BAPHUON TEMPLE

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Baphuon temple is west of the road to the Dei Chhnang Gate and near the Bayon temple. The temple was built in the 11th century, around 1060, by King Udayadatiyavarman II (AD 1050-1066), dedicating to Brahmanism. The highlight of the temple is a bas-reliefs, which differ fro most others as they are vignettes carve in small stone square set one above the other on the temple walls, similar to tiling. Unfortunately few of these are visible because of the poor states of the temple.
Baphuon is a single temple-mountain sanctuaries situated on a high bas symbolizing Mount Meru. A rectangular sandstone wall measuring 425 by 125 meter encloses the temple. A special feature is the 200 meters long elevated eastern approach supported by three rows of short. Round columns forming a bridge to the main temple. Originally, a central tower shrine with four porches crowned the peak, but it collapsed long ago. The first, second and third levels are surrounded by concentric sandstone galleries.

KRAVAN TEMPLE

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Kravan temple is located east of Angkor Wat and south of Banteay Kdei. The temple was built in 921 during the reign of King Harshavarman I43 (AD 910-923), dedicated to Vishnu Brahmanism. It may have been built in high court officials. Although this temple look small and somewhat undistinguished from the outside, it contains some remarkable brick sculptures on its interior walls which stand alone as unique example in Khmer art.


The interior of two of the five tower has sculptures depicting Vishnu and his consort, Lakshmi, the scene is the central tower is the most impressive, but both are exceptional in statue and quality of workmanship. The five brick towers are in a row on one platform which is decorate with carved, sandstone, lintels and columns. All the tower open to the east.

PHNOM BA KHENG TEMPLE

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Phnom Ba Kheng7 temple was built on a national hill. Commonly referred to as temple-mountain because it is an earthly facsimile of Mount Meru, it is located on the left side of the road from with Angkor Wat to Angkor Thom and attracts scores of tourists who come to watch the sunset or sunrise. The temple was cut from the rock that formed the natural centuries, during the reign of King Yasovarman I8 (AD 889-910), dedicating to Shiva Brahmanism. Phnom Ba Kheng is 65 meters high and temple has 109 towers. Phnom Ba Kheng temple was a replica of Moun Meru and the number of towers suggests a cosmic symbolism. The seven levels––ground , five tiers, upper terrace––of the monument represent the seven heavens of Indra in Brahmanism mythology.
The temple must have been a spectacular site in its entirety because originally 108 towers were evenly spaced around the tiers with yet another one, the central sanctuary, at the apex of them all. Today, however, most of these towers have collapsed . besides the central sanctuary, there were 4 towers on the upper terrace, 12 on each of the five levels of the platform, another 44 towers around the 12-years cycle of the animals zodiac. It is also possible that the numerology of the 108 towers symbolizes the 4 lunar phase with the 24 days in each phase. The arrangement allows for only 33 of the tower to be seen from each side, a figure that corresponds with the number of Brahmanism deities.

At the top of the hill, Phnom Ba Kheng is set on a tiered platform of five levels. There are stairways of a very steep gradient on all four sides. Seated lions flank the step at each of the five levels. The complex is surrounded by a laterite rampart with gopura. beyond there is a small two lingams. A modern footprint of the Buddha is in the west on either side of the part.

At the top most platform of 76 meters square and 13 meters high, five tower are arranged in quincunx. The central tower once contained the lingam to which the temple was dedicated. It opens to all our cardinal points. The remaining our sanctuaries also sheltered lingams on pedestals and open on two sides. The central sanctuaries is decorate with female divinities set in inches at the corner of the temple which have delicately carved bands of foliage above, the pilasters are finely worked and have raised interlacing of figurines. The makaras on the tympanums are lively and strongly executed. The decoration above the door is well-preserved showing a panel of foliated cusp with side of the north door of the central sanctuary.

According to an inscription on the temple, Phnom Ba Kheng was the center of the city of Yasodharapura. This fact was verified in the late 9th century with the discovery of and old rampart. This temple is originally called yasodharakiri9. later it was known as Phnom Kandal10. It might have been called Phnom Kandal because it was built in the center of the city Yasodharapura or because it is between Phnom Bok and Phnom Krom. Today, visitors refer to the temple as Phnom Ba Kheng. This name was found on an inscription in the temple in 16th century.

