Angkor Vat

Angkor Vat (or Angkor Wat ) is largest of the temples of the monumental complex of Angkor, with the Kampuchea. It is one of the examples best preserved Architecture khmère. Angkor is a dialectal form of the word Nokor , which comes from the Sanskrit Nāgara , “royal residence” and vat means Khmer “temple” in . One can translate Angkor Vat by the city which is a temple . Its beauty and its size are such as much regard it as the Eighth wonder of the world.

History

Angkor Vat was built by the king Suryavarman II (which reigned of 1113 with 1150) in first half of the 12th century, as already Aymonier thought it. At that time, the temple of State in the center of the capital, the Baphûon, was dedicated to Śiva. As Suryavarman II honoured Viṣṇu, it decided construction of a new temple in the south of the city. This explains why the entry of Angkor Vat is directed towards the west (towards Viṣṇu), contrary to the other Khmer temples. Later, the temple “was diverted” towards the worship of Bouddha with a notable rehandling of central sanctuary.

Today still, the temple is visited daily by Buddhist Moines . Its silhouette appears on the flag of Kampuchea.

Total description

The complex occupies an entire surface of 1500 meters out of 1300 meters. Decoration khmère, abundant but harmonious, is mainly made representations of gods, men and animals, which fill each plane surface. The combat and the episodes of legends are frequent. Floral decorations are reserved for the edges, the mouldings and the capitals. The principal materials used are sandstone of various colors and the Latérite. The stone was cut out in enormous blocks assembled with a high degree of accuracy without using Ciment, probably by Rodage on the spot.

External galleries

Ditches and three galleries encircle the central sanctuary. Since the west of the complex, a 200 meters long paved roadway makes it possible to cross the ditches and leads to a broad terrace preceding splendid the will gopura , which marks the main entrance of the central building.

The first gallery consists of square pillars towards outside and a blind wall towards the interior. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with rosettes in lotus. The outside of the blind wall is decorated with windows with columns, of Apsara S (celestial nymphs), which one finds on all the galleries, and of male figures which dance on animals caracolants.

Starting from the first gallery, an avenue decorated with nāgas long 350 meters leads to the second enclosure through a park. On both sides of this alley, one meets initially two constructions which one is unaware of the utility (but which one usually calls “libraries”), then two small basins. One arrives at the second gallery by a flanked elevated platform of lions on both sides of a stair-well. The interior wall of the second gallery is decorated of a narrative low-relief over all its length. On the Western wall scenes of the epopee of the Mahābhārata are represented.

The third enclosure

The third gallery delimits a space of 150 meters out of 200 meters. One penetrates there by a terrace in the shape of cross. This space is cut out in three levels, connected by many external staircases. These levels are of decreasing size. Each level is made of a terrace surrounded by a gallery. Highest is the sanctuary, which is surmounted in its center of a large tower of pyramidal form. Turns overcome also the four angles of the terraces of the two upper floors. The gallery external of the central sanctuary, long, 800 meters is decorated with low-reliefs describing of the scenes drawn from Indian epopees or of the history of Angkor. Three galleries whose vaults are supported by columns carry out of the three Western doors of the third gallery to the second level. They are connected by a transverse gallery, which thus forms four square basins. The gallery of the south is called the gallery of the thousand Bouddha S, because the Khmer had habit to leave there statues of Bouddha. The majority of those were destroyed during the civil war. Of share and others of these galleries two libraries are.

One thus reaches the second level while crossing a gantry through another rectangular enclosure. One finds there a surface paved, where are still two libraries. These courses could have originally been flooded, in order to represent the ocean surrounding mythical the Mont Meru. It is crossed by a short alley supported by pillars and driving on the third level.

The central sanctuary

One reaches this one by twelve very stiff staircases which represent the difficulty in reaching the kingdom of the God X. At the top of these staircases a paved platform of square form divided into four courses by two elevated corridors is which are cut to right angles. Another raised corridor runs along the edge external of the platform, surrounding the unit of the level. With each corner of this corridor is a tower and one finds a fifth in the middle of the platform of it. These five turns form the well-known silhouette of Angkor Vat. The square base of the central tower contains a small sanctuary on each face, behind which is the central sanctuary. These sanctuaries are connected by galleries on the roofs of which is represented the body of a snake ending in heads of lions or of Garuda S. Of the lintels and carved pediments the entries of the galleries and the sanctuaries decorate.

The central sanctuary was initially dedicated to the God hindouist Viṣṇu, but its gold statue was removed and one finds today in each sanctuary of the statues of Bouddha.

Low-reliefs

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