Cambodia, once
known as the Khmer Empire, is a country located in the southern portion of the
Indo-china Peninsula in Southeast Asia.
The kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Cambodia's
ancient name is "Kambuja" (Sanskrit: कंबुज). The Kingdom is known for monumental temples including Angkor Wat, now
a World Heritage Site.
Sri Anjaneya at Thirumala hills
The
son of Vayu [Pavana puthra] – Hanumar is
the epitome of great virtues ~ a great
character – a warrior, mightily powerful, whose body was as hard as a diamond,
whose speed equalled those of fastest flying eagles, who possessed great
wisdom, who could organize a group of roaming ones, who can jump hundreds of
miles, yet who remained at the feet of his Master, totally committed thinking
of their welfare alone – unassuming, yet capable of telling the right things at
the right moment – that is Pavana Puthra Hanuman – Aanjaneya, who is
called ‘thiruvadi’ – bearer of Lord Rama – who carried Rama on his shoulders
during the war in which the demon was killed. The
very thought of Sri Hanuman brings to mind ~ his unparalleled devotion for Lord
Ram and unrivalled physical strength.
Lord Hanuman is
everywhere – on mountains, big temples, street corners and more ~ Sri Anjaneya jumped over the Sea, met Sitadevi delivering
her the signet ring ‘kanaiyazhi’ of Lord Sri Rama - Hanuman has crossed the seas with eases – but
this travel is different !!!
Cleveland, is a
city in the state of Ohio. It was
founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, and became a manufacturing
centre owing to its location on the lake shore. The Cleveland Museum of Art was founded in
1913 “for the benefit of all the people forever.” Its website claims tobe a distinguished comprehensive art museum and cultural institution. We are reading about this, for it recently
announced that it has voluntarily returned to Cambodia a
much-beloved 10th century statue of Hanuman, after uncovering evidence that it was
probably looted during the country's bloody civil war. The Cleveland Museum of
Art said recently that it is in discussions with the Government of
Cambodia concerning a 10th-century statue in its collection of the kneeling
Hanuman, that reportedly had been looted from the country. The museum's statement said: "Late last
year, the Cleveland Museum of Art initiated discussions with the Kingdom of
Cambodia concerning various topics of mutual interest, including the sculpture
of Hanuman. These discussions have been very cordial and productive.
According to the
Cleveland Museum of Art’s website, the 10th-century sandstone sculpture stands
about 116 cm tall and 54 cm wide and depicts the God in a crouching
position. According to the head of the U.N. cultural agency Unesco in
Cambodia, it was clear the statue had
originally been attached to a base, but it wasn’t until archeologists unearthed
previously undiscovered pedestals in the Koh Ker complex’s Prasat Chen temple
last year that the statue’s exact location was determined. The Cambodia Daily newspaper has published photos showing what it described as the
arrival and partial uncrating of the Hanuman at Phnom Penh International
Airport.
According to
Newyork Times, the statue of a kneeling Hindu deity believed stolen from a
jungle-shrouded Khmer temple more than 40 years ago, has been returned to
Cambodia by the Cleveland Museum of Art, which had displayed it since 1982. The return, on Sunday night, brings to six
the number of looted statues from the 10th-century Prasat Chen temple in Preah
Vihear Province, in northern Cambodia near the Thai border, that have been
recovered by the government since 2012, when reports surfaced that the rare
sandstone sculptures were in the United States.
Those items include two large Kneeling Attendants returned by the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013; a massive statue known as Duryodhana
returned by Sotheby’s last year after the intervention of federal officials; a
companion statue of the Duryodhana, known as Bhima, returned by the Norton
Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif., last year; and a smaller statue from the
temple, Pandava, relinquished by Christie’s in May 2014.
Buddhist monks
chanted blessings and scattered flowers over the statue upon its arrival at
Phnom Penh International Airport, according to an AFP photographer. “We welcome
back the statue of Hanuman from the Cleveland Museum of Art in the US,” Chan
Tani, Cambodian Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, told reporters. The
statues are considered pieces of extraordinary value to the Cambodian people
and part of their cultural heritage.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
12th May
2015.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
