The Confluence of Two Cultures - India and Cambodia (Angkor Wat)
Aa Ka Ma Boi, Paana Gua Thoi, Paana Gua Toro, Masaka Dharama Moro This incantation reverberates on the banks of River Mahanadi on the day of Kartik Purnima as thousands of people descend to the banks to sail paper, straw and bamboo boats celebrating the history of Bali Jatra. The sailing of boats heralds Odisha biggest festival after Rath Yatra - the Bali Yatra at Cuttack. At the turn of the last millennium, Odisha, or Kalinga as it was known then, was a major sea faring nation and controlled many of the sea routes for trading in South East Asia. Its influence spread far and wide, from Sri Lanka to the Malay peninsula, Bali, Sumatra, Cambodia. One can still witness the many similarites of culture and architecture in Bali and Cambodia with Kalinga. One spectacular result of this confluence of cultures is the World-renowned Angkor Wat temple at Cambodia. A model of Angkor Wat in Cambodia As one gets off a bus and looks onto the grand Angkor Wat temple near Siam Rep in C...