Angkor Thom - Capital of King Jayavarman VII
"Angkor Thom" is a modern Khmer name and simply means "Great Angkor". Angkor Thom, covering a square of 3 kilometers, is a fortified city that was built by the Buddhist King Jayavarman VII as his new capital in the late 12th century, about half a century after the Angkor Wat had been constructed under Suryavarman II further south. The Bayon temple, famous for its numerous facetowers, formed the very centre of the new capital of Jayavarman VII. Four city gates with causeways crossing the moat mark the cardinal points of the city. A fifth gate to the east, known as Victory Gate, is in the axis of the Royal Palace. All city gates of Angkor Thom have giant Buddhist faces at their towers, too. Apart from the constructions from the so-called Bayon period, the reign of Jayavarman VII, there are several earlier edifices that had already been built in this area prior to the new fortified century. Most notably, the Baphuon was the largest temple of Angkor prior to the construction of Angkor Wat.
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Angkor Thom South Gate
The iconic South Gate is the best preserved and most famous of the five city gates of Angkor Thom, three of the others marking cardinal points of the quadrangular city of Angkor Thom, which has an additional fifth gate to the east, the Victory Gate. At times, the causeway in front of the South Gate can be rather crowded, as almost all Angkor round tours cross the gate and stop here for a photo.
Angkor Thom is 3 km long and 3 km wide, forming a perfect square. The moat surrounding the city walls is 100 m wide. All causeways had railings formed by the rows of giant sculptures carrying the long body of a serpent, whose seven heads rise fanwise. However, the impressive railings can not be seen any more at the East and West Gates and at the North Gate and Victory Gate not in auch a good state of preservation as at the South Gate. Each row of giants consist of 54 scupltures, altogether 108 at one causeway, 108 being a holy number in Indian mythology in general and in Mahayana Buddhism in particular. The set of giant sculptures is almost complete at the South Gate of Angkor Thom, but some heads are missing and others had to be replaced by concrete copies of originals that are kept in museums.
The eastern railing depicts Ashura demons with grim faces. They can be easily identified because of the grimacing expressions of their faces. In contrast, the 54 gods at the western railing look friendly. The most common interpretation is that this is a threedimensional representation of a theme that can often be seen at Angkorian carvings, namely the Churning of the Sea of Milk. This myth is known from India's sacred Purana scriptures. It's the story of the second of the major ten incarnations of Vishnu, known as "Dashavataras", which means "ten Avatars". In his second incarntion on earth, Vishnu had to transform himself into a turtle.
In short, the narration of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, the Samudramanthan, is as follows:
The Devas, the gods, turned out to unable to obtain Amrita, the elixier of immortality, as long as they fought against their opponents, the Ashuras, the demons, who also war eager to get it into their possession. That's why the opponents finally agreed to join their forces temporarily. So they took the serpent Vasuki as at the opposite ends, using it to churn the Ocean of Milk with joint forces. However, the pivot, Mt. Mandara, threatened to sink into the ocean, which would have annihilated their efforts. That's is why Vishnu had to come to earth as the turtle Kurma, carrying the pivot on the back of his shell, he managed to support the churning successfully. During a period of one thousand years of joint efforts, many treasures came into existence as a result of the churning, among them the celestial female dancers called Apsaras, the goddess Lakshmi, the three-headed elephant Airavata, and finally the elixier of eternal life, Amrita. Not surprisingly, a new fight arose between gods and demons to get into its possession. Garuda managed to take the vessel containing Amrita and to fly away with it, because Vishnu had taken the semi-female form of Mohini and with her beauty distracted the Asura demons.
The Devas, the gods, turned out to unable to obtain Amrita, the elixier of immortality, as long as they fought against their opponents, the Ashuras, the demons, who also war eager to get it into their possession. That's why the opponents finally agreed to join their forces temporarily. So they took the serpent Vasuki as at the opposite ends, using it to churn the Ocean of Milk with joint forces. However, the pivot, Mt. Mandara, threatened to sink into the ocean, which would have annihilated their efforts. That's is why Vishnu had to come to earth as the turtle Kurma, carrying the pivot on the back of his shell, he managed to support the churning successfully. During a period of one thousand years of joint efforts, many treasures came into existence as a result of the churning, among them the celestial female dancers called Apsaras, the goddess Lakshmi, the three-headed elephant Airavata, and finally the elixier of eternal life, Amrita. Not surprisingly, a new fight arose between gods and demons to get into its possession. Garuda managed to take the vessel containing Amrita and to fly away with it, because Vishnu had taken the semi-female form of Mohini and with her beauty distracted the Asura demons.
