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perhaps a survival of a Brahminical custom formerly in use among the ancient Khmer.
I have explained already that Buddhism flourished side by side with Hinudism, each pursuing its own way. Probably at times, when a monument fell into decay, no matter of what denomination it may have been, some benefactor came forward and restored it according to his taste and denomination, which would account for the phenomena of Buddhist sanctuaries becoming Hindu, and vice versa. Such an example may be cited in Siam. At Sukhōdaya, there used to be a Hindu monastery called Sivāya, which has now become the Buddhist monastery still called Wat Sri Savāy; and later still, a Christian Church built by Phaulcon at Lobburi has now become Buddhist. Anyhow it must never be concluded that these changes could have been due to any form of religious persecution.
In connection with the above, I wish to draw your attention to a certain contention found in many works on Angkor by western scholars, who attribute the ruin of these mighty cities and monuments to the Siamese invasions of Cambodia, almost implying that these monuments would have remained in perfect condition even to these days, had it not been for us⟨.⟩ After seeing them, I could not help wondering whether after all they would have so remained even if there had been no Siamese invasion. One must not forget that the Cambodians changed their capital more than ten times. But even if Angkor had remained their Capital without interruption down to the present day, I still doubt if they would have been able to preserve those monuments in good condition. In Bangkok to-day, in what one may call a period at the height of prosperity, we are nevertheless unable to keep even in fair condition all our sanctuaries — even though they are far fewer in number and smaller in every way than those of Angkor. As I have shown above, when explaining the apparent changes in the religion of these monuments, there was need already, while the Khmer power was still flourishing, of repairs. How much more so would have been the case when Khmer power waned and declined. Even the Cathedral of St. Paul's in London, built long after Angkor, is in need of repairs, and I see in
