Western Baray. Traces of Ancient Civilizations Western Baray

Most people know the ancient structure in Cambodia - Angkor Wat. This is perhaps the most advertised ancient architectural object for tourists. There are also lesser known ancient temples (as traditional history calls them) scattered throughout this area. This is a whole complex: Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Phnom Bakheng, etc.


Link to map

As we see, the temples (we will call them by TI) are surrounded by colossal hydraulic structures - rectangular channels. And to the west of the complex, there is a rectangular reservoir called Western Baray

Data from Wikipedia: Western Baray is an artificial reservoir at Angkor in Cambodia, rectangular in plan and oriented east-west. Located west of Angkor Thom. The dimensions of the reservoir are 8000 m by 2100 m and a depth of 5 m. It could hold up to 80 million cubic meters of water. Western Baray is the largest baray in Angkor. Its construction probably began under Suryavarman I and was completed under King Udayadityavarman II. In the center of the bar artificial island West Mebon Temple is located.

Those. historians are not sure when they began to build this reservoir, which is why they say “probably.”

In our time, a water seal was built in the southern part of the dam, which made it possible to slightly raise the water level in the barai, thereby organizing a more rational use of water in the fields lying to the south. Today, the western part of the barai is filled with water all year round, and with the onset of the rainy season it is partially filled and East End. Western Baray – popular place picnics and swimming of local residents.

To be honest, this inspired me to show this territory of Cambodia. Until that moment, I didn’t even think about looking at all this in Google maps, I thought that I wouldn’t see anything special there. And as it turned out, it was a shame that I didn’t do this earlier; there were more questions.

The first question that arises is: where is the soil from digging a reservoir, albeit not a deep one? The second question: why was it needed in such an area? After all, it was possible to dig up many small ones over a larger area (to collect water) and distribute them.

Island in the center of the pond


The island, like the reservoir itself, is oriented almost to the modern north. Practically, but according to Google maps – not quite to the north. There is some deviation.

In the center are the remains of the building

With ruins


From this western baray there is now a barely noticeable but formerly wide canal.

Now it is so silted that in its place there are fields:


Angkor Wat. The width of the channels is about 200m. Length – 1.5 km

North of Angkor Wat is the Angkor Thom complex, also surrounded by a canal, but already fairly silted, about 80m wide. But the perimeter of this canal is 3.2x3.2 km

This canal flows into it from the north

There is a whole group of buildings on the territory:

The jungle has a small area. Everything else is fields. The area outside Angkor is very densely populated

On the territory of Angkor Thom there is this pond in the shape of a man with his arms outstretched (or very similar to it):


Size: approximately 450x450m

Northeast of Angkor Thom we see a small area (along the perimeter of the surrounding canal) Preah Khan temple and another already silted rectangular reservoir:


Perimeter 3.5x0.9 km

In the center of the reservoir there is an island with a pond like this and a structure very similar to a fountain

The reservoir itself is in such thickets. Link to map

There is an even larger reservoir nearby:


Perimeter 7x1.7 km

Fields on the expanses of the silted surface of a former reservoir

In the center of the former reservoir there is also a temple or structure:

The entire hydraulic complex is depicted

West of Angkor there are other similar objects:


Link on the map

In the center are the remains of the building. Perhaps the locals stole it for building materials

Another object:


Perimeter 600 x 600m. Link to map
Direction: not to modern north

Remains of buildings

Using Google maps in the vicinity, I found several more small silted reservoirs

The most detailed alternative version of the purpose of this entire complex is described by A. Makhov
He refers all this to the air defense system (air defense). Technical purpose. But very strange. Why such relief delights, bas-reliefs, etc.? At military facilities, everything is ascetic and without frills.
***

I will try to convey my opinion about finding such unnecessary-sized reservoirs (they could have simply dug deeper, but smaller in area).

It is known that Cambodian temples were built using building materials: laterite, sandstone, brick. There is a complete mystery with brick - it needs to be fired, but no kilns have been found. Sandstone - it needs to be mined somewhere and transported. Yeah, through the jungle. I think that this is not sandstone, but concrete. As in the examples

A construction kit made from ancient masonry blocks for modern restorers in Angkor. Agree, we need mountains to cut it all down there. And in the area there is only plain.

