Dr U.

DOKRAS PhD Stockholm

Angkor -SPIRITUAL LIGHTHOUSE

To Hinduism and Buddhism

King Suryavarman II/Angkor Wat

History mentions many ancient lost cities of the world that were drowned, abandoned, or
merely lost in the wilderness. Many of these were eventually forgotten with the passage of time
until some wanderer or historian accidentally or intentionally discovered the ruins. Thanks to
these people, we came to know of these hidden beautiful places in the world.

There is no end to the list of the lost cities of the ancient world. But, to make things easier for
you, we have listed some of the lost cities of the world that were eventually discovered.

Lost Cities Of The World

Exploring places that were once significant centers of trade, economy, and culture but lost their
significance with the passing centuries tells us mysterious stories of the bygone days. Here is the
list of the lost cities of the world, starting with domestic sites followed by international hidden
gems. Read on to know the interesting facts about the lost cities of the world: 

1. Kalibangan – Rajasthan
2. Lothal – Gujarat
3. Dwarka – Gujarat
4. Sanchi – Madhya Pradesh
5. Vijayanagara – Hampi
6. Mohenjo-daro – Sindh
7. Taxila – Rawalpindi
8. Caral – Barranca
9. Machu Picchu – Cusco
10. Calakmul – Campeche
11. Lagunita – Yucatán
12. Göbekli Tepe – Örencik
13. Troy – Çanakkale
14. Mesa Verde – Colorado
15. Skara Brae – Orkney
16. Pompeii – Campania
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17. Leptis Magna – Khoms

18. Helike – Achaea
19. Heracleion – Alexandria
20. Petra – Ma’an Governorate
21. Angkor Wat
22. Borobudur

Many boasted of huge and gigantic constructions., some of whom still stand.

The hampi, the Sanchi Atupa city, Alexandria, Helike – Achaea, Heracleion or  Alexandria, the
Petra or Ma’an Governorate, the Angkor Wat and the Borobudur all boasted of pinnacular
constructions, amazing heights and gigantic stature of the civil work. Why was that so:

1. To talk of the Glory of the empire

2. The Glory of the builder( King)
3. Tal keep the subjects in awe
4. To develop a sense of pride in them
5. To attract them towards the polity and to keep them subjugated

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT ALEXANDRIA

Giving the example of the lighthouse at Alexandria from my book of the same name, I reproduce the
following passages

After its construction by Alexander the Great, the city of Alexandria quickly became the center of Greek
learning. Under the rule of Ptolemy I the city became both a well of knowledge and extremely prosperous
harbor. However, the city needed both a symbol and a mechanism to guide the many trade ships into the
busy harbor. Thus Ptolemy authorized the building of the Pharos( as the Light House will be called off
and on in this Book) in 290 B.C., and when it was completed some twenty years later, it was the first
lighthouse in the world and the tallest building in existence, with the exception of the Great Pyramid.

Description
The lighthouse was built on an island off the coast of Alexandria called Pharos. Its name, legend says, is a
variation of Pharaoh's Island. The island was connected to the mainland by means of a dike - the
Heptastadion - which gave the city a double harbor. The lighthouse was constructed of marble blocks
with lead mortar and was composed of three stages: The lowest square, 55.9 m (183.4 ft) high with a
cylindrical core; the middle octagonal with a side length of 18.30 m (60.0 ft) and a height of 27.45 m
(90.1 ft); and the third circular 7.30 m (24.0 ft) high. The total height of the building including the
foundation base was about 117 m (384 ft), the same as a 40-story modern building. On top of the tower
was a cylinder that extended up to an open cupola where where the fire that provided the light burned. On
the roof of the cupola was a large statue of Poseidon, while the lower portion of the building contained
hundreds of storage rooms. The interior of the upper two sections had a shaft with a dumbwaiter that was
used to transport fuel up to the fire. Staircases allowed visitors and the keepers to climb to the beacon
chamber. There, according to reports, a large curved mirror, perhaps made of polished metal, was used to
project the fire's light into a beam. It was said ships could detect the light from the tower at night or the
smoke from the fire during the day up to one-hundred miles away. The lighthouse's designer was a
famous architect, Sostrates of Knidos. Legend states that being proud of his work, Sostrates, desired to
 Dr U. DOKRAS PhD Stockholm

have his name carved into the foundation. Ptolemy II, the son who ruled Egypt after his father, refused
this request wanting his own name to be the only one on the building. Sostrates had the inscription:
SOSTRATES SON OF DEXIPHANES OF KNIDOS ON BEHALF OF ALL MARINERS TO THE
SAVIOR GODS

chiseled into the foundation, then covered it with plaster. Into the plaster was chiseled Ptolemy's name.
As the years went by the plaster aged and chipped away revealing Sostrates' declaration.

