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Hello, early in the 12th century, Syria Barman II commissioned Ankur Wat in modern-day

Cambodia.

It's the largest and arguably the most astonishing religious structure on Earth.

It has as much stone in it as an Egyptian pyramid, yet surfaces are intricately carved

and much is remarkably well preserved.

And for the last 900 years, it's been a central religion of Hinduism, Buddhism and

Animism often together and a source of wonder to Cambodians and visitors from around the

world.

When we did discuss Ankur Wat are, before, hang a postdoctoral scholar at the Kotsun Institute

and the program for early modern Southeast Asia at UCLA, Simon Warwick, a stone conservator

who has worked extensively at Ankur Wat and Ashley Thompson, Hiram W. Woodwood chair

of Southeast Asian Art at SOS University of London.

Ashley Thompson, I mentioned him at the start, but who was Syria Barman II?

So, Syria Barman is, it's actually a Sanskrit compound and it literally means he who is

protected by the sun.

So it's the reign name of a man, hearking from a Khmer royal line whose family heartlands

were situated in the Mun River Valley of what is now northeastern Thailand.

...