But laterite is worth dealing with.

As you can see, laterite is mined simply from under the feet. Most likely, this material for construction (laterite) was mined in the same way in Cambodia. And at the same time it was taken out at the sites of future rectangular channels. At the same time it was beautiful when it was filled with rainwater and protected from animals. And judging by this bas-relief:

In the past, not only elephants lived in the jungle

During the mass production of blocks, entire pits were formed, which were also filled with rainwater. And they, these quarries, are next to the temple complexes. Logistics are minimal. And we also received beautiful view to a reservoir, plus the availability of water during, say, droughts. Fish farming is also possible as a side use.
The laterite blocks themselves most likely petrified in air over the years (reaction with CO2). And initially, their cutting down (as in the photo above) took place with primitive tools such as a hoe. And not even necessarily made of iron.

The purpose of these temples remains a question to this day. After all, these are not residential premises. But this question applies not only to the temples of Cambodia.

Man-made "reservoir".

A baray is a man-made reservoir surrounded by dams, the practicality of which was combined with redemptive symbolism: the distribution of water by the monarch guaranteed the continuation of life on Khmer land and confirmed the very divine essence of the ruler, who was identified with Indra.

During the decline of the Khmer Empire, the institution of the monarchy perished, and with it the system it organized, part of the work of which was to support the barai. The barais stopped being cleaned, they became swamped, the water became unfit for drinking, and due to the lack of a channel, malarial mosquitoes began to breed in the waters of the barais.

The barai has a sacred meaning: if the entire temple complex is a model of the Universe in the center with Mount Meru, then the reservoirs surrounding the temple (barai) are the personification of the universal Ocean. At the same time, they had a direct irrigation purpose.

Baray Indratataka is one of the first examples of Khmer hydraulic structures.

The largest barays are located near Angkor - East and West Baray. They have rectangular shapes measuring 8x2.4 and 7.5x1.8 kilometers, respectively. The Eastern Baray was supposedly 3 meters deep and held 37.2 million cubic meters of water.

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Excerpt characterizing Barai

Silence continued for several seconds while the young man positioned himself on the step. Only in the back rows of people squeezing into one place were groans, groans, tremors and the tramp of moving feet heard.
Rastopchin, waiting for him to stop at the indicated place, frowned and rubbed his face with his hand.
- Guys! - said Rastopchin in a metallic ringing voice, - this man, Vereshchagin, is the same scoundrel from whom Moscow perished.
A young man in a fox sheepskin coat stood in a submissive pose, clasping his hands together in front of his stomach and bending slightly. His emaciated young face, with a hopeless expression, disfigured by a shaved head, was downcast. At the first words of the count, he slowly raised his head and looked down at the count, as if wanting to tell him something or at least meet his gaze. But Rastopchin did not look at him. On the young man’s long thin neck, like a rope, the vein behind the ear became tense and turned blue, and suddenly his face turned red.
All eyes were fixed on him. He looked at the crowd, and, as if encouraged by the expression that he read on the faces of the people, he smiled sadly and timidly and, again lowering his head, adjusted his feet on the step.
“He betrayed his tsar and his fatherland, he handed himself over to Bonaparte, he alone of all Russians disgraced the name of the Russian, and Moscow is perishing from him,” said Rastopchin in an even, sharp voice; but suddenly he quickly looked down at Vereshchagin, who continued to stand in the same submissive pose. As if this look had exploded him, he, raising his hand, almost shouted, turning to the people: “Deal with him with your judgment!” I'm giving it to you!

Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

Western Baray
Khmer. បារាយណ៍ខាងលិច
Location
13°26′03″ n. w. 103°48′02″ E. d. HGIO
A country

When constructing Western Baray, Angkorian builders partially used earlier buildings. The eastern causeway, for example, was most likely part of the causeway surrounding Yasovarman I's capital Yasodharapura with its main temple at the center, Phnom Bakheng. Elsewhere, structures from previous years were either completely demolished or filled in, as happened with the Ak Yum Temple, which was partially filled in during the construction of the southern dam. At the bottom of the western part of the barai, wall foundations, steps and fragments of clay utensils were found. A stela with an inscription dated 713 records that rice fields were given as a gift to Queen Jayadevi.

