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Temples of
Angkor
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Temples of Angkor
Why Go?
Angkor Wat ...............130 Welcome to heaven on earth. Angkor (ប្រាសាទ អង្គរ) is the
earthly representation of Mt Meru, the Mt Olympus of the
Angkor Thom .............139
Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods. The temples are
Bayon .........................139
the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devo-
Baphuon ....................142 tion. The Cambodian ‘god-kings’ of old each strove to better
Preah Khan ................148 their ancestors in size, scale and symmetry, culminating in
Preah Neak Poan ........149 the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat.
The temples of Angkor are a source of inspiration and
Ta Som ......................150
national pride to all Khmers as they struggle to rebuild their
Roluos Temples .........151
lives after years of terror and trauma. Today, the temples
Phnom Krom .............152 are a point of pilgrimage for all Cambodians, and no travel-
Koh Ker ......................156 ler to the region will want to miss their extravagant beauty.
Angkor is one of the world’s foremost ancient sites, with the
epic proportions of the Great Wall of China, the detail and
intricacy of the Taj Mahal and the symbolism and symmetry
Best Temples
of the pyramids, all rolled into one.
for Sunrise
or Sunset
Don’t Miss
¨¨Angkor Wat (p130)
¨¨Bayon (p139) ¨¨Seeing the sun rise over the holiest of holies, Angkor Wat
(p130), the world’s largest religious building
¨¨Phnom Bakheng (p144)
¨¨Contemplating the serenity and splendour of Bayon (p139),
¨¨Pre Rup (p150)
its 216 enigmatic faces staring out into the jungle
¨¨Sra Srang (p147)
¨¨Witnessing nature reclaiming the stones at the mysterious
ruin of Ta Prohm (p146), the Tomb Raider temple
Best Temples ¨¨Staring in wonder at the delicate carvings adorning
Banteay Srei (p153), the finest seen at Angkor
for Film Buffs
¨¨Trekking deep into the jungle to discover the River of a
¨¨Angkor Wat (p130) Thousand Lingas at Kbal Spean (p153)
¨¨Bayon (p139) ¨¨Exploring the tangled vines, crumbling corridors and
¨¨Beng Mealea (p155) jumbled sandstone blocks of Beng Mealea (p155)
¨¨East Gate of Angkor Thom
(p139)
¨¨Ta Prohm (p146)
119
History his divinity and glory in a temple-mountain
of his own. He first built Lolei on an artifi-
The Angkorian period spans more than 600
cial island in the baray established by his fa-
years from AD 802 to 1432. This incredible
ther, before beginning work on the Bakheng.
age saw the construction of the temples of
Today this hill is known as Phnom Bakheng,
Angkor and the consolidation of the Khmer
a favoured spot for viewing the sunset over
empire’s position as one of the great pow-
Angkor Wat. A raised highway was con-
ers in Southeast Asia. This era encompasses
structed to connect Phnom Bakheng with
periods of decline and revival, and wars with
Roluos, 16km to the southeast, and a large
rival powers in Vietnam, Thailand and My-
baray was constructed to the east of Phnom
anmar. This brief history deals only with the
Bakheng. Today it is known as the Eastern
periods that produced the temples that can
Baray but has entirely silted up. Yasovarman
be seen at Angkor.
I also established the temple-mountains of
The hundreds of surviving temples are but
Phnom Krom and Phnom Bok.