The morning is the best time to take pictures, of the faces of the demons, as they are illuminated from the side then. But the hours after breakfast, particularly between 9.00 and 10.00 are also the most busy ones at the South Gate of Angkor Thom.
other City Gates of Angkor Thom
All five city gates of Angkor Thom are similar in design. The Gopurams measure 23 m in height and have three aligned towers. The central main tower has to giant Buddhist faces, one looking to the causeway, the other one into the city. Each of the slightly smaller lateral towers has only one face looking along the city walls. The openings are 7 m high and 3.5 m wide. They were furnished with double wooden doors and had closing bars, the holes for which can still be seen at the jambs. The pavement of the doorway sometimes have traces of oxcarts. The four inward angles just below the main tower seem to have three columns. Inspected more closely, they turn out to be trunks of three-headed elephant sculptures pulling lotus flowers.
The Victory Gate to the east, crossed by the Small Circuit Road, and the North Gate, crossed by the Grand Circuit Road, have causeways with giant railings, too. The North Gate is best seen from a tree rich in roots to the southwest of it. It's highly recommendable to climb the southern side of the Victory Gate, because standing on the city walls, visitors have a perfect opportunity to take a photo of one of the large Buddhist faces framed by trees. The West Gate, which is very rarely visited, though it can be reached by vehicles, provides a similar view through trees to the colossal faces. The most remote and lonesome of all five city gates of Angkor Thom is the East Gate. There is no road leading to it. But it can easily be reached when hiking along the crown of the city walls just 500 m to the south.
It's highly recommendable to walk the entire distance from the Victory Gate to the South Gate on the city walls, because you do not only come along the East Gate but also the corner temple Prasat Chrung. Actually, all four corners of Angkor Thom have similar temples of just the same name, but the southeastern one has the best-preserved carvings. Seeing all five gates and four corner temples requires a 12 km hike. Actually, this trail on the city walls is also a favourite route for mountainbikers to explore the unknown sites of Angkor Thom.
Prasat Chrung
The Khmer term "Chrung" means "corner". Prasat Chrung is not one temple but four, which mark the four four corners of the city walls of Angkor Thom. This means, they are located in 3 kilometers from one another. All four Prasat Chrung are dedicated to Lokeshwara, pediments depict standing Bodhisattvas in the Bayon style, but many were defaced in the mid 13th century. They are similar in design, with a Prasat towers on a cruciform ground plan opens to the east, the two temples on the eastern city wall have additional entrances to the west. All four Prasat Chrungs had steles with inscriptions, only the southeastern temple has Sanskrit preserved on all four sides of the slab, but it's not in situ any more.
All four Prasat Chrungs can only be reached by walking along the crowns of the city walls. Of the four Prasat Chrungs, the southeastern corner temple is the best preserved one.
Bayon Temple
The Bayon, built in the very centre of Angkor Thom about 1200 A.D., is one of the most famous Khmer monuments, second only to Angkor Wat. The reason for the fame of the Bayon Temple is the high number of so-called face-towers. They deserve this name, as they are indeed towers carrying the giant faces of a Buddhist figures smiling to all four cardinal directions. The original total number of face towers is not know, but there must have been about 50 of them, this means a total of about 200 colossal Buddhist faces. 37 of the face-towers have remained. Most of them are on a cruciform upper terrace surrounding the central tower. Walking around this platform you can feel like in a stone forest, gigantic faces smiling at you from all sides. The central tower, which is one of the only few circular structures in Angkor, rises to a height of 43 metres above ground level.
