covered plains; and now, though empire and race have long since dis
appeared almost without leaving a trace of their history, the immense
blocks of stone which the hands of these people dragged here and piled
high one upon another, the highways radiating from the capital, the
stone bridges and distant scattered monuments, still remain to attest
the former might and opulence of the country.
Before hurrying onwards, however, I inquired about the traditions
lingering among the present inhabitants, and at my request the
Governor ordered forth one of the oldest inhabitants of the place—a
patriarch of seventy-five, who was represented to be the best repository
of this vague traditional knowledge. As he squatted humbly on the
ground before me, I regarded this curiosity with considerable interest,
and enjoined him in judicial language to “ tell the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth.” This is what he said, as I took it
down word for word—
“ There was once a king of Angkor Thom, Chao Pratum Suriwong
by name, and he had a son Pra Ketmala. Pra In came down from
heaven and saw Pra Ketmala. He asked Chao Pratum Suriwong that
Pra Ketmala might be taken up to heaven. He was taken up to
heaven, but the smell of the Thewada (angels) being too strong for
him to bear, he returned to Earth again, and then Pra In ordered Pra
Weesanukam to build Nakon Wat. Pra Weesanukam accordingly came
down and told Chao Pratum Suriwong to build the temple, and Chao
Pratum Suriwong impressed men to do the work. Men to seven times
the number that could stand within the walls of Angkor Thom were
impressed, and they completed the whole building in seven days. When
the building was finished, Pra Ketmala did not stay in it himself,
but placed therein Pra Putta Kosa Chan, who had been a priest in
Ceylon. Then Pra Ketmala went to Beng Melia, near Pnompenh.”
Mythology is not a strong point with me, and besides there is no