书城外语一本书读懂消失的文明:英汉对照
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第41章 吴哥——徘徊在丛林天堂的千年奥秘(3)

The temple’s modern name, Banteay Srei — citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty — is probably related to the exquisite relief carvings found on the walls and the tiny dimensions of the buildings themselves. Some have speculated that it relates to the many devatas carved into the walls of the buildings.

女王宫:精致的浮雕及小巧的建筑

女王宫是一座10世纪建造的供奉印度教湿婆神的寺庙,它位于吴哥通王城东北的荔枝山附近。女王宫的建筑规模小巧,当与吴哥的标准建筑相比时更显得精巧,这就使得女王宫得到了“高棉艺术宝石”的美誉。女王宫是当时吴哥唯一非国王所建的主要庙宇,它的建造被归功于效忠罗真陀罗跋摩国王的一位大臣。亚恩雅瓦拉哈既是一位学者也是一名慈善家,他热衷于救助人民于病痛、冤屈或贫苦。

庙宇现在的名字“女王宫”意为女人大本营或美女大本营,其可能是由于建筑墙面装饰的精致浮雕及建筑规模的小巧而得名,有人也猜测此名得自于刻在墙面上的飞天女神们。

Phnom Kulen:A holy mountain in Cambodia

The Phnom Kulen is located 30 km northwards from Angkor Wat. Its name means "mountain of the lychees". There is a sacred hilltop on top of the range. Phnom Kulen is considered a holy mountain in Cambodia, of special religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists who come to the mountain in pilgrimage.It also has a major symbolic importance for Cambodians as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire, for it was at Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarma II proclaimed independence from Java in 804 AD.

The site is known for its carvings representing fertility and its waters which hold special significance to Hindus. Just 5 cm under the water’s surface, over 1000 small carvings are etched into the sandstone riverbed. The waters are regarded as holy, given that Jayavarman II chose to bathe in the river, and had the river diverted so that the stone bed could be carved. Carvings include a stone representation of the Hindu god Vishnu laying on his serpent Ananta, with his wife Lakshmi at his feet. A lotus flower protrudes from his navel bearing the god Brahma. The river then ends with a waterfall and a pool.

Near these mountains is Preah Ang Thom, a 16th century Buddhist monastery notable for the giant reclining Buddha, the country’s largest.The Samre tribe was formerly living at the edge of Phnom Kulen, quarrying sandstone and transporting it to the royal sites.The Khmer Rouge used the location as a final stronghold as their regime came to an end in 1979.

荔枝山:柬埔寨的神圣之山

荔枝山坐落于距离吴哥窟北边的30公里处,其名字的意思是“长满荔枝的山”。那里有一座神圣的山顶。荔枝山被认为是柬埔寨的神圣之山,对于前来朝圣的印度教徒和佛教徒来说具有特殊的宗教意义。这座山作为古代高棉帝国的发源地对于柬埔寨也有着重要的象征意义,因为在公元840年,国王阇耶跋摩二世就是在荔枝山上宣布脱离爪哇独立的。

该遗址以其代表着对印度有着特殊意义的雕刻作品而著称。在水面之下5厘米处,有一千多个小雕像被蚀刻进砂岩河床当中。水被视为神圣之物,因为耶跋摩二世选择在河里洗澡,并对河流进行了改道,以至于这里的石床都被雕刻上图案。雕刻作品包括一块石头雕像,描述的是印度教神毗湿奴躺在他的蛇床阿南塔的身上,他的妻子拉克希米躺在他的脚下,一朵莲花从神梵天露出的肚脐眼上吐出花蕾。河流的尽头是瀑布和游泳池。

在山脉附近有一座波列昂通寺,那是16世纪的佛教寺院,以其拥有全国最大的巨型卧佛而著称。色玛部落以前就生活在荔枝山的边缘地带,他们采集石砂岩并运送到皇宫地带。1979年,当红色高棉的统治接近尾声的时候,曾经将这个地方作为他们最后的据点。

Neak Pean:The magical lake that can cure all illness

Neak Pean at Angkor, Cambodia is located on a circular island in Preah Khan Baray built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. The name is derived from the sculptures of snakes running around the base of the temple structure.

Some historians believe that Neak Pean represents Anavatapta, a mythical lake in the Himalayas whose waters are thought to cure all illness. Neak Pean was originally designed for medical purposes, as it is one of the many hospitals that Jayavarman VII built. It is based on the ancient Hindu belief of balance. Four connected pools represent Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. The ancients believed that going into these pools would balance the elements in the bather, thus curing disease. In the middle of the four healing ponds is the central water source. There is a statue of Balaha, as a symbol of drowning prevention.

圣龙蟠水池:包治百病的神奇湖泊

柬埔寨吴哥的圣龙蟠水池,是国王耶跋摩七世统治期间建造的,它位于圣剑寺内的圆形岛屿上,水池的名字来源于围绕寺院的基础结构雕塑——一些爬行的蛇。

有历史学家认定,圣龙蟠水池代表阿耨达池,那是喜马拉雅山上的一个神秘的湖泊,人们认为那里的湖水可以治疗百病。最初设计圣龙蟠水池确实是为了医疗用途,因为它是耶跋摩七世建造的众多医院之一。水池是根据有关万物平衡的古代印度教信仰建立起来的,四个相继连接的水池分别代表水、地球、风与火。古人认为,在这些水池里洗澡可以调理身体元素的平衡,从而治疗疾病。这四个治病水池的水源来自于正中央的大水池,有一座飞马雕像,象征着预防溺水。

波斯名城波斯波利斯,位于现在伊朗扎格罗斯山区的一盆地中,始建于公元前522年,即大流士一世开始其统治的时候,前后共花费了60年的时间,历经三个朝代才得以完成。这座城市不但是当时波斯帝国的心脏,而且是存储帝国财富的巨大仓库。公元前330年,亚历山大大帝攻占了这里,在疯狂的掠夺之后无情地将整个城市付之一炬,以报当年波斯人火烧雅典之仇。