PREAH KHAN TEMPLE

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Preah Khan temple is located 2 kilometers north-east of Angkor Thom on the Grand Circuit. The Temple was built in the second half of the12th century in ad 1191 by King Jayavarman VII, dedicating to his father Dharanindravarman. The Buddhist complex covers 56 hectares served as the nucleus of a group that includes Neak Pean and Ta Som, located 4 kilometers long Jayatataka Baray–the last of the great reservoir to be built in Angkor. The inscription indicates that Preah Khan was built on the battle site where King Jayavarman VII finally defeated the Chams. In those days it was known as Nagarajayacri which mean the city of Preah Khan. Four concentric ramparts subdivide Preah Khan.

The outer or fourth wall, which is encircled by a wide moat, today encloses a large tract of jungle, formerly the living quarters of the monks, students and attendants of Preah Khan. The second rampart delineated the principle religious compound of temple and shrines. The central complex is Buddhist. The northern and western sectors are dedicated to Brahmanism–Vishnu (west) an Shiva (north), whilst the southern sector is a place of ancestor worship. The eastern sector forms the grand entrance to the central shrine. A place or a king located near Preah Khan temple is called Veal Reacheak or Preah Reachea Dak . It is 1,500 meters long and 1,200 meters wide. Nearby about 700 meters north of Preah Khan temple along the road to Angkor Thom district is another small temple called Ptu. The temple was made of laterite.

BAYON TEMPLE

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The Bayon Temple is located in the center of Angkor Thom. The temple is one of the most popular sites in the Angkor complex. It was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries by King Jayavarman VII. The architectural composition of the Bayon exudes grandness in every aspect. Over 200 large faces carved in the 54 towers give this temple its majestic character, which at that time represents the 54 provinces in debated by scholars and some think they represent the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, in keeping with the Buddhist character of the temple, it is generally accepted that the four faces on each o the towers are images of King Jayavarman VII and signify the omnipresence of the King.
The plan of the Bayon is presented on three separate levels. The first and second levels contain galleries featuring the bas-reliefs. A 16-sides central sanctuary dominates the third level, which is cruciform in plan. Despite this seemingly simple plan, the layout of the Bayon is complex due to later addition, a maze of galleries, passage and steps, connected in a way that makes the levels practically indistinguishable and creates dim lighting, narrow walkways and ceiling.


Besides the architecture and the smiling faces, the highlight of Bayon is undoubtedly the bas-reliefs. The bas-reliefs on the inner gallery are mainly mythical scenes, whereas those on the outer gallery are a marked departure from anything previously seen at Angkor. They are unique and contain genre scenes of everyday life–markets, fishing, festivals with cockfights and jugglers and so on–and historical scenes with battles and processions. The bas-relies are more deeply carved than at Angkor Wat. But the representation is less stylized. The scene are presented mostly in two or three horizontal panels. The lower one, with an unawareness of the law of perspective, shows the foreground, whereas the upper tier presents scene of the horizon. they both exhibit a wealth of creativity. Description of the bas-reliefs in this guide follow the normal route for viewing the Bayon. They begin in the middle of the east gallery and continue clockwise. Visitors should keep the monument on their right.

Banteay Srei Temple

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Banteay Srei Temple is located in Banteay Srei village, Banteay Srei commune, Banteay Srei district, about 32 kilometers from Siem Reap provincial town. The temple was built in the second half of the 10th century during the reign of King Rajendravarman and King Jayavarman V, dedicating to Brahmanism. the citadel of the Samre. Samre refers to an ethic group of mountain people, who inhabited the region at the base of Phnom Kulen and were probably related to the Khmers. In the past, the people who lived in Pradak village were Samre.

Even now, it is believed that some the people living in the Pradak village are descendants of the Samre, whose primary job was to guard the temple. Moreover, Samre people living in the Cardamon Mountains say they are descendants of the people who lived at Angkor and perhaps, at Banteay Samre . Therefore, the name Banteay Samre related to history, to legend and to the form and location of the temple. The special charm of this temple lies in its remarkable state of preservation, small size and excellence of decoration. Some unanimous archaeologists say that Banteay Srei is a precious gem and a jewel in Khmer art. Banteay Srei, as it is known by locals, was originally called Isvarapura, according to inscription.

