Angkor: Before And After: Cultural History Of The Khmers - Hardcover

Snellgrove, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0834805391 ISBN 13: 9780834805392

Publisher: Weatherhill, 2004

Synopsis

Since Cambodia's reopening to the world in the past dozen years, following its genocidal civil war, there has been a burgeoning interest in its history, art and architectural relics. In parallel with this growing popular interest has been a renewal of international scholarly work and corresponding publication on the Khmers. However, virtually without exception, these either have been aimed at the casual tourist, or alternately, have consisted of more or less esoteric monographs, highly focused on specific aspects of Khmer culture. A comprehensive survey of the Khmers, broad enough in its scope to provide an overall view, both temporal and geographic, of Khmer civilization, while sufficiently in-depth to satisfy the serious reader, has not been attempted in any language in the past half century, until now. In Angkor: Before and After , Professor David Snellgrove has provided a new cultural history of the Khmers covering the period from its very beginning in the 5th century right up to the present day, and dealing not only with Angkor, but with the whole range of Khmer achievements throughout the South East Asian mainland. Professor Snellgrove further enhances this history with new translations of several of the most significant surviving Khmer stone inscriptions, in Sanskrit and ancient Khmer, thus providing the reader with direct views into Khmer civilization. Deeply acquainted with Brahmanical and Buddhist religious traditions, Professor Snellgrove also provides unique new insights into the complex interplay of the two at times competing traditions and the impact of this interplay on Khmer culture and architecture of the period. He further clarifies the religious evolution that resulted in the eventual replacement of Brahmanical as well as earlier Khmer Mahayana Buddhist practices by the Theravada tradition that eventually predominates in Cambodia today. With detailed descriptions, complemented by rich illustration, of many Khmer sites, including both well known and many rarely visited or previously described, this book is essential reading for all who wish to further their understanding of this fascinating and highly developed medieval civilization.

About this title

About the Author:

David Snellgrove is renowned for his ability to convey the spirit as well as the textual interpretation of Sanskrit and Tibetan texts relating to the history of Buddhism. Since his retirement from teaching commitments in 1982, he has expanded his interests to South Asia, primarily Indonesia, and now Cambodia. He is a Doctor of Literature at the University of Cambridge, Professor Emeritus of the University of London, and a Fellow of the British Academy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Weatherhill
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0834805391
• ISBN 13: 9780834805392
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 250