The Bayon was the state temple of King Jayavarman VII (1181- ca. 1218), who introduced Mahayana Buddhism as the new official religion of the Khmer Kingdom. In a sense, the entire city of Angkor Thom is a temple compound, with the Bayon being only the main monument.
Apart from the iconic face-towers, there is another highlight for those visiting the Bayon Temple. The exterior enclosure walls carry some of the longest ancient carvings you can find anywhere in the world, second or third in size only to those of Angkor Wat and Banteay Chhmar. The said large cavings of the outer gallery of the Bayon temple, counted third enclosure, measure 156 resp. 141 m each, dived into two segments on both sides of the gates in the cardinal points. Hence, altogether eight giant carvings, each more than 60 m long, can be seen at this enclosure wall. The series of bas-reliefs depicts historical events such as marching and fighting troops and even naval battles but also scenes from the everyday life. These enchanting illustration can be found in the lower register of the eastern wing of the southern gallery in particular. They are of modest size. There are market scenes, such as open air cooking, men drinking alcohol, a cockfight and spectators making bets, as well as several palace scenes, such as a woman giving birth to a child. Acrobatics can be seen just at the opposite side, at the unfinished carving of the western wing of the northern gallery. A second gallery with carvings can be seen in the exterior gallery of the temple proper. These reliefs are still hidden in the shadows, as the gallery roofs are not collapsed.
The best time to see the carvings depicting battles, which are at the eastern side, is about 11.00 am, whereas the earlier morning is good for the abovementioned carvings of the east wing of the southern gallery, where the naval battle and everyday-live scenes can be found. However, a visit of the Bayon around noon is recommendable for another reason, it's simply less crowded than between 9.00 and 11.00 am or after 3.00 pm.
Baphuon Temple
The Baphuon is only 300 metres north-west of the Bayon and not far from the main car park of Angkor Thom. The Baphuon temple was the state temple during the long reign of Suryavarman I in the first half of the 11th century and finalised under his successor Udayadityavarman II around 1060. It had been largest Khmer temple before the Angkor Wat and was built and long before the new capital Angkor Thom came to into existence.
The temple proper, which is accessed from the east, is a five-tired step pyramid, measuring 130 m in length and 103 m in width. The first, the third and the fourth tier are enclosed by galleries built of sandstone. The walls of third tier are covered with excellent carvings. Most of them illustrate scenes from the two Indian natioanl epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, but also stories from the life of Krishna as told in India's Puranic literature. Finding themes from mainly the Vishnuite traditon may come to a surprise, as the temple was dedicated to Shiva in the first place. Many single scenes and numerous depictions of animals are framed by a square cut from the stone, too. This is characteristic of the Baphuon style of this period.
In Angkor, the Baphuon is the first state temple with narrative carvings. In this regard it can be regarded as the prototype for the famous Mahabharata and Ramayana illustrations at the Angkor Wat, which became the next state temple, after half a century of turmoil. But the Angkor Wat was dedicated to Vishnu, not to Shiva any more. Unlike the continuous reliefs of the Angkor Wat the carvings at the earlier temple building of the Baphuon show clearly separated scenes. As in the case of the smaller panels mentioned above, the narrative illustrations are often framed to emphasize their destinctness.
The Baphuon collapsed already in medieval times, due to the lack of a surrounding moat which would have helped to keep the humidity and thereby the consistence of the soil constant troughout the year. In the 16th century, stones of the ruin were reused to erect a 9 meters tall and 70 metre long colossal reclining Buddha, the outlines of which can still be seen at the western front of the temple pyramid. It was only in the 21st century that the restoration of the original temple was completely. It was nicknamed "the world's biggest jigsaw puzzle".
The best time to visit the Baphuon temple is the early morning. But to see all the carvings in the best light, particularly for taking pictures of them, you should consider to come twice, in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Royal Palace
The Royal Palace in Angkor is not a palace any more. What can still be seen are only those portions of the former palace that are made of stone, but the structures once inhabited or used for ceremonial meetings by the royal family and court official were made of perishable materials and have disappeared in the course of the centuries. However, the up to 5 m high exterior enclosure walls are made of laterite and the five gatehouses (Gopurams) are built of sandstone and they are well preserved, this is why the outlines of the compound can easily be identified. Once also protected by a moat, the entire area measures 585 m from east to west and 246 m from north to south.