It was built by a Brahmin of royal descent who was spiritual teacher to King Jayavarman V. a special feature of the exquisite decoration was use of hard pink sandstone ( quartz arenite) which enabled the technique of sandstone carving. Architectural and decorative feature of Banteay Srei are unique and exceptionally fine. A tapestry-like background of foliage cover the walls of the structures in the central group as if a deliberate attempt has been made to leave no space undecorated. The architecture is distinguished by triple superimposed frontons with relief narrative scenes carved in the tympanums, terminal motifs on the frames of the arches, and standing figure in the niches. Panels are its execution has a liveliness compared to the rest of Angkor this is in miniature. The door of the central towers of architectures and decoration make up or any shortcomings in size. The temple is rectangular in plan and enclosed by three ramparts and a moat.

Only two of the ramparts are visible. The central area of the temple is the most important and the most beautiful. It is surrounding by the brick rampart has almost entirely collapsed. However, there are remnants on either side of the walkway in the central courtyard opening to the west. The three shrines arranged side by side in a north to south line standing on a common, low platform and opening to the east. The principle shrine in the central contained Shiva lingam, the shrine on the south was dedicated to Brahma, where as the one on the north honors Vishnu. All three central shrine are of a simple form with miniature replicas of the shrines are guarded by sculptures of mythical figure with human torsos and animal heads kneeling at the base of the stairs leading to the entrance. most of these figures are copies, the originals have been removed for safe-keeping.

ANGKOR WAT TEMPLE

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Angkor Wat1 is located about 7 kilometers north of Siem Reap provincial town along Komai or Charles De Gaul Road


The temple was built in the early 12th century during the reign of King Suryavarman II2 (AD 1113-1150) is unrivaled in its beauty and state of preservation. It is an expression of Khmer art at its highest point of development. Some believed Angkor Wat was designed by Divakaraandita, the chief adviser and minister of the king, dedicating to Vishnu Brahmanism. The Khmers attribute the building of Angkor Wat to the divine architect Visvakarman. There has been considerable debate amongst scholars as to whether Angkor Wat was built as a temple or a tomb. Angkor Wat, according to Cœdés, is a replica of the universe in stone and represents an earthly model of the monument symbolizing the mythical Mount Meru, situated at the peaks of Meru, the outer wall to the mountains at the edge of the world, and the surrounding moat in the oceans beyond.

Originally, the temple was called Prasat Paramavishnuloka. However, the evolution of the name Angkor Wat can be drawn by history. The first proof existed in the 16th century, when the temple become a well-known Buddhist place. According to a 16th century inscription, its name was Preah Mohanokor Indrabrat Preah Visnuloka. In a 17th inscription , it was called Indrabratnokor Sreisodhara Vishnuloka3. Angkor Wat was a simple name to refer to this holy place. Khmer people, especially those living in and around Siem Reap, often refer to Angkor Toch. However, European authors decided on a common name, Angkor Wat. Nevertheless, its original name has not been forgotten and is known by many people.

Angkor Wat covers a rectangular area of about 200 hectares defined by a laterite rampart which is surrounded by a moat that is 200 meters wide. The perimeter of the rampart measures 5,5 kilometers. The moat is crossed by a huge causeway built of sandstone blocks 250 meters high. With its massive built by the gods rather than by man.

The temple begins with a sandstone terrace in the shape of a across. Giant stone lions on each side of the terrace guard the monument. End of the causeways at the gopura4 with trees towers of varying heights, of which much of the upper sections have collapsed. A long, covered gallery with square columns and a vaulted roof extends along the moat to the left and right of the gopura.

The causeway leads to the cruciform gopura or entry towers. The gateways at ground level in each end of the gallery probably served as passages for elephants, horses, and carts, whereas the other entrances are accessed by step and lead onto the central promenade. From the entrance turn right and walk along the columned gallery to the end, where the quality of the carving and intricacy of decoration on the false door is of exceptional beauty.

Continue eastward along the raised walkway of equally imposing posing proportions with is 35 meters long and 9 meters wide. A low balustrade formed by short columns supporting the scaly body of a naga borders each side. Along the causeway, the ceremonial stairs wit platforms always in pairs to the left and the right. The naga balustrade also flames the stairs. There are two buildings, so-called libraries, stand in the courtyard on the left and right, just past the middle of the causeway. In the front of the libraries are two ponds, which are 65 meters long and 50 meters wide, ingeniously placed to capture the reflection of the towers in the water one is usually dry.
The architectural triumph on the walkway is the cruciform shape Terrace of Honor, just in front of the principle gopura of Angkor Wat. Ritual dance were performed on this terrace and it may also have been where the king viewed procession and received foreign dignitaries. From the viewed of this terrace there is a fine view of the famous gallery of bas-reliefs on the first platform level.

