Thursday, March 16, 2006

Baphuon


Baphuon
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This massive pyramid suffered greatly from poor engineering. For years, French archeologists were in the process of anastylosis, that is, the rebuilding of this structure using the methods the original builders had used. Thousands of stone blocks were numbered and placed in organized stacks and rows in the surrounding jungle. In 1975, these archeologists fled Pol Pot's bloody tyrrany, and when they returned, they discovered that all their records had been lost. So now they have a bunch of numbered blocks in separate areas of the forest without a clue as to where they go. Awwwwwesome, I'd say.
On the western side, there is an incomplete massive reclining Buddha. It just looks like a slightly organized pile of blocks.

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