Page:Angkor from Siamese pov - Damrong - 1925.pdf/2

 Thom" by the Cambodians, and "Nagor Luang" by us Siamese, all meaning "the Great City" or "the Capital", because it was once the capital of the ancient Khmer. In its time it was known as "Yasodharapura", because it was built by King Yasovarman in the 7th century of the Christian Era. The so-called Angkor Monuments are scattered about both in the citadel and outside, just as our monasteries as here. Originally there must have been names to every one of them, but as they became ruined and deserted, they gradually lost their identities. The names by which they are now known are mostly local modern names. In many cases the French have only recently discovered their original names, such for instance as Bayon, the most important of the Angkor Monuments, which has only lately been identified with "Yasodharagiri" (the Hill of Yasodhara); and another sanctuary near the Royal Palace, which has hitherto been called "Bapuon", has been identified as "Suvarnagiri" (The Golden Hill). However, these will probably, like "Angkor", continue to be known by their more familiar names, which have been so long in use.

In dealing with the history of these Khmer monuments, it is well to bear in mind the origin and history of this famous race. According to researches, the Peninsula of Indo-China was inhabited by three different races, more or less resembling one another ethnologically as well as philologically. One was the Môn, or Talaing, inhabiting the borders of the Bay of Bengal and the southern part of the valley of the Irawadi; another, Lao or La&#774;wā, in the valley of the Menam, spreading right up beyond the plateau to the East; and a third, Khmer or Khôm, in the low lands of the South-East near the extremity of the Peninsula. Even before the dawn of the Christian Era, there had been India colonists settling in Indo-China, some of them perhaps as long ago as the seventh or eighth century before Christ. They were probably traders who came and went away after having made their living, and then there would be others who settled down for good. There were in all likelihood tow distinct streams of immigration; one coming from Central India by an overland and sea route along the coast of the Bay of Bengal as