The cross-shaped galleries provide the link between the first and second levels. The unique architectural design consists of covered cruciform-shape galleries with square columns forming four courtyards each with paved basins and steps. Many of the pillars in the galleries of this courtyard have inscriptions written in galleries are two libraries of similar form, but smaller than the ones along the entrance causeway. There is a good view of the upper level of Angkor Wat from the northern one.

The gallery of 1,000 Buddha, on the right, once contained any images dating from the period when Angkor Wat was Buddhist, but only a few of these figures remain today. The Hall of Echoes, on the left, is so named because of its unusual acoustics. Return to the center of the cruciform-shaped galleries and continue walking eastward toward the central towers. The outer wall of the gallery of the second level, closest, is solid and undecorated, probably to create an environment for meditation by the priests and the king. The starkness of the exterior. Over1,500 apsara5 line the wall of the gallery, offering endless visual the spiritual enchantment.
Only the king and the high priest were allowed and the upper or third level of Angkor Wat. This level lacks the stately covered galleries of the other two, but as the base of the five central towers, one of which contains the most sacred image of the temple, it has an equally important role in the architectural scheme. Like all of Angkor Wat, statistics of this level are imposing. The square base is 60 meters long, 13 meters high, and rises over 40 steps each–one in the center of each side two at the corners–ascend at a 70-degree angle giving access to the topmost level.


The central sanctuary sores 42 meters above the upper level. Its height is enhanced by a tiered plinth. This central sanctuary originally had four porches opening to the cardinal direction and sheltered a statue of Vishnu. Today it is possible to make an offering to a modern image of the Buddha and light a candle in this sacred inner sanctum. The central core of the temple was walled up some time after the sacking of the Angkor in the middle of the 15th century. Nearly 500 years later French archaeologists discovered a vertical shat 27 meters deep with a hoard of gold objects at its base.

ANGKOR THOM TEMPLE

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Angkor Thom is the inner royal city, built by the end of the 12th century during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, shortly after Angkor had been conquered and burnt down by the Chams. This inner royal city was built as a quadrangle and bordered by a 100-metres-wide moat and an 8-metres-high wall. Angkor Thom is geometrically oriented: it covers an area which is an exact quadrangle; the sides of this quadrangle run exactly in North-South and East-West direction. A gate opens exactly in the middle of each wall, connecting, through a bridge over the moat, the royal city with the outside. Exactly in the center of Angkor Thom are the temple grounds of the Bayon.

The temple grounds have puzzled archaeologists because they do not fit the Hindu religion as does Angkor Wat. Therefore it is assumed that King Jayavarman VII introduced elements of the Buddhist faith into the religious system of Angkor, though it is assumed they were lost after his death.

The palace area of Angkor Thom is located directly to the North of the Bayon. Its basic features were laid out during the reign of King Suryavarman I, 150 years before the construction of Angkor Thom. From the center of the palace complex raised the Heavenly Palace, Phimeanakas. The king of the Khmer always used to spend the first part of each night in the uppermost part of this Heavenly Palace, where according to legend he had sexual intercourse with the sun queen.

Several high terraces inside Angkor Thom served primarily ceremonial purposes, among them cremations.

ANGKOR THOM
Angkor Thom is undeniably an expression of the highest genius. It is, in three dimensions and on a scale worthy of an entire nation, the materialization of Buddhist cosmology, representing ideas that only great painters would dare to portray.

BACKGROUND
Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, was a fortified cit enclosing residences of priest, officials of the palace and military, as well as buildings for administering the kingdom. These structures were built of wood and have perished but the remaining stone monuments testify that Angkor Thom was indeed a " Great City" as its name implies. Temples inside the walls of the city described in this book are. Bayon, Baphuon , Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Elephants , Terrace of the Leper King, Prah Palilay, Tep Pranam and Prasat Suor Prat.