The purpose of this and other barays is unknown, since no inscription has been found indicating the nature of their use. It is believed that these reservoirs not only served for agricultural needs, accumulating water during the rainy season and then discharging it during the dry season, but also played a symbolic role as the world ocean surrounding Mount Meru, the abode of the gods.

In our time, a water seal was built in the southern part of the dam, which made it possible to slightly raise the water level in the barai, thereby organizing a more rational use of water in the fields lying to the south. Today, the western part of the barai is filled with water all year round, and with the onset of the rainy season, the eastern part is also partially filled. Western Baray is a popular picnic and swimming spot for locals.

Sources

  • Rooney, Dawn. Angkor. Fourth Edition. Airphoto International Ltd. 2002.
  • Laura, Jean. Angkor: An Illustrated Guide to the Monuments. Flammarion 2002

Skeptics say that in the past there were no civilizations with advanced technologies and incredible structures. They try to explain every strange artifact or trace of the past from their point of view - they say, this was made by hand, and this is a natural formation.

However, there is such convincing evidence of the presence of advanced civilizations in ancient times that even the most convinced skeptics and rational scientists cannot refute them.

This archaeological site called Sahasralinga is located on the Shalmala River in the Indian state of Karnataka. When summer comes and the water level in the river drops, hundreds of pilgrims come here.

It got its name thanks to the numerous (sahasra = thousands) “Lingas” - stone carvings, the most various shapes and sizes carved on stones.

When the river level drops, various mysterious stone figures carved in time immemorial are exposed from under the water. For example, this is an amazing education. Will you claim that it is made by hand?

2. Barabar Caves

Barabar is the general name for a group of caves located in the Indian state of Bihar, near the city of Gaya. Officially, they were created in the 3rd century BC, again, from the point of view of historians, by hand. Whether this is so, judge for yourself.

In our opinion, making such a structure from hard stone - with high ceilings, with such smooth walls, with seams that a razor blade cannot penetrate - is very difficult these days.

3. Southern Stone Baalbek

Baalbek – ancient city, located in Lebanon. It has many different attractions. But what surprises most of all is the Temple of Jupiter with multi-ton marble columns and Southern Stone- an evenly hewn block weighing 1500 tons.

Who and how could have made such a monolith in time immemorial and for what purposes - science does not know the answers to this question.

4. Baray Reservoir

Western Baray is an artificially created reservoir in Angkor (Cambodia). The dimensions of the reservoir are 8 km by 2.1 km, and the depth is 5 meters. It was created in time immemorial. The accuracy of the boundaries of the reservoir and the enormity of the work performed are striking - it is believed that it was built by the ancient Khmers.

Nearby are no less amazing temple complexes– Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, the layout of which is striking in its precision. Modern scientists cannot explain what technologies the builders of the past used.

Here is what Y. Iwasaki, director of the Geological Research Institute in Osaka, Japan, writes:

“Starting from 1906, a group of French restorers worked in Angkor. In the 50s French specialists tried to lift the stones back up the steep embankment. But since the angle of the steep embankment is 40º, after the first 5 m high step was built, the embankment collapsed. Eventually the French abandoned the idea of ​​following historical technology and installed a concrete wall inside the pyramid to preserve the earthworks. Today we do not know how the ancient Khmers could build such high and steep embankments.”

5. Coombe-Mayo Aqueduct

Cumbe Mayo is located near the Peruvian city of Cajamarca at an altitude of about 3.3 km above sea level. There are remains of an ancient aqueduct here, which was clearly not made by hand. It is known that it was built even before the advent of the Inca Empire.

Interestingly, the name Cumbe Mayo comes from the Quechua expression kumpi mayu, which means “well-made water channel.” It is unknown what kind of civilization created it, but it is believed to have happened around 1500 AD.

The Coombe Mayo Aqueduct is considered one of the most ancient structures in South America.

Its length is about 10 kilometers. Moreover, if on the way ancient path There were rocks for water, then unknown builders cut a tunnel right through them. Check out the incredible photos and videos of this structure below.

