It's Good To Be King!

“When the game is over, the King and the pawn go back into the same box.”  - Italian proverb

I love a good story, always have.  So imagine my delight to discover that, in addition to breathtakingly magnificent architecture and stunning countryside, my recent visit to Cambodia was going to be full of stories of gods and heroes, epic adventure, mystery, magic and, yes, tragedy.   It helped that our tour guide had a flare for the dramatic.  On the first day, taking us to Angkor Wat, the 12th century temple that remains the world’s largest religious building, she brought us in through the back entrance and across the moat “so that you can imagine you are all alone, discovering a lost temple in the jungle.”  

She kept us captivated by the stories carved on the temple walls, Hindu legends of love, adventure, and the search for immortality.  Angkor Wat was built in the 12th Century by Suryavaraman II, one of a line of Khmer “god kings” that started when Jayavarman II, who is credited with uniting the Khmer Empire, had himself declared “Chakravartin” or “king of kings” in the year 802.

A dazzling array of Khmer kings followed, with reigns marked by prosperity, religious tolerance, and the building of some of the most amazing temples anywhere in the world.     King Jayavarman VII, known as the king of all the god kings and the most prolific builder, shifted the official religion from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism and ruled in a golden age when all of his subjects, men and women, enjoyed rights to education, property ownership, and healthcare  There is even good evidence to suggest that his two wives, Queen Indradevi and Queen Jayarajadevi served as his chief counselors, taught in the monastery and ruled with him as equals.

Now I have to add, much of what is known about the Angkorian period is pieced together from the carvings in the temples and one 13th Century diary kept by a Chinese diplomat, so there is plenty of room for stories and speculation about how bucolic an existence it really was.  

One area that hovers on the line between history and legend involves the succession from one king to the next. It appears that in this Southeast Asian Camelot, there was no birthright to the throne.  Just because your dad was king didn’t necessarily give you a better shot at the job than any other clever and talented prince.  When it came time to decide, the princes vying for the role pitted their talents against each other and the Brahman would decide who would be king.  Our guide told us that there were ten kingly “qualities” a prince would have to show in order to be found worthy. 

So, what does it take to be an Angkorian god-king?  Well, the king must be honest, he must be a good judge of the people, and he must possess respect for the ancestors and respect for the religion.  In addition, the king has to be the best architect (to design the temples), the strongest, the best warrior (so he could command the army), the best chess player, and the best trainer of elephants.  Last but not least, a king must be handsome.

Actually, that doesn’t sound like a bad model for a 21st Century leader.  Handsomeness aside, the qualities required in an Angkorian king are all ones that could be cultivated with hard work and dedication.  And all of them, except maybe elephant training, would be a good basis for a successful life and compassionate leadership in any century.

Of course, we all know what happened in Cambodia.  The classical age of the Angkorian period was followed by a period known as the dark ages, then French Colonial rule, and decline into the chaos and destruction of the country and it’s people by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge.

Since 1979 the country and its people have been struggling to rebuild.  What kind of leadership does Cambodia need right now?  Although the golden dream of an Angkorian god king is tantalizing, our guide had a more practical take on the question.  She told me with a rueful chuckle that she would happily settle for a leader who possesses just two of the top four qualities.  Any two would do.  

And she is teaching her young nieces and nephews how to play chess.