 True to Indian traditions, where it is difficult to separate myth from history, Cambodia's founding too has been left at the mercy of mythical legends. Chinese writings and Sanskrit inscriptions give legitimacy to a thousands of years-old tale in which a young North Indian Kambhuj Brahmin, Cordyna, discovered Cambodia. The place was called after him as Kambhujah. French rulers stuck to this name and called it Kamphuj. Located in the town of Siam Reap, Angkor is a temple kingdom whose period spanned between 802 and 1432 AD. A marvel in stone and vision, it is spread over an area of 200 square kilometers and is grander and bigger than any such edifice in the world. It is here that one experiences the continuity that runs between Hinduism and Buddhism. Lord Buddha is shown as the 9th avatar of Lord Vishnu. Indian temple architecture may be its inspiration but Angkor Wat is very different and very Khmer. Unlike Hindu temples that face east, Angkor Wat has its back to the sun. Angkor Thong was the capital of the Khmer kings. Early travelers called it a city that was bigger than even ancient Rome with a population of about 1 million. The houses of mortals that were made of wood could not survive time but the rock built a board of gods could. The charm and mystery of Angkor have been heightened by the fact that for hundreds of years it was lost inside the thick tropical Cambodian forests. Putting Angkor together again required patience and commitment of conservationists. But all their good work seemed to go waste during the 1970s and 80s. In power for three years, the Khmer Rouge destroyed the Cambodian society by ravaging cities and transporting the country back to the Stone Age. More than 2 million Cambodians died in the killing fields of Cambodia. Every institution of the state was destroyed. The existence of historical sites like Angkor and Chisur felt threatened by an anarchist philosophy. After the war ended, the country's leadership began the painful process of reconstruction. The Indian government sent a team of archaeologists to restore Angkor and its environs. There were hostile times. The Indians negotiated live mines, armed bandits and nature and restarted its restoration. Not surprisingly, the Ganga Mekong Cooperation Pact was an outcome of all the countries that share a common land mass – India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laopedia, Cambodia and Vietnam to build on the collapse of flawed Cold War foreign policies that distanced neighbors. For thousands of years, great rivers like the Mekong and the Ganga served as guides to a better world. They carried people and ideas to places which were agriculturally and civilizationally more fertile. Great civilizations and prosperous city-states were an outcome of nature's way to navigate people's destiny. In a world where ethnicity and culture have acquired greater primacy, the ancient bonds between the people of the two basins could serve as a starting point of a new order.