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 article are Bayon, Phimeanakas, Baphuon, 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 "
ymbolically, 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.
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