CAMBODIA ATTRACTION
CAMBODIA ATTRACTION
Angkor Archeological Park
From the 9th to 15th century, the capital
city of Khmer kingdom located and moved around the region that is today known
as Angkor. Angkor is not just the temples of Banteay
Srei, Bayon, Taprom, Angkor Wat or Kulen Mountains, but it is a region covering
an area of 402km2, comprising more than two hundred temples and
ancient infrastructure. Today the whole Angkor region becomes an Archeological
Park locating in Siem Reap province of Cambodia. Angkor also lends its name to
a historical period. Angkor is a unique cultural heritage, a living testimony
of our past, and the foundation of our identity as a nation. Angkor continues
to contribute to Cambodia's evolution
Noted for its architectural and artistic perfection, not to mention its sheer size, Angkor Wat is the most famous and no doubt the most remarkable of all of Cambodia's ancient temples. Combining great technical mastery on an unprecedented scale with extraordinary architectural and artistic innovations, Angkor wat has a unique place in the long ancient Khmer tradition of the royal "Temple-Mountain.". Built in the 12th century in the reign of King Suryavarman II, this was the residence of Vishnu, the divine palace in which the King himself was to reside after death. The construction is thought to have taken some thirty years of intensive labor.
In the "Middle Period", notably in the 16th century, Angkor Wat, then known as Preah Pisnulok (theposthumous name of its royal founder), became a site of Buddhist pilgrimage not only for the Khmer people but for much of Southeast Asia, and indeed for other more distant Asian peoples. Today, the Khmer people see Angkor wat as the symbol of their nation.
Buddisadva Avalokitesvara’s four faces
Demon and God
Demon and God’s face
RestorationBefore the restoration in the 1920s, All of these statues used to be destroyed and crumbled into the bottom of the moat. Angkor Thom that we see today is the result of at least five centuries of occupation and urban development, including frequent remodeling. It is a succession of cities, which took more or less final form around the end of the 12th century under the reign of Jayavarman VII.
RemodelingThe remodeling of urban forms which had themselvesdeveloped over the preceding 400 years was not a minor undertaking, particularly as Jayavarman sought to render the spatial composition of his city highly symbolic. In addition, the exact definition of the square resulted from a number of unavoidable constraints, such as the existence of the Phnom Bakheng.
The wall, called Jayagiri in period inscriptions, is itself surrounded by a wide moat called Jayasindhu. One inscription explicitly compares this ensemble to the mountain range and sea of milk which encircle the universe in Indian cosmological conceptions adopted in ancient Cambodia.
Thus Angkor Thom was in its entirety the world created - or recreated after the city sacking by the Chams emerging as ambrosia after the Churning of the Sea of Milk. This explains why the churning episode was represented at each of the five gates giving entry to the city.
We are far from fully understanding the purely functional aspects of the city. An ancient water outlet, known as Run Tadiv, is still in use today at the southwestern corner of the enclosure wall. We do not know if the nearby rectangular reservoir, Beng Thom, or the pond known as Trapeang Daun Meas in the northwestern quadrant of the Royal Palace, existed in ancient times.
A similar structure at the wall's northeastern corner is overgrown with vegetation today. Future research promises to tell us if this was another outlet or, rather, as logic suggests, a mechanism serving to introduce water into the city. Atop the wall at each of its corners, Jayavarman also erected a temple- the Prasat Chrung - along with a stela inscribed in Sanskrit. The only complete inscription, covering all four sides of the stela, is that of the southwestern Prasat Chrung.
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Angkor Wat
Date: Built
in early twelfth century
Religion: Hinduism
King: Suryavarman
II (1112-1150)
Posthumous
name: Paramavishnuloka
Noted for its architectural and artistic perfection, not to mention its sheer size, Angkor Wat is the most famous and no doubt the most remarkable of all of Cambodia's ancient temples. Combining great technical mastery on an unprecedented scale with extraordinary architectural and artistic innovations, Angkor wat has a unique place in the long ancient Khmer tradition of the royal "Temple-Mountain.". Built in the 12th century in the reign of King Suryavarman II, this was the residence of Vishnu, the divine palace in which the King himself was to reside after death. The construction is thought to have taken some thirty years of intensive labor.
