When Sculpture was King

And here is the king himself,
that sculpture loving
mono-maniac
who emptied his treasury
to build Angkor Wat





Or, maybe monomaniac
isn't a strong enough word ?




Sculptures are as commonplace
in this project,
as light bulbs are in the modern high rise







How much decay will it take
to eventually silence
this ecstatic rhythm ?












So, how many sculptors did they have,
who could work at this level ?




A happy world,
where sculptures seem to multiply on their own,
like telephone poles do in ours








it's not the details
in this place that are impressive.

Or... maybe we should just say
that an entire wall of a hundred figures
is just a detail,
and THAT detail is impressive.







I guess,
once the rhythm
starts flowing through the stone,
it just can't stop





Did women back then,
really wear headgear
that looked like temples ?





A fine place to sit,
and catch one's breath






















Many thanks to C.R.O.
for these pictures
from her recent trip.

I've always dreamed of going to Cambodia,
but aren't these vicarious visits
just as good ?