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The place of the royal palace had played an important ceremonial role right from the beginnings of Angkor. When Yashovarman I. founded Angkor as the new capital of his kingdom around 900 AD, the area of the later royal palace was actually outside the fortified part of the city, just to the north of it. But Yashovarman also constructed the East Baray much further east. At the foot of the later Phimeanakas temple pyramid within the premises of the palace is the spot, where the north-east axis of the newly founded town and the east-west axis of the newly built reservoir meet. It was at exactly this spot that a kind of foundation tree was excavated by archaeologists, indicating that the place of the later royal palace was considered to be a kind of centrepiece of Angkor. A first palace came to existence in this area already in the 10th century. The walls that can be seen today, are probably from the period of Suryavarman I, who reigned in the first half of the 11th century. In the late 12th century, the famous king Jayavarman VII integrated the already existing palace into his new capital Angkor Thom. The Victory Gate, the fifth city gate of Angkor Thom, was placed exactly in the axis of the palace. |
Within the royal complex are several pools with embankments built of stone. In the northeastern part of the compound are the two largest ones, now named Srah Pros and Srah Srei, which translates male and female pond and refers to King's resp. Queen's Pond. Srah Srei, also known as East Pond in English, measures 50 m by 30 m. Srah Pros is also called Large Pond and measures 125 m by 45 m. The embankments carry remarkable friezes depicting princes and mythological figures, such as Garudas and Nagas and aquatic animals. Some are in a good state of preservation. The bas-reliefs are additions from the Bayon period. This is to say, they are from the reign of Jayavarman VII.
The main gate in the east, leading to the elephant terrace and the Royal Square of Angkor Thom in front of it, is remarkable for an inscription on the jambs of the southern window. The text of this inscription known as 292 is of historical significance, as it contains a famous vow of fidelity to the king, which had to be sworn by his civil servants. This oath of allegiance, introduced by Suryavarman I, has been practiced in the Kingdom of Cambodia ever since.
The morning is a good time to visit the palace area and adjoining structures. The ticket will usually not be checked here, but is required for the neigbouring temples Baphuon and Bayon and should always be with you when you are visiting Angkor Thom.
Phimeanakas
The most notworthy monument of the former Royal Palace is the Phimeanakas Temple, which predates the palace building but in its present form is from the same period as the palace fortifications, viz. the period of Suryavarman I. Phimeanakas is a comparativele small temple pyramid, measuring 35 m in length and 28 m in width and 12 m in height. It was originally built in the second half of the tenth century but modified in the first half of the 11th century. The extremely steep axial stairways of this pyramid are flanked by guardian lions. Elephants are placed on the corners of the tiers, but most of them are broken.
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The modern name "Phimeanakas", which translates to "Aerial Palace", refers to a legend of a king who had to sleep with a goddess on top of a temple mountain in order secure fertility. Similar religious practices are known from various ancient cultures. The Khmer version is reported by the Chinese envoy Zhou Daguan, who visited Angkor in the 13th century and left the ownly known records about Angkor that are not inscriptions. According to Zhou Daguan, a "Tower of Gold" was the home of a nine-headed female serpent, which could transform into a woman for a ritual intercourse with the king. If the monarch missed even one night to sleep with her before joining his consorts and concubines, great calamity would befall the kingdom as a consequence of the neglect. This golden tower mentioned in Zhoe Daguan's report is commonly identified with the Phimeanakas, which originally had a gilded pinnacle. |
The morning hours are most recommendable for a visit of the Royal temple and Phimeanakas. The extraordinary carvings at the pond are hit by the rays of the sun only in June and July.
Elephant Terrace
The Elephant Terrace in front of the Royal Palace marks the eastern frame of the Royal Square of Angkor Thom, where festivals were held. Most probably, the terrace served as a platform from which members of the royal family and other dignitaries observed not only festivals but also viewed military parades. On ordinary days, it might have been the place of royal audiences. For such purposes, the terrace carried pavilions of perishable materials. Parts of painted lead tiles of a former roof have been found here. As many buildings of Angkor Thom, the Elephant Terrace is a construction commenced under Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century but completed or modified by his successors.