In the "Middle Period", notably in the 16th century, Angkor Wat, then known as Preah Pisnulok (theposthumous name of its royal founder), became a site of Buddhist pilgrimage not only for the Khmer people but for much of Southeast Asia, and indeed for other more distant Asian peoples. Today, the Khmer people see Angkor wat as the symbol of their nation.
Angkor Wat, forming a rectangle of about 1,500 by 1,300 metres, covers an
area including its 190 metre wide moats - of nearly 200 hectares. The external
enclosure wall defines an expanse of 1,025 metres by 800, or 82 hectares. It is
the largest monument of the Angkor group.
Site
Constructed to the south of the capital (Angkor Thom), Angkor Wat is sited
in the southeast corner of the ancient city of Yashodhara built by Yashovarman
I and centred on Phnom Bakheng.
The westward orientation of Angkor Wat is opposite to the orientation of
sanctuaries dedicated to divinities. In Brahmanic funerary rituals, the rites
are performed in reverse of the normal order - the ritual procession does not
follow "pradakshina" (keeping the monument to one's right), but
rather in the opposite direction, the "prasavya?". Hence, the
bas-reliefs are to be viewed in a anti-clockwise direction.
Exterior
The moats surrounding the external enclosure of the monument are bordered
by steps with a moulded sandstone perimeter, and are five and a half kilometres
in overall length.
They are crossed only at two places - to the east by a simple bank of
earth, and to the west by a 200 metre-long and 12 metre-wide sandstone-paved
causeway, lined with columns along its sides. A cruciform terrace decorated
with lions, precedes this causeway and is bordered by naga balustrades.
The temple enclosure, formed by a high laterite wall incorporates a
colonnade of 235 metres composed of a three-part gopura - the towers of which
are cruciform in plan and galleries that link with two pavilion.
Kuk Ta Reach
Kuk Ta Reach, the "Sanctuary of the Royal Ancestor" is the
traditional name of the series of porticos in this colonnade leading into the
interior of Angkor Vat. Of the many divinities and spirits worshipped
here, 'Ta Reach' is by far the most important. Embodied in a colossal
four-armed statue worshipped in the portico to the south of the main entrance,
Ta Reach's protective powers are known throughout the Angkor region. Over the
past decades, local caretakers have restored parts of the Ta Reach statue with
cement. In 2003, the cement replica head was replaced by the original that had
been stored for safekeeping at the National Museum of Cambodia.s at either
extremity which served as passageways for elephants.
Bas-Relief Galleries
The bas-reliefs cover the inner walls of the galleries of the lower
enclosure and comprise of panels two metres in height with a total area of more
than 1,000 square metres excluding the corner pavilions. Limited to the zone
that would have been accessible to the public, they represent legendary and
historic scenes for the enlightenment of the faithful.
These galleries, which are open to the exterior and form the temple's
third enclosure wall, are sculpted in bas-reliefs representing historical and
epic scenes. The friezes were, for the most part, executed during, or shortly
after, the reign of Suryavarman II. Only the northeastern corner - the northern
section of the eastern gallery and the eastern section of the northern gallery
were left bare at that time, to be sculpted later, in the 16th century. These
late reliefs are notably inferior in quality of conception and execution, due
most probably to a rupture in the artistic tradition between the fall of the
capital at Angkor in the 15th century and the 16th-century restoration. The
scenes represented are as follows:
1. The Battle of Kurukshetra, between
the Pandava and the Kaurava families, from the Mahabharata epic tale.The
reliefs sculpted on the southern section of this western gallery represent a concluding
episode of the Mahabharata, a renowned Indian epic tale.This is the Battle of
Kurukshetra, when the Pandava and Kaurava clans meet in final, deadly combat.
Interestingly, the Mahabharata is virtually unknown in modern Cambodia. Unlike
the Ramayana, which continues to permeate all aspects of Khmer culture, theMahabharata
would seem to have faded from cultural practice and memory with the decline of
the Angkorian Empire.
2. Historical scenes depicting the
reign of Suryavarman II.
