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Transcript of Cambodia Angkor Wat. Cambodia Angkor: old kingdom (7th-13th centuries) Capital city: Phnom Penn...
Cambodia
Angkor Wat
Cambodia
• Angkor: old kingdom (7th-13th centuries)
• Capital city: Phnom Penn
• Religion: Hinduism (7th-12th centuries), Mahayana Buddhism (12th-14th centuries); Theravada Buddhism (15th-present)
• Khmer ethnic
• Mon-Khmer language
Hinduism
• Polytheistic religion (worship many gods and goddesses)
• Goal is to achieve moksa--by praying, worshipping (darsana) and giving offering to gods
• Each god has a female companion and rides on vehicle such as bull (Nandi), lion, goose; each holds some attributes (Siva: tridents and Vishnu: conch shell and wheel)
Triad
• Brahma-God of Creator
• Vishnu-God of Preserver (has many incarnations such as Rama and Krishna)
• Shiva-God of Destroyer (also the protector of animals)
• Devi-goddess (e.g., Laksmi (“Good Fortune”) and Parvati); symbolizing beauty, benevolent, and wealth as well as power and wrath
3.29 Angkor Wat, early 12th century
Angkor Wat
• King Suryavarman II (c. 1112-1150 CE)
• Hindu temple, facing West (direction of death), associates with Vishnu
• It symbolizes the center of the universe, Mount Meru
• The moat symbolizes the oceans surrounding the earth
• The succession of concentric galleries represent the mountain ranges that surround Mount Meru
• The towers (Gopura) represent the mountain’s peaks
• It was converted to Theravada temple in the 15th century
King Suryarvarman II, c. 1112-1150
Plan
• Square shape with cruciform cloister• Enter on the West side through the causeway• Made of sandstone; foundation was made of
laterite• Upper level carries five towers and surrounding
galleries• The summit is enclosed by continuous gallery
(60m square); the center shrine tower is 42m high.
Library
Gallery and main towers
Apsaras (celestrial beings)
Apsaras
Lotus motif
Upper towers
Main tower
Vishnu
Interior
• sculpture: 8 arm Vishnu may have been located in the main sanctuary
• Interior decorated with bas-relief• Themes: Ramayana and Mahabartha epics• Historic procession of King Suryavarman II and
court• The West and East sides depicted the Heavens and
Hells• Apsaras (celestial beings): approximately 2000
Suryavarman II
Vishnu and Garuda
The Judgement of Yama, God of Dead and the Underworld
Battle scene
The Churning of the Sea of Milk
• Story taken from the Bhagavata-Purana
• Gods and demons (asuras)
• Naga Vasuki used as a robe for the churning
• Produce the amrita, the elixir of immortality
Gods
The Churning of the Sea of Milk, E gallery
Demons
Syam khuk