The Royal Palace situated within the city of Angkor Thom is of an earlier date and belonged to kings of the tenth and first half of the tenth and first half of the eleventh centuries. Although the foundations and an enclosing wall around the palace with entry towers have been identified, little evidence remains of the layout of the buildings inside the enclosure. This absence of archaeological evidence of the royal buildings suggests that they were constructed of wood and have perished. The French ascertained a general plan of the Royal Palace (see map opposite). It included the temple-mountain of Phimeanakas and surrounding pools together with residences and buildings for administering the capital, which were probably at the back of the enclosure. Jayavarman VII reconstructed the original site of the Royal Palace Palace to erect the city of Angkor Thom, which was centered on the temple of Bayon and surrounded by a wall.

Zhou Daguan the Chinese emissary, who provided the only first-hand account o f the Khmer, described the splendor of Angkor Thom.

At the center of the Kingdom rises a Golden tower Bayon flanked by more than twenty lesser towers and several hundred stone chambers. On the eastern side is a golden bridge guarded by two lions of gold, one on each side, with eight golden Buddhas spaced along the stone chambers. North of the Golden Tower of Bronze [Baphuon], higher even than the Golden tower. A truly astonishing spectacle. With more than ten chambers at its base. A quarter of a mile further north is the residence of the King rising above his private apartments is another tower of gold, These are the monuments which have caused merchants from overseas to speak so often of "Cambodia the rich and noble "

Symbolically, Angkor Thom is a microcosm of the universe, divided into four parts by the main axes. The temple of the Bayon is situated at the exact center of the axes and stands as the symbolical link between heaven and earth. The wall enclosing the city of Angkor Thom represents the stonewall around the universe and the mountain ranges around Meru. The surrounding moat (now dry) symbolizes the cosmic ocean.

LAYOUT
The city of Angkor Thom consists of a square, each side of which is about three kilometers (1.9 miles) long a laterite wall 8 meters (26 feet) in height around the city encloses an are of 145.8 hectares (360 acres). A moat with a width of 100meters (328 feet) surrounds the outer wall. An entry tower and along causeway bisect each side of the wall except on the east where are two entrances. The additional one, called the "Gate of Victory "is aligned with the causeway leading to the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King. A small temple known as "Prasat Chrung' stands at each corner of the wall around the city of Angkor Thom. An earth embankment 25 meters (82 feet) wide supports the inner side of the wall and serves as a road around the city.

CAUSEWAY WITH STONE FIGURES
A long causeway leading to each entry tower is flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side demons on the right and gods on the left-to make a total of 108 mythical beings guarding the city of Angkor Thom. The demons have a grimacing expression and wear a military headdress whereas the gods look serene with their almond-shaped eyes and wear a conical headdress. (Some of the heads on these figures are copies; the original ones have been removed and are at the Angkor Conservancy in Siem Reap). A serpent spreads its nine heads in the shape of a fan at the beginning of the causeway. Its body extends the length of the causeway and is held by the gods and demons forming a serpent-like railing. It may symbolize the rainbow uniting the worlds of man and the gods. This representation is reinforced by the presence of Indra.

A small sandstone temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara occupies each corner of the wall enclosing the city of Angkor Thom. An inscription at the temple names Jayavarman VII as the builder and gives the charter of the foundation of the wall and moat of the city. Each temple is in the shape of a cross opens to the east with a porch on each side, and is crowned with a lotus-shaped top. Abase with two tiers supports the temple. Female figures in niches and false windows typical of the period decorate the exterior. The upper half of the window is sealed with laterite blocks in emulation of an awning; the lower half contains balusters.

ENTRY TOWERS
Through here all comers to the city had to pass, and in honor of this function it has been built in a style grandiose and elegant, forming a whole, incomparable in its strength and expression. The five entry towers are among the most photographed of all the ancient Cambodian ruins. Each sandstone tower rises 23 meters (75 feet) to the sky and is crowned with four heads, one facing each cardinal direction. The faces may represent the rulers of the four cardinal points at the summit of mount Meru.

The lower half of each gate is modeled like an elephant with three heads. Their trunks,, which serve as pillars, are plucking lotus flowers. The Hindu god Indra sits at the center of the elephant with an Apsara on each side. He holds a thunderbolt in his lower left hand.

Looking through the tower one can see a corbel arch, a hallmark of Khmer architecture. Inside, wooden crossbeams are visible and a sentry box stands on each side.