The reliefs sculpted on the western section of this southern gallery commemorate a series of historical events from the reign of King Suryavarman II, the founder of Angkor Vat in the 12th century. As the brief inscription engraved next to the image of Suryavarman II identifies this king by his posthumous name, Paramavisnuloka, the reliefs themselves are thought to have been sculpted shortly after his death.
The reliefs sculpted on the western section of this southern gallery commemorate a series of historical events from the reign of King Suryavarman II, the founder of Angkor Vat in the 12th century. As the brief inscription engraved next to the image of Suryavarman II identifies this king by his posthumous name, Paramavisnuloka, the reliefs themselves are thought to have been sculpted shortly after his death.
3. Heavens and Hells: the consequences
of one's acts can be pondered as the blessed delight in celestial bliss above
while the wicked suffer in agony below.
The reliefs sculpted on the eastern section of this southern gallery represent the 37 Heavens and 32 Hells derived from Indian tradition. The Hells, on the lower registers, are pictured in greater detail than the Heavens above. Each Hell is in fact identified by an accompanying inscription. Thus we read "Avici", "Raurava", etc., names still known and feared in Cambodia.
The reliefs sculpted on the eastern section of this southern gallery represent the 37 Heavens and 32 Hells derived from Indian tradition. The Hells, on the lower registers, are pictured in greater detail than the Heavens above. Each Hell is in fact identified by an accompanying inscription. Thus we read "Avici", "Raurava", etc., names still known and feared in Cambodia.
4. "The Churning of the Sea of
Milk".
The reliefs sculpted on the southern section of this eastern gallery represent the "Churning of the Sea of Milk", a popular episode from Vishnu lore. The Gods (northern part) and the Demons (southern part) use the serpent Vasuki as a cord wound around Mount Mandara, emerging from the Sea; pulling alternately on either end of the serpent, together they churn the Sea of Milk in order to extract the nectar of immortality. Seizing the nectar as it is formed, the Gods are victorious, and thus thereafter immortal.
The reliefs sculpted on the southern section of this eastern gallery represent the "Churning of the Sea of Milk", a popular episode from Vishnu lore. The Gods (northern part) and the Demons (southern part) use the serpent Vasuki as a cord wound around Mount Mandara, emerging from the Sea; pulling alternately on either end of the serpent, together they churn the Sea of Milk in order to extract the nectar of immortality. Seizing the nectar as it is formed, the Gods are victorious, and thus thereafter immortal.
5. Victory of Vishnu over the Asura demons. The reliefs on this
northeastern corner (northern section of the eastern gallery and eastern
section of the northern gallery) were sculpted in the 16th century, some four
hundred years after the original construction of Angkor Vat and the sculpture
of most of the temple's gallery walls. These reliefs clearly demonstrate that,
though Cambodia had by then become a Theravadin Buddhist nation, the Khmers had
not yet forgotten their past Brahmanic culture. The scenes on the northern
section of the eastern gallery, are thought to have been extracted from the
Indian Harivamsa, show the God Vishnu, in the center, singularly defeating the
Demons.
6. Victory of Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu) over the demon Bana.
The scenes on the eastern section of the northern gallery, thought to have been extracted from the Indian Harivamsa, show Krishna, one of Vishnu's many avatars, defeating his rival Bana. A variety of Gods are represented here, including Shiva at the western end.
The scenes on the eastern section of the northern gallery, thought to have been extracted from the Indian Harivamsa, show Krishna, one of Vishnu's many avatars, defeating his rival Bana. A variety of Gods are represented here, including Shiva at the western end.
7. Combat between the Gods and the Demons.
All the major Brahmanic Gods, identifiable by the attributes they brandish and the animal mounts they ride, are represented on the western portion of this northern gallery. Each God is shown in singular combat with a Demon. In a similar way to other sculpted galleries of Angkor Vat, the God Vishnu, pictured here in the center of the long panel, is pre-eminent.
All the major Brahmanic Gods, identifiable by the attributes they brandish and the animal mounts they ride, are represented on the western portion of this northern gallery. Each God is shown in singular combat with a Demon. In a similar way to other sculpted galleries of Angkor Vat, the God Vishnu, pictured here in the center of the long panel, is pre-eminent.
