The Mysterious Cambodia

 The Mysterious Cambodia

Being a voyager by heart, I love travelling and visiting different places. And I keep studying the importance or speciality of those places which are in my bucket list. Cambodia is a place very dear to my  heart. As this a place of beautiful desert-Island beaches, jungle trekking in protected reserves, cafe-culture in a capital full city of a complex  history. And off course 1000 -year-old temples from one of the most impressive empires in world history. Cambodia certainly is the - Kingdom of wonder. Nestled in between Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. This watery-kingdom was its first described during the inception of Khmer Empire thousands of year ago. 

Here I have come up with few facts and the mystery of 1,000 ancient carved Shiva Lingas discovered in Cambodia. It is also said that one who visits this land get to witness the Ancient Hindu architecture. 

Many Shiva Lingas of unknown origin can be found in Cambodia. This place of Sahasra Linga has located 25 km from Angkor Watt, the largest Hindu temple outside India.The place is called "Kbal spean" and it's meaning is " Head Bridge". Here one can see plenty of carved Lingas located in the middle of the river. It is rarely visited other than by a few curious tourists. As it is difficult to access due it's surrounding wildness.

It is believed that long ago king's used to come to take a holy bath. Till date, it is unknown who carved these Lingas and for what purpose. The locals believe that the Lingas are symbols of creative energy and the river water that flows on the Lingas will make Cambodian paddy field more fertile. Also, a lot of Hindu symbols were destroyed, during the civil war in Cambodia. But this Sahasra Linga was not affected because it is surrounded with dense forest. One of the remarkable sculptures here is of Maha Vishnu and Bhrama emerge from his navel on a lotus flower. 

Here I am going to give you a small insight into the sacred symbol of Shiva Linga. In Sanskrit, Linga means a ' mark' a symbol, which points to an inference. As we all know Shiva Linga is a representation of the Hindu deity, Lord Shiva used for worship in temples. In traditional Indian society, the Linga is rather seen as a symbol of energy and potential of Lord Shiva himself. The ancient scriptures of Linga Purana tell us that the foremost Linga is devoid of smell, taste, colour etc. It is spoken as "Prakriti" or Nature itself. It is believed that in post-Vedic age the Linga, became the symbol of the generative power of Lord Shiva. 

The Linga represents the 'Brahmanad' or cosmic energy. It signifies that creation is effected by the union of "Prakriti" and "Purusha", the male and the female powers of nature. Linga also signifies 'Satya', 'Jnana' and 'Ananta' - Truth,  Knowledge and Infinity. To add more on this, it is said there is a mysterious and indescribable power or "Shakti" in the Linga. It induces the concentration of mind and helps focus one's attention. That is why the ancient sages and seers of India prescribed Linga to be installed in the temples of Lord Shiva. 

I feel for a sincere devotee, the Linga is not merely, a stone. It is all radiant - talks to him, raises him above body-consciousness and helps to communicate with the Lord. And I believe praying also happen when we do good for others. Help the needy. Feel gratitude for whatever we have in life. I feel praying should not become a ritual for asking something, the pure form of prayers are those when we don't have anything and still thank god and lead life in gratitude. 

Lastly, amid this pandemic being at home, I  am eagerly waiting to break my first lockdown by visiting this beautiful mysterious country "Cambodia". 

Tejaswini Sikka