How long did it take to construct: The Lighthouse of Alexandria, sometimes called the Pharos of
Alexandria, was a lighthouse built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 280 and 247 BC which has been
estimated to be 100 metres in overall height. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, for many
centuries it was one of the tallest man-made structures in the world. Badly damaged by three earthquakes
between AD 956 and 1323, it then became an abandoned ruin. It was the third longest surviving ancient
wonder (after the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the extant Great Pyramid of Giza) until 1480, when
the last of its remnant stones were used to build the Citadel of Qaitbay on the site. In 1994, French
archaeologists discovered some remains of the lighthouse on the floor of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour.
The Ministry of State of Antiquities in Egypt has planned, as of late 2015, to turn submerged ruins of
ancient Alexandria, including those of the Pharos, into an underwater museum.

he lighthouse was constructed in the 3rd century BC. After Alexander the Great died, the first Ptolemy
(Ptolemy I Soter) announced himself king in 305 BC, and commissioned its construction shortly
thereafter. The building was finished during the reign of his son, the second Ptolemy (Ptolemy II
Philadelphus). It took twelve years to complete, at a total cost of 800 talents, and served as a prototype for
all later lighthouses in the world. The light was produced by a furnace at the top, and the tower was said
to have been built mostly with solid blocks of limestone.

Strabo reported that Sostratus had a dedication inscribed in metal letters to the "Saviour Gods". Later
Pliny the Elder wrote that Sostratus was the architect, which is disputed. In the second century AD the
satirist Lucian wrote that Sostratus inscribed his name under plaster bearing the name of Ptolemy. This
was so that when the plaster with Ptolemy's name fell off, Sostratus's name would be visible in the
stone.There are numerous rumors as to how the lighthouse fell. One story states that the lighthouse was
demolished through trickery. In 850 A.D. the Emperor of Constantinople, a rival port, devised a clever
plot to get rid of the Pharos. He spread rumors that buried under the lighthouse was a fabulous treasure.
When the Caliph at Cairo who controlled Alexandria heard these rumors, he ordered that the tower be
pulled down to get at the treasure. It was only after the great mirror had been destroyed and the top two
portions of the tower removed that the Caliph realized he'd been deceived. He tried to rebuild the tower,
but couldn't, so he turned it into a mosque instead. This story, however, is hard to believe since there are
texts stating that the lighthouse was still up and running in 1115 A.D. thus it couldn't have been destroyed
in 850. The most likely cause of the collapse was that in AD 956, an earthquake shook Alexandria, but
caused little damage to the Lighthouse. It was later in 1303 and in 1323 that two stronger earthquakes
causes the structure to collapse, sinking into the ocean. Finally in 1480 A.D. when the Egyptian
Mamelouk Sultan, Qaitbay, decided to fortify Alexandria's defense, he built a medieval fort on the same
spot where the Lighthouse once stood, using the fallen stone and marble. 1
Scholars have called the Lighthouse of Alexandria the only practical wonder since it served a utilitarian
purpose. We have plenty of information about it, but some are conflicting accounts. The story of the
lighthouse begins with Alexander the Great.

According to Plutarch, Alexander had a dream in which he was told to seek the small island of Pharos,
located just off the coast of ancient Egypt. He chose Ptolemy I Soter, one of his army's generals, to settle
 Dr U. DOKRAS PhD Stockholm

the island. Ptolemy decided that Pharos needed something to identify it, both symbolically and literally --
its coast was difficult to navigate.

Some scholars credit the idea for the lighthouse to Ptolemy and others attribute it to the mouseion, a
governmental brain trust [source: Smithsonian]. Around 285 B.C., construction began. A man
named Sostrates of Knidos was instrumental to the process. By some accounts, he was the financial
backer for the project -- the lighthouse cost about 800 talents, bars of silver, equal to roughly three million
dollars [source: Princeton]. Other accounts identify him as the lighthouse's architect.
Even if we can't be sure of the lighthouse's architect, we are certain of its architecture. It was built with
marble and mortar and composed of three stories. The first level was rectangular, the second octagonal
and the third cylindrical. Perched atop the third story was a statue -- either of Zeus or Poseidon, god of the
sea. Records from Moorish travelers in the tenth century A.D. say that the lighthouse was 300 cubits high,
which converts to about 450 feet (137 meters).A spiral ramp led to its entrance. Carts and workhorses
could be led up to the first level to the hundreds of storage rooms. To access the upper levels, one had to
use the spiral staircase. Dumbwaiters lifted supplies to the highest tower.