8. The Battle of Lanka, from the Ramayana epic tale.
The reliefs of the northern portion of this western gallery illustrate a renowned episode of the Ramayana, the Indian epic tale which recounts the exploits of Prince Rama (an avatar of Vishnu). We see here the Battle of Lanka, in which Rama's monkey army led by the monkey General Hanuman fights the Demon King Ravana's army. Rama's army seeks to rescue his wife Sita, who has been captured and held hostage in Lanka, Ravana's island kingdom.
The reliefs of the northern portion of this western gallery illustrate a renowned episode of the Ramayana, the Indian epic tale which recounts the exploits of Prince Rama (an avatar of Vishnu). We see here the Battle of Lanka, in which Rama's monkey army led by the monkey General Hanuman fights the Demon King Ravana's army. Rama's army seeks to rescue his wife Sita, who has been captured and held hostage in Lanka, Ravana's island kingdom.
Preah Poan
The name of this cruciform gallery - 'the Thousand Buddhas' - dates from
the Middle Period, when the prestige of Angkor Vat spread across Buddhist Asia.
Over the course of time the faithful erected here a great number of statues of
the Buddha in stone, wood or metal, hence the gallery's name. Some of the
statues still remain while others are exhibited or kept in conservation
storehouses. Others have, for diverse reasons, been lost forever. Together,
these Buddhist statues testify to an artistic school unique to the temple of
Angkor Vat.
The majority of Angkor Vat's 41 inscriptions dating from the Middle Period
are found here, on the pillars of Preah Poan. Largely in Khmer, sometimes
including Pali phrases, they date from the 16th to 18th centuries and record
pious works performed at Preah Pisnulok by pilgrims, including members of the
royal family. The authors inscribe their "vows of truth" and declare
their "pure faith" in the religion of the Buddha. These stone
inscriptions make an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the
ideology of Theravada Buddhism as it became Cambodia's principal and official
religion. Inscriptions in other languages, such as Burmese and Japanese,
further demonstrate the cross-cultural attraction the temple has long exerted.
Bakan
Bakan
Originally the principal sanctuary of Angkor Vat's uppermost terrace was
open to the four cardinal points, and probably sheltered a statue of Vishnu, the
supreme god of the temple. Later, when Angkor Vat became a center of Buddhist
pilgrimage, the four entranceways into the central sanctuary were filled in
with sandstone blocks; each of the newly constituted walls was then sculpted
with a deep relief of the standing Buddha. In 1908 archaeologists opened the
southern entranceway. In the place of any original Vishnu statue, they found
multiple statue and pedestal fragments, as well as a sarcophagus. Further
research carried out in the well of the central sanctuary in the 1930s
revealed, at a depth of 23 meters, the temple's original foundation deposits:
two circular gold leaves embedded in a laterite block. A number of inscriptions
at Preah Poan and Bakan, along with the artistic style of these Buddha figures,
indicate that the enclosure of the central tower and its transformation into a
Buddhist sanctuary was a royal work executed in the latter half of the 16th
century. This architectural and iconographic transformation translated into
space the A number of inscriptions at Preah Poan and Bakan, along with the
artistic style of these Buddha figures, indicate that the enclosure of the
central tower and its transformation into a Buddhist sanctuary was a royal work
executed in the latter half of the 16th century. This architectural and
iconographic transformation translated into space the conceptual transformation
of the central Brahmanic sanctuary into a Buddhist stupa. Here the four Buddhas
of the past, facing each of the four cardinal points, surround the garbha - the
maternal matrix - which encloses Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. The Bakan
illustrates in a most spectacular manner the evolution of Angkor Vat over time:
as the ancient Vishnuite temple became a sacred Theravadin Buddhist site,
Angkor Vat undoubtedly played a primary role in the conversion of Cambodia into
a Theravadin nation.
Angkor Wat Today
Angkor Vat has always figured on Cambodia's national flag. The temple
symbolizes the soul of the Khmer people, and the lasting grandeur of their
past.
Since December 1992, Angkor Vat and other Angkorian monuments have been
classed as UNESCO "World Heritage". This is a great honor for
Cambodia, and a major national obligation. We are responsible for Angkor's
preservation not only before history and in respect of our ancestors, but also,
today, before the entire international community.
Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom was the capital city of Khmer kingdom
from mid 10th century to the 15th century.
This ancient city covers an area of 3km by 3km (1, 9 mile)
=145.8(360acres).
ProtectionAngkor Thom is protected by a fortified stone wall which is 8m (26f) tall and the moat surrounding which is 100m (328f) wide. To make a stronger protection, this moat used to be filled up with many crocodiles.
ProtectionAngkor Thom is protected by a fortified stone wall which is 8m (26f) tall and the moat surrounding which is 100m (328f) wide. To make a stronger protection, this moat used to be filled up with many crocodiles.
Five gates
Angkor Thom has five gates. All five gates look the same
because they have the same decoration. There is one gate on
each side except the eastern wall which has two gates.
Buddisadva Avalokitesvara’s four faces
Each gate was designed as a tower which is 23m (75f)tall.
Its upper structure was designed with four giant smilling faces of
Buddisadva Avalokitesvara crowned with the sculpture of a blooming lotus
flower. In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddisadva Avalokitesvara is one
of ten reincarnations of Buddha who nearly attains enlightenment and whose
function is to save people’s lives.
Demon and God
In the front of each gate, there is a row of 54 demon
statues on the right and a line of 54 god statues on
the left holding or pulling Naga body in an action of tug of war. This
sculptures show a scene of a famous Hindu myth where gods and demons used
a Naga to churn the sea of milk to take elixir of immortality.
Demon and God’s face
Each demon
statue has scary face with big eyes, big nose, and their crowns also look
completely different style from gods'. God statues wear high conical
crowns with smiling faces.
RestorationBefore the restoration in the 1920s, All of these statues used to be destroyed and crumbled into the bottom of the moat. Angkor Thom that we see today is the result of at least five centuries of occupation and urban development, including frequent remodeling. It is a succession of cities, which took more or less final form around the end of the 12th century under the reign of Jayavarman VII.
RemodelingThe remodeling of urban forms which had themselvesdeveloped over the preceding 400 years was not a minor undertaking, particularly as Jayavarman sought to render the spatial composition of his city highly symbolic. In addition, the exact definition of the square resulted from a number of unavoidable constraints, such as the existence of the Phnom Bakheng.
The wall, called Jayagiri in period inscriptions, is itself surrounded by a wide moat called Jayasindhu. One inscription explicitly compares this ensemble to the mountain range and sea of milk which encircle the universe in Indian cosmological conceptions adopted in ancient Cambodia.
Thus Angkor Thom was in its entirety the world created - or recreated after the city sacking by the Chams emerging as ambrosia after the Churning of the Sea of Milk. This explains why the churning episode was represented at each of the five gates giving entry to the city.
We are far from fully understanding the purely functional aspects of the city. An ancient water outlet, known as Run Tadiv, is still in use today at the southwestern corner of the enclosure wall. We do not know if the nearby rectangular reservoir, Beng Thom, or the pond known as Trapeang Daun Meas in the northwestern quadrant of the Royal Palace, existed in ancient times.
A similar structure at the wall's northeastern corner is overgrown with vegetation today. Future research promises to tell us if this was another outlet or, rather, as logic suggests, a mechanism serving to introduce water into the city. Atop the wall at each of its corners, Jayavarman also erected a temple- the Prasat Chrung - along with a stela inscribed in Sanskrit. The only complete inscription, covering all four sides of the stela, is that of the southwestern Prasat Chrung.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat
Date: Built in
early twelfth century
Religion: Hinduism
King:
Suryavarman II (1112-1150)
Posthumous name: Paramavishnuloka
Noted for its architectural
and artistic perfection, not to mention its sheer size, Angkor Wat is the most
famous and no doubt the most remarkable of all of Cambodia's ancient temples.
Combining great technical mastery on an unprecedented scale with extraordinary
architectural and artistic innovations, Angkor wat has a unique place in the
long ancient Khmer tradition of the royal "Temple-Mountain.". Built
in the 12th century in the reign of King Suryavarman II, this was the residence
of Vishnu, the divine palace in which the King himself was to reside after
death. The construction is thought to have taken some thirty years of intensive
labor.