The 2.5 m high Elephant Terrace measures 333 m in length. It's named after the long friezes of life-size elephant reliefs, many are seen in pairs and with their mahouts. What's most remarkable is that each elephant and also each mahout is distinctively rendered. However, all of them are vivid, some are engaged in hunting or fighting scenes.
The terrace has five outworks extending eastwards to the Royal Square, which is also known as Victory Square, three of them in the centre and one at each end. Depictions of various mythical beings are mainly found at the outworks. Winged male and female figures represent Kinnaras and Kinnaris respectively. Hamsas, the mythical geese, and Yakshas, benevolent nature-spirits can be seen, tha latter praying on lotus flowers. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with Garuda and Lions, symbols of strength and power. This makes sense, as the central outwork formed the entrance to the compound of the Royal Palace. The northern part of the wall carries large scenes depicting warriors, wrestlers, acrobats, dancers, charriot races and perhaps even a kind of Polo game. This refers to the events that took place on the Royal Square below the Elephant Terrace. The northern section also has a sculpture often seen on pictures, a five-headed horse. Most probably, this is a depiction of Balaha, an incarnation of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who is known as Lokeshvara in Cambodia. This northern platform with its distinctive mythological and mundane scenes, seems to be an etension or a redesign from the mid 13th century.
The Elephant Terrace faces east. Hence, morning hours offer better sunlight for taking pictures.
Leper King Terrace
The Terrace of the Leper King is located just north of the Terrace of the Elephants. The Leper King Terrace is 6 m high and 25 m long. It's named after the kneeling statue on the terrace. The "Leper King" is naked but without genitals, he has long hair and a moustache. He once carried a mace on his right shoulder. The kneeling position with the right knee lifted is uncommon in Khmer art, but a typical seated posture (asana) of sculptures known from the island of Java. The Leper King statue that can be seen on the terrace is a replica made of cement. But even the copy was once decapitated by art thefts. The original sandstone statue is on display in the centre of the courtyard of Cambodia's National Museum in Phnom Penh.
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The reason why this statue was interpreted as a king suffering from leprosy is not quite clear. Maybe, it's because the fingers, the toes and the earlobes were broken. Another explanation says that its lichen-eaten condition gave it the appearance of blotchiness, which could indicate leprosy. Anyway, a story of a leper king is quite well-known among Khmer people today. Though some say that King Jayavarman VII was that legendary leper king and that his own suffering was a reason why he built so many hospitals, it's not clear whether any historical Angkor king suffered from leprosy. So the legend goes: When a minister refused to prostrate, the king felt insulted and hit him with his sword, but the minister's venomous spitle fell on him and infected him,and thus the king became a leper.
The date of the Leper King statue is uncertain, most commonly it is attributed to the second half of the 13th century, which was a period of Hindu resurgence. According to this interpretation, the statue depicts Yama, the Hindu god of death, who reigns as the judge in the underworld. As he judges according to the laws of Dharma, he could have been called a "Dharmaraja". This term is found in an inscription at the statue.
This interpretation is in accordance with a hypothesis interpreting the function of the entire terrace. It could have served as a platform for public cremation ceremonies at funerals of members of the royal family and high court officials. Human bones, charcoal, ashes were found burried in the structure.
The date of the Leper King statue is uncertain, most commonly it is attributed to the second half of the 13th century, which was a period of Hindu resurgence. According to this interpretation, the statue depicts Yama, the Hindu god of death, who reigns as the judge in the underworld. As he judges according to the laws of Dharma, he could have been called a "Dharmaraja". This term is found in an inscription at the statue.
This interpretation is in accordance with a hypothesis interpreting the function of the entire terrace. It could have served as a platform for public cremation ceremonies at funerals of members of the royal family and high court officials. Human bones, charcoal, ashes were found burried in the structure.
