‘Dvarpala’ is a photograph from
my body of work, ‘Fortifying Bonds Beyond Time and Measure’ produced in
2017. This is a photograph of the Tribhuvanamaheshvara
(now Banteay Srei) temple complex at Angkor Wat built in 10th
Century. In the photo the central temple
complex can be seen with the dvarpala (guards) guarding the temple. Intricate carvings of the red sandstone temple
are a highlight of the photograph. Here,
I have tried to create a sense of interaction between the elements of
foreground and background. With the play
of three-dimensional and two-dimensional elements, I attempt to create a
composition that is both abstract and realistic. The resulting image is both an external and
internal reality.
The photos reveal the soul of the structures and the impact of the
passage of time and experience have witnessed empires grow and fall. I have tried to present the true nature of the structure, not only how
it looks but also how it feels to be in its presence.
Temples
of Angkor Wat are supreme architectural achievement of the civilization of
Angkor. The Holy City of Angkor was abandoned in 1400 AD. and consumed by jungles when the first
Portuguese missionary passed in wonder through its gates.
Spanish Monk, Marcello de Ribadeneyra (1601) presumed that Kingdom of
Siam were ruins of a city built by Alexander the Great or Romans. He writes
that it is inhabited by ferocious animals, and local people say it is built by
foreigners. Standing tall for centuries, the city of Angkor and its
extraordinary temples were alien to its own people. It’s glorious past was all
lost in 150 years of abandonment and alienation by its subjects.
In
reality, the western scholars were also alien to the religion, the environment,
the people- virtually all aspects of its life and culture.
Looking
at the temples made by the Khmer Dynasty we question ourselves:
‘Are we really developed or civilized as compared to the city of a
million that existed 700 years ago?’
Or
‘Does our up-to-date warfare strategy make us more modern or civilized?’
Or
‘Are we really justified in saying that the ‘Lost Kingdom of Khmer
Dynasty’, a marvel of the world was waiting to be discovered, looted and then
restored?’
Through
a century of colonial rule, and agony of Khmer rule, the civilization of Angkor
continues to unify and inspire not just Khmer, but foreigners alike.