the sacred skeleton of the vast political, reli-
After the death of Yasovarman I, power
gious and social centre of Cambodia’s ancient
briefly shifted from the Angkor region to
Khmer empire; a city that, at its zenith, boast-
Koh Ker, around 80km to the northeast,
ed a population of one million when London
under another usurper king, Jayavarman IV TTT
was a small town of 50,000. The houses, eee
(r 924–42). In AD 944 power returned again mmm
public buildings and palaces of Angkor were
to Angkor under the leadership of Rajendra- ppp
constructed of wood – now long decayed – be- lll
varman II (r 944–68), who built the Eastern eee
cause the right to dwell in structures of brick sss
or stone was reserved for the gods. Mebon and Pre Rup. The reign of his son o o o
Jayavarman V (r 968–1001) produced the Ta fff
A A A
An¨Empire¨is¨Born Keo and Banteay Srei temples; the latter was nnn
The Angkorian period began with the rule built by a Brahman rather than the king. ggg
kkk
of Jayavarman II (r 802–50). He was the first ooo
The¨Golden¨Age¨of¨Angkor rrr
to unify Cambodia’s competing kingdoms The temples that are now the highlight of a H
before the birth of Angkor. His court was sit- visit to Angkor – Angkor Wat and those in IS
uated at various locations, including Phnom T
and around the walled city of Angkor Thom – O
Kulen, 40km northeast of Angkor Wat, and R
were built during the golden age or classi- Y
Roluos (known then as Hariharalaya), 13km
cal period. While this period is marked by
east of Siem Reap.
fits of remarkable productivity, it was also a
Jayavarman II proclaimed himself a de-
time of turmoil, conquests and setbacks. The
varaja (god-king), the earthly representative
great city of Angkor Thom owes its existence
of the Hindu god Shiva, and built a ‘temple-
to the fact that the old city of Angkor, which
mountain’ at Phnom Kulen, symbolising
stood on the same site, was destroyed dur-
Shiva’s dwelling place of Mt Meru, the holy
ing the Cham invasion of 1177.
mountain at the centre of the universe. This
Suryavarman I (r 1002–49) was a usurp-
set a precedent that became a dominant fea-
er to the throne who won the day through
ture of the Angkorian period and accounts
strategic alliances and military conquests.
for the staggering architectural productivity
Although he adopted the Hindu cult of the
of the Khmers at this time.
god-king, he is thought to have come from a
Indravarman I (r 877–89) is believed to
Mahayana Buddhist tradition and may even
have been a usurper, and probably inherited
have sponsored the growth of Buddhism
the mantle of devaraja through conquest. He
in Cambodia. Buddhist sculpture certainly
built a 6.5-sq-km baray (reservoir) at Roluos
became more commonplace in the Angkor
and established Preah Ko. The baray was the
region during his time.
first stage of an irrigation system that created
Little physical evidence of Suryavarman
a hydraulic city, the ancient Khmers master-
I’s reign remains at Angkor, but his military
ing the cycle of nature to water their lands.
exploits brought much of central Thailand
Form and function worked together in har-
and southern-central Laos under the control
mony, as the baray also had religious signifi-
of Angkor. His son Udayadityavarman II (r
cance, representing the oceans surrounding
1049–65) embarked on further military expe-
Mt Meru. Indravarman’s final work was Ba-
ditions, extending the empire once more, and
kong, a pyramidal representation of Mt Meru.
building Baphuon and the Western Mebon.