In the "Middle
Period", notably in the 16th century, Angkor Wat, then known as Preah
Pisnulok (theposthumous name of its royal founder), became a site of Buddhist
pilgrimage not only for the Khmer people but for much of Southeast Asia, and
indeed for other more distant Asian peoples. Today, the Khmer people see Angkor
wat as the symbol of their nation.
Angkor Wat, forming a
rectangle of about 1,500 by 1,300 metres, covers an area including its 190
metre wide moats - of nearly 200 hectares. The external enclosure wall defines
an expanse of 1,025 metres by 800, or 82 hectares. It is the largest monument
of the Angkor group.
Site
Constructed to the south of
the capital (Angkor Thom), Angkor Wat is sited in the southeast corner of the
ancient city of Yashodhara built by Yashovarman I and centred on Phnom Bakheng.
The westward orientation of
Angkor Wat is opposite to the orientation of sanctuaries dedicated to
divinities. In Brahmanic funerary rituals, the rites are performed in reverse
of the normal order - the ritual procession does not follow
"pradakshina" (keeping the monument to one's right), but rather in
the opposite direction, the "prasavya?". Hence, the bas-reliefs are
to be viewed in a anti-clockwise direction.
Exterior
The moats surrounding the
external enclosure of the monument are bordered by steps with a moulded
sandstone perimeter, and are five and a half kilometres in overall length.
They are crossed only at two
places - to the east by a simple bank of earth, and to the west by a 200
metre-long and 12 metre-wide sandstone-paved causeway, lined with columns along
its sides. A cruciform terrace decorated with lions, precedes this causeway and
is bordered by naga balustrades.
The temple enclosure, formed
by a high laterite wall incorporates a colonnade of 235 metres composed of a
three-part gopura - the towers of which are cruciform in plan and galleries
that link with two pavilion.
Kuk Ta Reach
Kuk Ta Reach, the
"Sanctuary of the Royal Ancestor" is the traditional name of the
series of porticos in this colonnade leading into the interior of Angkor Vat.
Of the many divinities and spirits worshipped here, 'Ta Reach' is by far the
most important. Embodied in a colossal four-armed statue worshipped in the
portico to the south of the main entrance, Ta Reach's protective powers are
known throughout the Angkor region. Over the past decades, local caretakers
have restored parts of the Ta Reach statue with cement. In 2003, the cement
replica head was replaced by the original that had been stored for safekeeping
at the National Museum of Cambodia.s at either extremity which served as
passageways for elephants.
Bas-Relief Galleries
The bas-reliefs cover the
inner walls of the galleries of the lower enclosure and comprise of panels two
metres in height with a total area of more than 1,000 square metres excluding
the corner pavilions. Limited to the zone that would have been accessible to
the public, they represent legendary and historic scenes for the enlightenment
of the faithful.
These galleries, which are
open to the exterior and form the temple's third enclosure wall, are sculpted
in bas-reliefs representing historical and epic scenes. The friezes were, for
the most part, executed during, or shortly after, the reign of Suryavarman II.
Only the northeastern corner - the northern section of the eastern gallery and
the eastern section of the northern gallery were left bare at that time, to be
sculpted later, in the 16th century. These late reliefs are notably inferior in
quality of conception and execution, due most probably to a rupture in the
artistic tradition between the fall of the capital at Angkor in the 15th
century and the 16th-century restoration. The scenes represented are as
follows:
1. The Battle of Kurukshetra, between the
Pandava and the Kaurava families, from the Mahabharata epic tale.The reliefs
sculpted on the southern section of this western gallery represent a concluding
episode of the Mahabharata, a renowned Indian epic tale.This is the Battle of
Kurukshetra, when the Pandava and Kaurava clans
Bayon Temple
Bayon Temple
Date: Built in
late twelfth century
Religion: Buddhism
King: Jayavarman
VII (1181-1221)
Posthumous name: Mahasangatapada
Bayon was constructed for
nearly 40 years fromlate 12th century to early 13th century by the most famous
Angkor king, Jayavarman VII. Bayon is the second main temple of Cambodia after
Angkor Wat and is considered as a window to the past of Khmer history as its
gallery has remarkable carvings about daily lives of ancient royal family,
dignitary, ordinary people, the sea trade of Chinese merchants to Cambodia, and
also about the war against Cham Invaders who invaded Angkor in late 12th
century.