A first wall from the 13th was covered by a later exterior wall. Hidden behind the new wall, it was discovered only accidentally during restoration works in the 1960s and finally completely excavated in the late 1990s. Today's visitors can see the old reliefs by walking along a newly created zig-zag corridor in between the older and the younger exterior walls. So both sets of reliefs can be seen now. The outer wall arranges the abundance of sculptures in up to seven registers. The finest carvings are at the eastern wall, depicting deities with swords and under parasols, their consorts, attendants, disciples and other dignitaries and servants in palaces. However, most of the other deeply carved reliefs depict gods and demons and mythical beings such as Garudas with their wings and Nagas with theor multi-headed cobra hoods. Many of the sculptures are female.
For studying the outer, younger wall of the Leper King terrace, the early morning hours are most recommendable for a visit. However, the sculptures at the old wall in the narrow corridor can be seen illuminated by the sun only around noon.
Preah Palilay
Preah Palilay, as mentioned above, is situated just 200 m north to the compound of the Royal Palace. From the Leper King Terrace, it's 400 m to the east. It's one of the only few small single-tower temples that are placed on a steep pyramid-like artificial temple mountain. The superstructure of the Prasat, though partly broken, tower is strikingly high, still reaching 19 m. It remained without decoration. For today's travelers who like to take photos, this is one of the most picturesque among the smaller temples of Angkor. The reason is that it's amidst the forest and that large trees were growing on the steps of the pyramid, two of them at the northern slope. The three trees at the southern slope had to be cut to protect the monument. But the trunks are still impressive and fresh green is springing from them again.
For lovers of ancient art, the gatehouse to the east, which is a comparatively large Gopuram building, is the most interesting part of the temple, as it bears several pediment carvings. All of them are Buddhist. What's remarkable is that they don't depict Bodhisattvas but only scenes from the life of the historical Buddha, such as the reclining Buddha reaching Paranibbana or the Buddha taming Nalagiri, a rampaging elephant. This might indicate that the temple was Theravada Buddhist or that at least the decoration, in case it was added later on, transformed it into a Theravada sanctuary. This could indicate that the carvings are among the latest in Angkor, as Theravada Buddhism became the predominant religion of Cambodia not before the early 15th century. However, it might well be that it was present already earlier on, just as a minority group among the Khmer Buddhists. Actually, already the king who introduced Mahayana Buddhism as the state religion, Jayavarman VII, had ties to the Theravada country Sri Lanka. The pediment reliefs, for example, show Buddha sitting on a lotus throne receiving the hommage of praying figures, and a scene called “donation of forest animals”.
The late morning hours are a a better time to visit Preah Palilay, because it's shadowed by the surrounding trees in the early morning and the late afternoon. The early afternoon is a good time to see the said Theravada Buddhist carvings illuminated by the sun.
Preah Pithu
Preah Pithu is a group of five small temple pyramids, situated just behind the restaurant stalls at the large main car park of Angkor Thom, the Leper King Terrace is in only 150 m distance at the opposite side of the road. Preah Pithu marks the northeastern corner of the Royal Square. Surprisingly, Preah Pithu is not as crowded as the nearby monuments at the other side of the road.
The five distinct temples are only named T, U, V, X, and Y, or by the numbers of their archaeological listing, from 481 to 485.
The the southwestern temple, closest to the car park, is T or number 481. This temple and the neigbouring U alias 482 are surronded by one and the same moat. Both face west, like Angkor Wat, which is nevertheless uncommon in sacred architecture of the Angkorian era. T has has a 45 m long and 40 m wide enclosure that is made of sandstone instead of laterite. A sandstone enclosure wall is also quite unusual. The chamber on the top of the small pyramid once enshrined a large Lingam on a Yoni pedestal. Fragments of the lintel of the western door yan be seen on the ground, they show a stylized depiction of the "Churning of the Milk Ocean". The sister temple U is slightly smaller than T. It has a well preserved lintel at the western door, depicting the the Trimurti of Brahma and Vishnu and Shiva, the latter is in the centre, as usual in Khmer representations of the Trimurti. Shiva can be seen dancing on a Kala head.
