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
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 Royal
Palace Palace
to erect the city of Angkor Thom , which was
centered on the temple
of Bayon
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.
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.