6. Peruvian cities of Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo

Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo are the remains of ancient structures in the Cusco region (Peru), within a huge archaeological park. The area of ​​this park is 5000 square meters, but most of it was buried under an avalanche many years ago.

It is believed that these cities were built by the Incas using the most primitive tools. However, the huge stones of the fortress, tightly fitted to each other, as well as the even traces of cutting stones in both ancient cities, are surprising. The Incas themselves were amazed at the grandeur of these buildings.

The Peruvian Inca historian Garcilaso de la Vega wrote about the Sacsayhuaman fortress: “It amazes with its size stone blocks, of which it consists; anyone who has not seen this himself will not believe that something can be built from such stones; they inspire horror in those who look at them carefully.”

Look for yourself at its remains and at the blocks from Ollantaytambo and see that it is simply impossible to create something like this manually, without the help of high technology.

7. Moonstone in Peru

Here in the Cusco region, in the same archaeological park there is a curious attraction - a stone called Killarumiyoc. This is a Quechua word that literally means "Moonstone". It is believed that this is a sacred place.

People come here for rituals, meditation and cleansing of the soul. Pay attention to its unusual, perfectly symmetrical shape and the incredible quality of finishing.

8. Al Naslaa Stone in Saudi Arabia

This famous cut stone called Al Naslaa is located in the Tabuk province in Saudi Arabia. A perfectly straight cutting line surprises all researchers - the surfaces on both sides are perfectly smooth.

Who exactly cut this stone and how remains a mystery. Scientists are sure that nature did its best here - they say, this is a perfectly straight line - this is a consequence of weathering. But this version seems untenable - there are no similar formations in nature.

9. Ishi-no-Hoden Stone

Near the Japanese city of Takasago there is the famous huge megalith Ishi-no-Hoden. Its weight is about 600 tons. It is known that it was created before our era. The stone is a local landmark - and looking at its photographs and ancient drawings, you understand why it is so popular.

10. Pyramid of Mikerin

The Pyramid of Mykerinus (or Menkaure) is located in Giza and is one of the Great Pyramids. Moreover, it is the lowest among them - only 66 m in height (half the size of the Cheops pyramid). But she strikes the imagination no less than her famous neighbors.

Huge monolithic blocks were used to build the pyramid; one of them weighed about 200 tons. It still remains a mystery how it was delivered to the construction site. The quality of finishing of the blocks outside and inside the pyramid, as well as the carefully crafted tunnels and internal chambers, is also surprising.

In this pyramid in the 19th century, a mysterious basalt sarcophagus was discovered, which it was decided to send to England. But on the way, the ship encountered a storm and sank off the coast of Spain.

However, this is still not a complete list of amazing sights, looking at which you want to rewrite the history books. And we will definitely talk about them in other publications on this topic.

Western Baray is an artificially created reservoir in Angkor (Cambodia). The dimensions of the reservoir are 8 km by 2.1 km, and the depth is 5 meters. It was created in time immemorial. The accuracy of the boundaries of the reservoir and the enormity of the work performed are striking - it is believed that it was built by the ancient Khmers..

Nearby are no less amazing temple complexes - Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. Pay attention to the precision of the layout of these complexes.

The temples of Angkor are amazing, such as the Baphuon Temple.

But these are not the only mysteries of Angkor. Here is what Y. Iwasaki, director of the Geological Research Institute in Osaka, Japan, writes:

“Starting in 1906, a group of French restorers worked in Angkor, which, while working in Borobudur (Indonesia), had the opportunity to develop a new conservation method. This method, called anastolosis, consisted of an attempt to use historical building materials in reconstruction using original technologies. This method was successfully used in the 30s of the 20th century.

During the restoration of Bafhuon the same principle was to be applied. In the 50s French specialists tried to lift the stones back up the steep embankment. But since the angle of the steep embankment is 40º, after the first 5 m high step was built, the embankment collapsed. A second attempt was made, but with the same result. Eventually the French abandoned the idea of ​​following historical technology and installed a concrete wall inside the pyramid to preserve the earthworks. Today we do not know how the ancient Khmers could build such high and steep embankments."

 

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