523 parasols.
The list of
supplies needed for daily offerings: rice, butter, milk, molasses, oil,
seeds.
The amount
needed for special feasts and list of goods furnished each year by the Royal
treasury: seeds, milk, honey, oil, wax sandal, camphor, 2,387 sets of
clothing to adorn the statues.
The
inscription ends: "Doing these good deeds, the king with extreme devotion to
his mother, made this prayer: that because of the virtue of the good deeds I
have accomplished, my mother, once delivered from the ocean of
transmigration, may enjoy the state of Buddha".
 |
|
Ta Prohm |
The mystery
of the jungle mingle with the mystery of the ancient galleries and halls.
The lack of care in construction particularly at the end of the 12th century
is one of the causes of the ruined state of the monuments. The chaotic
condition of some of them, has sometimes been attributed to a systematic
destruction, the consequences of a total war perhaps. The motive was pure
vandalism or religious fanaticism that is the search under the pedestals and
around the bases of the towers for treasury-- included some gold-leaf and
some gems. The reach these relies, treasure-hunters did not hesitate to
knock over the statue, break the pedestal set fire when necessary, dig holes
in the bases and split open the stones to get out the T-irons.
Other
causes were natural forces which operated silently but all the same
effectively. In tropical countries where the climate is wet, an abandoned
building laid open to the rain and termites, is promptly overgrown with
vegetation and is destined to speedy destruction.