German sculptors work on a sand replica of the pharos during a sand sculpting competition in

Ships could supposedly see the lighthouse from a hundred miles away [source: PharosLighthouse.org].
During the day, light was reflected from the sun with a concave metal disc; at night, light came from a
bonfire, fueled by firewood or dried animal dung. The lighthouse survived through more than
22 earthquakes before it came toppling down in 1303. The people of Pharos loved their lighthouse dearly -- it
was a source of power and revenue for the island. They attempted to repair and restore the lighthouse
throughout the ninth and thirteenth centuries when it became clear that it could no longer be saved.
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Today, a fort stands on its site. The identity of Pharos became so enmeshed with the lighthouse that the
lighthouse became alternately known as the Pharos of Alexandria. "Pharos" is also the root of the word
"lighthouse" in several languages. And our knowledge of the lighthouse continues to grow after a 1994
archaeological scuba expedition found sunken remnants of the lighthouse.

‫الـمـنـــارة‬
Al-Manarah

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

Dr. Uday Dokras

LASTING LEGACY
Supposedly, Sostrates was so proud of his creation that he asked to inscribe his name on the lighthouse.
Ptolemy II, who had succeeded his father by the project's completion, refused Sostrates' request. Sostrates
inscribed his name anyway and covered it with a plaster inscription bearing Ptolemy's name. Over time, the
plaster weathered away, revealing his legacy. 2 The Alexandria Lighthouse was built by the Ptolemaic
Kingdom sometime between 280 and 247 BC.
Similarly the Angkor wat and the Borobudur stupa were constructions done to create a lasting legacy.
 Dr U. DOKRAS PhD Stockholm

Golden age of Khmer Civilization

Golden age of Khmer Civilization began they say with Suryavarman II – and the Angkor Wat temple
he laid the foundation to. The 12th century was a time of conflict and brutal power struggles.
Under Suryavarman II (reigned 1113–1150) the kingdom united internally  and the large temple of
Angkor was built in a period of 37 years: Angkor Wat, dedicated to the god Vishnu.

In the east, his campaigns against Champa, and Dai Viet, were unsuccessful,   though he
sacked Vijaya in 1145 and deposed Jaya Indravarman III.   The Khmers occupied Vijaya until 1149,
when they were driven out by Jaya Harivarman I. Suryavarman II sent a mission to the Chola
dynasty of south India and presented a precious stone to the Chola emperor Kulottunga Chola I in
1114.

Another period followed in which kings reigned briefly and were violently overthrown by their
successors. Finally, in 1177 the capital was raided and looted in a naval battle on the Tonlé Sap
lake by a Cham fleet under Jaya Indravarman IV, and Tribhuvanadityavarman was killed.

Jayavarman VII – Angkor Thom

 Dr U. DOKRAS PhD Stockholm
Portrait statue of Jayavarman VII/Bronze replica of one of the twenty-three stone images sent by King
Jayavarman VII to different parts of his kingdom in 1191/Bayon, the state temple located at the center of
Jayavarman VII's capital, Angkor Thom
King Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181–1219) was generally considered Cambodia's greatest king.
He had already been a military leader as a prince under the previous kings. After the Cham had
conquered Angkor, he gathered an army and regained the capital. He ascended the throne and
continued the war against the neighbouring eastern kingdom for another 22 years, until the
Khmer defeated Champa in 1203 and conquered large parts of its territory. According to Chinese
sources, Jayavarman VII added Pegu to the territory of the Khmer Empire in 1195.
Jayavarman VII stands as the last of the great kings of Angkor, not only because of his
successful war against the Cham, but also because he was not a tyrannical ruler in the manner of
his immediate predecessors. He unified the empire and carried out noteworthy building projects.
The new capital, now called Angkor Thom (literally: "Great City"), was built. In the centre, the
king (himself a follower of Mahayana Buddhism) had constructed as the state temple the
Bayon,with towers bearing faces of the boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara, each several metres high,
carved out of stone. Further important temples built under Jayavarman VII were Ta Prohm for
his mother, Preah Khan for his father,   Banteay Kdei, and Neak Pean, as well as the reservoir
of Srah Srang. An extensive network of roads was laid down connecting every town of the
empire, with rest-houses built for travelers and a total of 102 hospitals established across his
realm.

