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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. |
