'Visnuloka' was the original name for 'Angkor Wat' one of the great wonders of the world which can be found within the lands of Cambodia whose ancient history was once a part of what historians call 'Greater India' and what traditionalists call 'Mahabharata'.

 

Vedic gods such as 'Visnu' and 'Siva' and 'Brahma' were installed as the main deities while the courtyards were ornamented with the figures of 'Garuda' and 'Surya' and 'Indra' and 'Airavata' and carved upon the walls were 'Apsaras' the dancing girls of heaven.

 

Cambodia has a long history of Kings from the Vedic culture of India and throughout the land we find Vedic and Sanskrit place names, especially its original names for the capital cities such as 'Hariharalaya' and 'Yasodharapura' and 'Mahendraparvata' and as we shall see the ancient Vedic culture can also be seen within its rivers.

 

 

 

'Mekong' is said to be the 6th largest river in Asia as it journeys from the Tibetan plateau through the lands of China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and into the South China Sea and as with much of this part of the world its name is Sanskrit.

 

'Mekong' translates as the 'mother of all rivers' a name which can be seen within 'Mae Phra Kongkha' a deity which can be seen to be worshipped within the lands of Thailand where 'mae' means 'mother' and 'kongkha' is the Thailand name for 'Ganga'.

 

'Mae Phra Kongkha' is a river goddess from Thailand who travels upon the back of a crocodile just as we have 'Mother Ganga' who also travels upon the back of a crocodile and so it seems that the 'konga' within 'Mekong' is none other than 'Ganga'.

 

'Mekong' also produces the 'Bassac' a major river within Cambodia whose Sanskrit name is formed from 'sakti' meaning 'power' and 'might' and also 'pa' whose meaning is to 'protect' to 'govern' and whose meaning is something like one who has the power ( sakti ) to protect ( pa ).

 

'Mongkol Borey' is a river within the lands of Cambodia which flows through the district of Mongkol Borey and its name which has been formed from the ancient language of Sanskrit bears the meaning of the auspicious ( mangala ) city ( puri ).

 

'Boribo' is a river within the green lands of Cambodia which journeys across the district of 'Baribour' which possesses the same name and whose origin is the ancient language of Sanskrit and whose meaning is the city ( puri ) of abundance ( bhara ).

 

 

'Saen' is a river which flows across the lands of ancient Cambodia and whose name has been formed from 'sena' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'soldier' hence the name of this river is said to mean the river of soldiers ( sena ).

 

'Tonle San' is a river which flows through the lands of Cambodia and Vietnam and a major tributary of the Mekong river and its original name was 'Sesan' a name which is found within the language of Sanskrit describing the celestial naga known as 'Sesa' and 'Sesan'.

 

'Pursat' is a province within Cambodia and also a major river which flows throughout the lands of Western Cambodia and its name which is formed from the language of Sanskrit bears the meaning of that which is an enlightened ( buddhi ) being ( sattva ).

 

 

"Indian art had accompanied Indian religion across straits and frontiers into Sri Lanka, Java, Cambodia, Siam, Burma, Tibet, Khotan, Turkestan, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan. In Asia all roads lead from India.” Will Durant (1885-1981) American historian.

 

"When we refer to 2000 year old ties which unite us with India, it is not at all a hyperbole. In fact, it was about 2000 years ago that the first navigators, Indian merchants, and Brahmins brought to our ancestors their gods, their techniques, their organization." Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia King of Cambodia 1941-55.

 

"This was the time of the great Indian expansion, when seafaring merchants fanned out across the Indian Ocean and brought to Southeast Asia a seething ferment of new ideas. From Burma to Indonesia, they established a chain of settlements along the coasts from which they traded for gold, precious stones, perfumes, and spices. The merchants brought with them their religion, Hinduism and Buddhism, their literary language, Sanskrit, their art and technology; and their science and mathematics." (source: Splendors of the Past: Lost Cities of the Ancient World - National Geographic Society. p.186-190).