ROLUOS:
-BAKONG – in the 9 th century construction of temples at Roluos launched classical Khmer architecture with several fundamental innovations, including concentric enclosures with gopuras, naga balustrades, the first libraries and narrative bas-relief. Four levels with steep axial stairways ascend to a high summit platform. Statues of Javanese-style seated lions flank the stairways, and twelve small prasat towers sit on the fourth level. The whole temple was sheathed in sandstone, with reliefs of asuras (minor deities) in battle, carved around the walls of the top level, of which only a few examples remain. The mountain temple of Bakong was build by Indravarman I, who also established the royal city of Hariharalaya near the Tonle Sap Lake. Eight brick prasat towers encircle the base, two on each side. Traces of ornamental stucco remain on the brick facades, and niches hold standing deities, male in the eastern towers and female in the western. Protecting the entrance to the towers is the carvings of a mythical monster, a makara , with garlands of foliage coming out its mouth. A man with a sword is often depicted mounting the creature. These are to frighten away evil spirits.
-PREAH KO – in 879 Inravarman I built the temple of Preah Ko, meaning ‘Sacred Bull’ after the three statues of Nandin (Shiva’s mount) that face it, in honour of his ancestors. the outer walls were covered with a lime and sandmortar which acted as stucco and is still visible in many places. Sandstone niches inserted in recesses in the walls contain armed figures of young dvarpalas (guardians, gatekeepers) on the prasat of the male ancestors and images of devatas ( celestial nymphs, like apsaras ) on those of the female ancestors. the doors, flanked by elaborate columns, were also made of sandstone, and the false doors featured exquisite floral decoration. The architraves are among the loveliest in Khmer art; naga heads or diverging makara , horsemen, Vishnu riding his mount Garuda can all be viewed.
-LOLEI – Indravarman I created the first reservoir used for irrigation, the Indratataka, revolutionising Khmer hydrology. His son, Yasovarman I built an island in the centre of the baray in 893 and erected Lolei upon it dedicated to his ancestors. The west towers honour male ancestors, and the east honour female ancestors. The brick towers are not much more than ruins, but the inscriptions on the sandstone lintels, door jambs and reliefs remain in good condition.
PHNOM KRON – on a hill above the north end of the Tonle Sap Lake stands the weathered shrine of Phnom Kron, one of the three summit temples built by Yasovarman I at the end of the 9 th century. Three towers are raised on a laterite and sandstone platform, symbolising Brahma, Vishnu and, in the centre, Shiva.
TONLE SAP AND THE FLOATING VILLAGE – Tonle Sap is one of the most productive freshwater fisheries in the world. The rising and falling waters of the largest lake in southeast Asia protect flooded forests and provide a breeding ground for fish and birds. The fishing villages on stilts and the style of fish traps and nets remain the same as those illustrated in the bas-reliefs of Bayon.
BANTEAY SAMRE – constructed in the mid 12 th century by Suryavarman II, it bears a distinct resemblance to his other great architectural achievements of Angkor Wat, Phnom Rung, and Bang Mealea. Although on a smaller scale, it is finely proportioned with superb details. While most of Banteay Samre’s bas-reliefs concern Vishnu, scholars believe the temple may have been Buddhist. A pediment of the north library depicts the birth of Brahma. It survives as one of the most complete Khmer monuments.
BANTEAY SREI – 21 miles northeast of Angkor, in a dense forest near the Kulen Hills, is the miniature shrine of Banteay Srei, considered by some as the pinnacle of Angkor art. The temple was founded in 967, and built by Yajnavaraha, the Brahmin guru of Rajendravarman. He was a scholar which may explain some of the shrine’s unusual features, such as the richness of bas-relief, lack of military scenes, meticulous details and the unpretentious small scale. Having been built by a Brahmin priest, the temple was never intended for use by a king, but it contains some of the finest examples of Khmer sculpture. Finely carved and rare pink sandstone (the sandstone we use) replaces the plaster-coated carved-brick decoration typical of earlier temples. The carvings are everywhere: the jambs, the lintels, the balustered windows. Banteay Srei’s ornamentation is exceptional – its roofs, pediments, columns and lintels are beautifully carved with tongues of flame, coiling serpents tails, gods, demons and floral patterns. Here dvarapalas are slender relaxed youths, very different from the usual Khmer style of the time. Located in the niches around the central sanctuary the young men hold attributes of Shiva. The devatas and apsaras are shown as voluptuous maidens, exuding the essence of feminine beauty and fecundity, thereby giving the temple its modern name, Citadel of Women.
KOH KER – the short lived capital. In 921 during the reign of Harshavarman I, a maternal uncle of his rebelled and had himself crowned with the name Jayavarman IV in his fief, situated 53 miles northeast of Angkor. As he would not or could not move to Yashodharapura, he chose his birthplace, Chok Gargyar, now Koh Ker, to be the capital of his kingdom. He built a baray measuring 3,900 by 1,800 feet called the Rahal, by exploiting a depression in the terrain and a nearby river. The capital had an area of 14 square miles a part of its enclosure wall can still be seen to the north and west of the Rahal. There are numerous buildings at Koh Ker but they are sadly in a poor state of repair. The main ruin is Prasat Thom , a complex dedicated to Tribhuvaneshvara (Lord of the Triple World), which has many innovative characteristics. It is situated on an east-west axis 2,000 feet long and is divided into three architectural blocks: the procession avenue with its innovative approach buildings of pillared porticoes and windows screened by small columns, the triple enclosure with the shrine to ancestors and the mountain temple at the end of the route. They are a link to the temples developed later, reaching their peak at Angkor Wat.
PHNOM KULEN – early in the 9 th century Jayavarman II established one of his royal cities at Phnom Kulen thus founding the first Khmer kingdom (the other royal cities were Hariharalaya, Amarendrapura and Indrapura). Ancient animistic spirits, neak ta , are worshiped alongside the Buddha. Phnom Kulen – or Mount Mohendrapura – is a sandstone plateau considered sacred by the Khmers. The site is the mythical birthplace of the Cambodian Kingdom. The largest reclining Buddha in Cambodia, carved from one enormous sandstone boulder, is located at the summit, and is thought to be 900 years old. The temple is only visible in fragments today, and is best known for its elaboratey carved lintels and bas-reliefs. The main sources of the Siem Reap River are the springs that originate on Phnom Kulen. They are worshiped with miniature houses, or khtoms , dedicated to local spirits, the neak ta . In 1054 a thousand lingas were carved by a minister of Suryavarman I into the stream-bed upon this most sacred mountain in all Cambodia. Mythologically Kulen represents the Himalaya, the Siem Reap River symbolises the Ganges, and the lingas, the sanctification of the waters by Shiva.
BENG MEALEA – one of the most spectacular monuments of the Khmer Empire, was possibly the prototype for Angkor Wat and is only slightly smaller. The temple was constructed by Suryavarman II about the same time as Angkor Wat, but it is now an overgrown ruin. The World Monuments Fund is about to undertake a major renovation. Like Angkor Wat, the temple is dedicated to Vishnu, and other Brahmanic deities.
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