Prince N. Ranariddh welcomed India-ASEAN car rally...
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World ; Princely welcome for rally
3 Hour,20 minutes Ago
World News, Siem Reap (Cambodia),Girls dressed like apsaras, in gold and
silver, posed above the ruins of the ancient temple of Bayon and giant lanterns
rose to the sky as Cambodia welcomed participants of the first India-ASEAN car
rally here.
"Welcome to Cambodia, we are delighted that you could come," said Prince
Norodom Ranariddh, brother of King Norodom Sihamoni and president of Cambodia's
National Assembly.
"You have travelled far; tonight we celebrate with you on this joyful
occasion," said Ranariddh, whose surprise appearance at the dinner and cultural
evening late on Monday night at Bayon elevated the celebration to a higher and
more prestigious plane.
This is the first time that the ruins of Bayon, built in the late 12th century
by King Jayavarman VII, with its gigantic stone faces and 37 towers, had been
lit in recent times.
"This is momentous," said Pradeep Kumar Kapur, India's ambassador to Cambodia.
"This is the way the ancient kings received guests from afar. This is as royal
a welcome as any."
The girls stood, silent and stiff, the gold of their costumes glittering
against the stones high up on the walls of Bayon. Beside them, on the ground,
dancers beat wooden staffs covered with bright coloured cloth.
Along the pathway that led from the apsaras to the Terrace of Elephants, where
kings once watched elephant fighting, scores of oil lamps were placed on wooden
stick-carriers planted on the ground.
The uneven faces of Bayon - which some say represent Loksvara, Mayana
Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva or a combination of the Buddha and
Jayavarman VII - looked on, their large eerie eyes glowingly in the yellow
light.
"This is the sort of welcome one has always only read about but never dreamt it
would happen," said Rajat Majumdar, head of the rally. "Now it is happening."
Angkor beer flowed as guests watched shadow puppetry depicting the battle of
Mahabharata and listened to traditional Khmer music while nibbling on the most
delectable fish, meat and vegetables, finishing with chocolate truffle and
fresh fruits.
"We believe that now is the time for more and more tourists across Southeast
Asia to discover each other's heritage," said Lay Prohas, Cambodia's minister
for tourism.
Added Tea Banh, deputy prime minister and co-minister of the ministry of
defence: "We see more cooperation not only between India and Cambodia but
across all the countries of Southeast Asia."
Around them the darkness of the thick jungle melted away and the light from the
lanterns floating above shone benevolently on the party and on the bas-reliefs
on the southern wall of the ruins that depict the sea battle between the Khmers
and the Chams, of modern day Vietnam.
"This is magical," said Dana Steinheimer, a rally participant.
Indo-Asian News Service