The carving of three Apsaras,
on pillars, dancing on blooming lotuses in a form of a triangle isexceptionally
beautiful and unique style of Bayon. Some visitors like Bayon temple, in the
way its plan looks very mysterious with many gloomy and secret rooms.
Tower: Bayon was designed
with 49 towers, but there are 54 towers in total if we include five more towers
of the gates built by the same king at the same time. Each tower comprises four
giant faces of Buddha, giving this temple a majestic character.
Mr P Jenerat de Beerski wrote
in the 1920s when he looked at the faces wrote that:
“ The faces with slightly
curving lips, eyes placed in shadow by the lowered lids utter now a word and
yet force you to guess a lot. Godliness in the majesty and size, mystery in the
expression”
Mr, Chou Ta Koun, a Chinese
diplomat who lived in Angkor Thom city for one year in 1295 called this temple
as a Golden Tower, becauseits central tower was gilded with gold. He said
“every city sent around Khmer Kingdom sent the best Buddha statue to keep in
every tower. Besides this, he also mentioned about dozens of gold Buddha
statues in the main shrine in the center.
Plan: Bayon comprises three
levels. The first and the second level are galleries of bas-relief or low
carving. A circular central sanctuary dominates the third level. The plan of
Bayon is very complicated as it has a maze of dark galleries; low ceiling and
narrow passages connected in a way that is indistinguishable.
First explorer: in 1860AD,
Mr. Henry Mouhout, a French naturalist, was the first explorers who arrived in
Angkor and made the European know this place. He accidently found Angkor
temples which were overgrown by dens forest when he was catching butterfly in a
deep jungle around here. When Henry Mahout discovered Bayon, he tried to climb
up to the top. Because he was very exhausted of climbing, he had a rest up
there. He looked all around him, to the front, the back, the left and the
right, a lot of scary faces were looking athim from anywere and he was very very
scared.Then he decided to stop exploring floraand funa and stayed in Angkor Wat
for one week. He hired local people to take him further into the jungle. He was
extremely surprised to find more and more temples. Henry Marhout stayed one
week in Angkor Wat. He did a survey on the local people and he painted pictures
of those beautiful temples. He mentioned in his book that (It is unbelievable
to have such a remarkable civilization like Angkor on the
earth......regrettable, most of the beautiful temple structures havecollapsed
and covered by dense forest....he continued that he hope one day the powerful
people in the world will come here to help and to learn when and who created
this great civilization because the local people who lived nearby the temple were
full of hardship. they could not be able to preserve the temple at all since
they faced poverty, disease, warfare and they just practiced animism and
Buddhism). One year later, Henry Mahout died in Laos, because he was very sick
of Malaria when he was just 35 years old. his brother went to Loas and
collected Henry’s book to publish a French book called Voyages in Siam,
Cambodge and Laos.The French administration was very interested in that book,
and then they sent two explorers, Delarport andDelagre, to explore Angkor and
the countries along the Mekong River from South China Sea to China border.
After the exploration mission had been finished, Delaport and Delagree
suggested French administration to colonize Indochina region as earlier as
possible because the British had already arrived in Asia.The French helped to
protect Cambodia from the invasion of Siamese and Vietnamese from 1863-1884,
but then they colonized Cambodia until 1953.
Restoration: The French
established Angkor Conservation Department for restoration, preservation, and
discovering Angkor site in 1908. The first job of the French in Angkor site was
to clear forest away from the temple structures and to pave road to access the
most important temple site. Then from 1916 to 1972 the temple structures in
Angkor archaeological Park were cleared and restored with a big project of 1000
Cambodians and a dozen of French explorers.
Open: Angkor began to open
Taprom Temple
Taprom Temple
Date: Built in
late twelfth century
Religion: Buddhism
King: Jayavarman
VII (1181-1221)
Posthumous name: Mahasangatapada
The tourist who arrives in Ta
Prom feels mysterious and amazed because Ta Prom structure is not much restored
and it still has its special natural condition of jungle. It shows the tourist
what the temple is like after it’s been abandoned for hundreds of years.