Further east is temple X or 483 on a 4 m high laterite terrace. It's the only Buddhist temple of the Preah Pithu group. The most remarkable feature of temple X are the panels of Buddha sculptures in two registers that can be seen in the inner chamber at the upper end of the walls of the shrine. The entire temple is surrounded by so-called Bai Sema steles, which serve as border stones of the area in which Buddhist ordination ceremonies are held. Presumably, the steles are later additions from the Theravada Buddhist period, as they resembls similar stones in Buddhist monasteries of Thailand.
Temple V or 484 is to the northeast X. Though it has a 70 m long causeway from the west, the main entrance is from the east. This is the largest temple of the Preah Pithu group. It still shelters a huge Lingam, which measures 1.5 m in height. The unfinished wall decorations are in the style of Angkor Wat. Near to the eastern door is a stele depicting Varune, god of the Ocean, on his mount Hamsa, the sacred goose.
Temple Y alias 485 is slightly further north, situated on an earthen mound. It is a little bit younger than V. This structure differs from the Preah Pithu temples in that it has an elongated Mandapa hall in front of the central Prasat. Two carvings at half-pediments at the western side are depict famous episodes from Vishnu mythology, the northern one shows the defeat of demon Bana by Krishna and the southern one three giant steps of Vamana, the dwarf transforming himself into a giant. Another pediment ha the fight od Sugriva and Valin, which is an episode of the Ramayana epic, also belonging to Vishuite mythology.
The afternoon is a good time to see the temples of the Preah Pithu group. However, the timing doesn't matter much at this site.
Khleangs
To the south of Preah Pithu and to the east of the "Royal Square" or "Victory Square", there are two elongated buildings, the function of which is not known. The northern and southern Khleangs are in one line, running north-south, and are very similar to each other, almost twins. But the southern Khleang is slightly smaller and has basins to the east, whereas several temples are located on the eastern side of the Northern Khleang. The latter is 4.7 m wide and more than 60 m long, the walls being 1.5 m thick.
An inscription found in the compound of the Northern Khleang refers to King Jayaviravarman. Not much is known about this king. He reigned only very few years at the very beginning of the 11th century, before he was defeated by his rival, King Suryavarman I. However, a common hypothesis is that the construction of the Northern Khleang had already begun under Jayavarman V (968-1001). This is why other temples built in the reign of this king are attributed to the Khleang style. The decoration of this style - which is contemporary to the much more flamboyant style of Banteay Srei, is plain and restrictes. Typically, the panels of the Khleang style show a Kala (monster head) in the centre, surrounded by luxuriant foliage but with almost no other figures.
"Khleang" means "storeroom", but it's almost certain that stone buildings served sacred and not such mundane purposes. However, a royal oath of allegiance carved into the door jambs is commonly interpretated as indicating another secular function, viz. that the Khleangs served as reception halls or even as accommodation of high-ranking guests. But it's unlikely that their rooms were built of stone, whereas the residence of the king was made only of wood. In case the building served as reception halls, it's more likely that the reception took place in the from of a religious ceremony.
The 45 m long and 4.2 m mide Southern Khleang is uncompleted and has much less decoration than its older twin building. However, the nicely carved colonettes framing the east doorway of the chamber at the southern end are remarkable, as they are among the very few Khmer works of art that are made of the same red sandstone as Banteay Srei. Both Khleangs are famous for the high number of well-preserved turned colonnettes of the windows.
There is no specific time of the day that could be recommended as the best for a visit of the Khleangs, as both fronts are equally nive. Even the noon is worth considering for a visit, as it's the only time without dark shadows in the long halls the roofs of which are missing.
Prasat Suor Prat
Describing the Elephant Terrace in front of the former Royal Palace, we already mentioned the Royal Square just north of the Bayon temple in the core of Angkor Thom. At the opposite side, to the east of the Elephant terrace, is a group of twelve simple Prasats, they are called Prasat Suor Prat. The modern Khmer name means "tightrope walking" or "cord dancing" and refers to a hypothesis saying that between the tower ropes were spanned, on which artists performed acrobatic shows on festival days. There is no evidence for this interpretation. However, what might be true is that the towers of Prasat Suor Prat, though their dating is under dispute, are from the same period as the Elephant Terrace and were optical markers of the opposite end of a square on which festivals where held. It's highly likely that the number of the towers refers to the twelve months of the year and that this could symbolize the annual character of large events.
