Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c43.60

c43.60

With this *tour de force* as exemplified by the Bayon temple, the course of architectural development under the Khmers draws to a close. The mystic titanic imagery introduced into the building art under Jayavarman was a reflection of the sensuous conditions that were beginning to appear in Cambodia at this time, thus implying the pride that goes before a fall It is recorded that there was no appreciable decline of imperial power, the Khmers had become masters of most of Indo-China at this date, as their buildings freely distributed over the entire region are sufficient testimony, while the actual influence of their architectural style extended even further. But the soaring ambitions of the ruler and his people overmastered them, they undertook more than they could accomplish, and eventually the Thais of Siam, who for a considerable period had been gradually increasing in strength, triumphantly swept through the country, finally in 1431, capturing and despoiling the capital at Angkor; from this catastrophe the Khmers never recovered. The civilization which they had evolved during several centuries with such labour and application disappeared and with it, for a time, the superb monuments recording the material evidence of their greatness were also submerged Just as the rich Cambodian soil stimulated the Khmers in their architectural productions, so the same favourable conditions, acting on the natural forces by which they were encompassed, when uncontrolled, brought about their ruin Yet it is pleasing to relate that through the efforts of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient, not only has the disintegration been stayed but much has been done to remove the veil obscuring this lost empire, and to rescue its achievements from oblivion It has now become possible to realize, through its architecture, the significance of this culture as developed in Cambodia, to study its relations with the civilization of India, and to observe its position in the pattern-content of the art of Asia as a whole As a people with a genius for monumental architecture, at once splendid, magnanimous, and devotional, the Khmers of Cambodia hold a high place. With this natural gift they also maintained throughout their history a supreme and instinctive ideal in that they invariably aspired to do great things and to do them in a great way.