Ta Prom was constructed in
1186AD by king Jayavarman VII to dedicate to his mother, to Buddhism and to use
a Buddhism Education Center. The five- year construction of this temple was
begun immediately after Jayavarman VII had just finished a five
year-construction of Banteay Kdei temple. Ta Prom was designed with 36 towers.
The central tower of Ta Prom originally had Buddha’s mother’s statue, but today
it only has its pedestal. Buddha’s mother was called Pranhaparamita. She was a
god of wisdom.
Ta prom is a grand temple
complex covering an area of 1000m by 700m and there’s one entrance structure on
each side. As it is easy to get lost inside, i would like to confirm that we
are entering the temple through the North entrance which is quiet and well
preserved, and we come out through the west entrance as the driver is waiting
there.
Inscription:
According to the inscription,
the original name of this temple was Raja Vihara which means The Royal
Monastery. Taprom or Prom is a new name and a local accent of Brahma. Brahma is
a Hindu god who has four faces similar to Buddha.after this temple was abandon
for many hundreds of years, the people living around here forget the history
and just call this temple Taprom because they think those faces belong to
Brahma not Buddha.
The inscription found in this
temple describes clearly about the number of properties and people who lived in
Ta Prom. There were 79, 365 people who lived and practiced religious ceremony
in this temple complex. Those people were 18 high Brahmins,2740 monks or
Buddhist teachers, 2202 low rank priests, 615 dancers so on. King Jayavarman
VII also assigned 3,140villages around here to support this temple. Prom owned
a set of gold dish weighing500kg and a set of silver dish weighing 500kg. Ta
Prom owned precious stones such as 36 pieces of diamonds, 36 pieces of rubies,
36 pieces sapphires,44,620 pieces of pearls and 4500 pieces of other precious
stones. Ta Prom had 250 statues of Buddha, Hindu gods, and king’s ancestors.
Some of those statues were made in gold, silver, bronze and some in mahogany.
beside this, there were useful stuff such as 512 pieces of good silk, 523
parasols, and 876 veils from China so on. furthermore, the inscription shows a
list of offerings for daily praying in Ta Prom such as rice, seeds, milk, and
oil sent from those villages. moreover, there is also a list of supplies from
the royal treasures needed for special ceremony such as seeds, milk, honey
juice, wax, sandalwood and 2,387 sets of clothe to adorn the statues. The
inscription ends with saying that’ Doing these good deeds, I and all prayers
with extreme devotion dedicated these things to my mother. Because of the
virtue of good deeds, i wished my mother enjoy life in the highest heaven with
Buddha’s mother after she passed away from the earth. What the inscription mentions makes the
Cambodian people proud of the glorious period of Khmer kingdom.
Dancing Hall:
The same to other main
temples built by Jayavarman VII, Ta Prom also has its dancing hall.According to
the inscription, 615 beautiful girls were sent from every city to be taught how
to dance as divine dancers to perform here. They danced twice a month in this
hall, during full moon and new moon time which are religious holy days.
The dome roof of the hall has
completely collapsed and being restored by Cambodian-Indian corporation
project.
Hollywood Movie:
Most of the tourists who come
to visit Taprom wish to see real amazing trees growing on the temple as there
were filmed in Holywood Movie, Tomb Raider acted by Anjerlyna Jolie.
In that movie, Angerlyna
Joly, who played asLaracros, tried to explore a half of a triangle hidden under
a jasmine tree that was growing in side this temple. She competed against
another group of explorers who also wanted to take that half of the triangle.
they want it to fix together with another half hidden at the other side of the
earth to get power to control the time of the universe or to be immortal and
Laracros just wanted to meet her father bring her father back from the past.
When Laracros was exploring near the jasmine tree, she fell down into the
underground. Down there, the statues of lions and demons with many arms and
weapons became alive and aggressively attacked her and other explorers. She
struggled to fight against them.
Finally, she found what wanted and escaped to Angkor Wat. There, she was
blessed and well treated by monks.
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CAMBODIA ATTRACTION
Reviewed by Unknown
on
9:25 PM
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Reviewed by Unknown
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9:25 PM
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