An even stranger kind of legend has it, that an ogress imprisoned twelve young consorts of the king in the twelve towers. Zhou Daguan, the Chinese envoy who left behind the only known non-inscriptional record from the Angkor period, reported the towers were used to settle legal disputes by ordeals. The two belligerent parties were kept in the towers to test which one remained healthy for a longer period. As valuable and reliable his entire report may be, this part of the account is somewhat dubious, because it claims that offenders after a few days suffered from a catarrh or an ulcer.
Only ten of the twelve Prasats are aligned along a north-south axis. Two more Prasats are shifted to the east, this way flanking the main street, which is called "Victory alley", as it connects the Victory Gate with the Royal Square. It's highly likely that this avenue was the venue of processions to the Royal Square.
All twelve towers are almost identical in design. They are built of laterite. Only bays, frames and lintels made of sandstone. Only few pediments have carvings, the walls are without decoration. However, the plain architectural style is unique in that windows with balusters replace the more common false doors. The interior has an upper fllor, which is also quite uncommon in Khmer architecture.
The most recommendable time to visit Prasat Suor Prat is the afternoon.
West Prasat Top
West Prasat Top, also called Prasat Top West or Monument 486, is a small ruined tower situated in the rarely visited western part of Angkor Thom. It was reconstructed only recently. Though the final structure with an abundance of Buddhist imagery from the Bayon period, inscriptions reveal that the West Prasat Top temple was originally a Hindu shrine built much earlier, maybe as early as the 9th century, because an inscription of the Roluos period was found here.
All times of the day are almost even good to visit West Prasat Top.
Mangalartha
Though Mangalartha, counted Monument 487, is not far from the Small Circuit Road, this small temple is almost never visited by tourists. Mangalartha is from the 13th century and was the last stone building and the last Hindu sanctuary built in Angkor. At least, itr's the last of the monuments with a dated inscription.
Mangalartha, one of the very few Angkorian temples still bearing an Indian name, is named after a Brahmin priest, Jaya Mangalartha, who was only posthumously honoured by its consecration. As a young man, he was already a court priest under the Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, but he lived much longer and was related by marriage bonds to King Jayavarman VIII, the fanatic Hindu King under whom many Buddhist works of art were destroyed. Jaya Mangalartha died at the age of 104 years. This is why the temple, that was already commissioned in the early 13th century, this private temple was not consecrated until 1295, on 28th of April.
The monument is a single sandstone building on a small, but steep pyramidic base. Only the pedestal of the formerly two statues can still be seen inside the shrine. Some restored pediment carvings are scattered on the ground in front of the monument. One has the common theme of Vishnu reclining on the serpent Ananta. Another one depicts Vishnu's Avatar Vamana striding across the ocean. Another one shows a dancing Shiva with four arms, with his Shakti sitting on his knee. There is also a lintel depicting the common "Churning of the Milk Ocean". Finally, to the west, a lintel shows Krishna lifting Mt. Govardhana.
The late morning hours are recommendable for visiting the monument, whereas the early afternoon sun lights up some carvings on the ground.
Small Tour and Grand Tour in Angkor Thom
As said, the historical Royal Square, also known as Victory Square, is just north of the Bayon temple. It's now also the very center of touristic traffic, as it has the largest car park in Angkor and is the place where the Small Circuit Road of Angkor branches off to the east and the Grand Circuit Road to the north. The latter leaves Angkor Thom at the North Gate, whereas the Small Tour route runs along the ancient Victory Avenue and crosses the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, not the East Gate. The East Gate is in the respective cardinal point of Angkor Thom and therefore in the axis of the Bayon temple. The Victory Gate, the second gate in the east, is just 500 m further north and also in a historical axis, namely running from the gate to the main gate of the Royal Palace. This street is called the Victory Avenue, as it probably served as the parading avenue or returning troops, that entered the city of Angkor Thom through the Victory Gate and then marched to the Royal Square in front of the palace and in betwenn the Elephant Terrace and the twelve towers of Prasat Suor Prat.
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