Jayavarman VIII – the last blooming

After the death of Jayavarman VII, his son Indravarman II (reigned 1219–1243) ascended the
throne. Like his father, he was a Buddhist, and he completed a series of temples begun under his
father's rule. As a warrior he was less successful. In the year 1220, under mounting pressure from
increasingly powerful Đại Việt, and its Cham alliance, the Khmer withdrew from many of the
provinces previously conquered from Champa. In the west, his Thai subjects rebelled,
establishing the first Thai kingdom at Sukhothai and pushing back the Khmer. In the following
200 years, the Thais would become the chief rivals of Kambuja.
Flip flop of religions: Indravarman II who was a Buddhist was succeeded by Jayavarman
VIII (reigned 1243–1295). a follower of Hindu Shaivism and an aggressive opponent of
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Buddhism. He again reverted many Buddhist temples to Hindu temples. Jayavarman VIII's rule
ended in 1295 when he was deposed by his son-in-law Srindravarman (reigned 1295–1309) who
was a  Theravada Buddhist. In August 1296, the Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan arrived
at Angkor and his account informs us that the towers of the Bayon were once covered in gold.

LIGHTHOUSE to the EMPIRE

The seeds, however, were sown by the man with a grandiose vision and even bigger
ambitions-Jayavarman II  (reigned c. 802–850) was a 9th-century king
of Cambodia/Kambojadesa, widely recognized as the founder of the Khmer Empire, the
dominant civilisation on the Southeast Asian mainland until the mid 15th century. He was a
powerful Khmer king who overthrew the rule of the Shailendra Dynasty from Java. Historians
formerly dated his reign as running from 802 AD to 835 AD. Jayavarman II founded many
capitals such as Mahendraparvata, Indrapura (Khmer), Amarendrapura, and Hariharalaya. Before
Jayavarman II came to power, there was much fighting among local overlords who ruled
different parts of Cambodia. The country was not unified under one ruler. No inscriptions by
Jayavarman II have been found. Future kings of the Khmer Empire described him as a warrior
and the most powerful king from that time frame that they can recall. His reign began with the
grandiose consecration ritual conducted on sacred Mount Mahendraparvata, now known as Phnom
Kulen. At that ceremony Prince Jayavarman II was proclaimed a universal monarch (Kamraten jagad ta
Raja in Cambodian) or God King (Deva Raja in Sanskrit). These two titles were taken simultaneously or
preceded each other is not clear. I sjubscribe to the theoreu that he became DEVARAJA King of the Gods
and was ;posthumously made Chakravartin. ( See my paper titled Chakravartin on academia.edu) and
whether   jagad ta Raja  was something that followed the DEVRAJA title or separate title he toon later on
is not clear. ( whether he took theat title itself is contentious).
The Sdok Kok Thom Inscription, (1052AD) one of the world’s ancient testaments. recovered at a ruined
temple of the same name in Thailand close to the Cambodian border is a the 340-line chronicle that
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unlocks the early history of the Khmer Empire. The founding of an empire, the settling of frontier lands, a
king’s gifting of gold pitchers and black-eared stallions to a Brahmin priest – these and other remarkable
stories come down to us in it. 1

His coronation on Mount Kulen and later building activities were all made to galvanize the
people. Especially so since he came from another place.. He could have been of aristocratic birth,
“For the prosperity of the people in this perfectly pure royal race, great lotus which no longer has
a stalk, he rose like a new flower,” declares one inscription. Various other details are recounted
in inscriptions: he married a woman named Hyang Amrita; and he dedicated a foundation at
Lobok Srot, in the southeast.

._______________________________________________________________________

Stories in Stone: The Sdok Kok Thom Inscription & the Enigma of Khmer History Kindle Edition
by John Burgess  (Author)  Format: Kindle Edition

Once established in the Angkor region, he appears to have reigned not only in Hariharalaya,
located just north of the Tonle Sap lake, but also at a place that inscriptions call Amarendrapura.
It has not been positively identified, though some historians believe it to be a now lost settlement
at the western end of the West Baray, the eight kilometer-long holy reservoir that was built about
two centuries after his death. No single temple is positively associated with Jayavarman, but
some historians suggest he may have built Ak Yum, a brick stepped pyramid, now largely
ruined, at the southern edge of the West Baray. The temple was a forerunner to the mountain-
temple architectural form of later Khmer kings.
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This king of kinds business and also the King of Gods (Vishnu) business was extended by the
following dynasties. It is quite probable that Angkor was designed as a modest sized temple but
succeeding King added more and more.
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The many LIGHTHOUSES of the South East Asian skies

Dr U. DOKRAS PhD Stockholm