Indravarman I’s son Yasovarman I (r
Many major cities in the Mekong region were
889–910) looked further afield to celebrate
important Khmer settlements in the 11th and
120
Temples of Angkor
A B C D
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122
Temples of Angkor
æ Top Sights 21 Spean Thmor............................................E1
1 Angkor Wat..............................................D3 22 Sra Srang..................................................F2
2 Bayon.......................................................D2 23 Ta Keo.......................................................E2
3 Ta Prohm..................................................E2 24 Ta Nei.........................................................E1
25 Ta Som.......................................................F1
æ Sights 26 Thommanon..............................................E1
4 Bakong ....................................................H6 27 Western Mebon.......................................B2
5 Baksei Chamkrong.................................D2
6 Banteay Kdei............................................E2 Ø Activities, Courses & Tours
7 Banteay Samré.......................................G2 28 Angkor Balloon........................................D3
8 Baphuon...................................................D2
9 Chau Say Tevoda.....................................E2 ú Eating
10 Eastern Mebon.........................................F2 Angkor Reach Restaurant............(see 29)
11 Lolei..........................................................H5 29 Blue Pumpkin...........................................D3
12 Phnom Bakheng......................................D2 30 Chez Sophea............................................D3
13 Phnom Bok...............................................H1 31 Khmer Angkor Restaurant.....................D3
14 Phnom Krom...........................................B7
TTT 15 Prasat Chrung.........................................D2 þ Shopping
eee
mmm 16 Prasat Kravan...........................................E3 32 Dy Proeung Master Sculptor.................H5
ppp 17 Pre Rup......................................................F2 33 Khmer Group Art of Weaving.................H5
lll
eee 18 Preah Khan...............................................D1 Lo-Yuyu...........................................(see 34)
s ofs ofs of 2109 PPrreeaahh KNoe.a..k.. .P..o..a...n...........................................................................HE51 34 Prolung Khmer.........................................H5
A A A
nnn
ggg
kkk 12th centuries, including the Lao capital of by the Khmer empire, rose up and sacked
ooo
rrr Vientiane and the Thai city of Lopburi. Angkor. This attack caught the Khmers com-
H From 1066 until the end of the century, pletely by surprise, as it came via sea, river
IS Angkor was again divided as rival factions and lake rather than the traditional land
T
O contested the throne. The first important routes. The Chams burnt the wooden city
RY monarch of this new era was Suryavar- and plundered its wealth. Four years later
man II (r 1112–52), who unified Cambodia Jayavarman VII (r 1181–1219) struck back,
and extended Khmer influence to Malaya emphatically driving the Chams out of Cam-
and Myanmar (Burma). He also set himself bodia and reclaiming Angkor.
apart religiously from earlier kings through Jayavarman VII’s reign has given scholars
his devotion to the Hindu deity Vishnu, to much to debate. It represents a radical de-
whom he consecrated the largest and argu- parture from the reigns of his predecessors.
ably most magnificent of all the Angkorian For centuries the fount of royal divinity had
temples, Angkor Wat. reposed in the Hindu deity Shiva (and, oc-
The reign of Suryavarman II and the casionally, Vishnu). Jayavarman VII adopted
construction of Angkor Wat signifies one of Mahayana Buddhism and looked to Avalok-
the high-water marks of Khmer civilisation. iteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion,
However, there were signs that decline was for patronage during his reign. In doing so
lurking. It is thought that the hydraulic sys- he may well have been converting to a reli-
tem of reservoirs and canals that supported gion that already enjoyed wide popular sup-
the agriculture of Angkor had by this time port among his subjects. It may also be that
been pushed beyond its limits, and was the destruction of Angkor was such a blow
slowly starting to silt up due to overpopula- to royal divinity that a new religious founda-
tion and deforestation. The construction of tion was thought to be needed.
Angkor Wat was a major strain on resources, During his reign, Jayavarman VII em-
and, on top of this, Suryavarman II led a dis- barked on a dizzying array of temple
astrous campaign against the Dai Viet (Viet- projects that centred on Baphuon, which
namese) late in his reign, during the course was the site of the capital city destroyed
of which he was killed in battle. by the Chams. Angkor Thom, Jayavarman
VII’s new city, was surrounded by walls and
Enter¨Jayavarman¨VII
a moat, which became another component
In 1177 the Chams of southern Vietnam, then
of Angkor’s complex irrigation system. The
the Kingdom of Champa and long annexed
centrepiece of Angkor Thom was Bayon, the
123
temple-mountain studded with faces that, Still, it was the publication of Voyage à
along with Angkor Wat, is the most famous Siam et dans le Cambodge by Mouhot, post-
of Cambodia’s temples. Other temples built humously released in 1868, that first brought
during his reign include Ta Prohm, Banteay Angkor to the public eye. Although the ex-
Kdei and Preah Khan. Further away, he re- plorer himself made no such claims, by the
built vast temple complexes, such as Banteay 1870s he was being celebrated as the discov-
Chhmar and Preah Khan in Preah Vihear erer of the lost temple-city of Cambodia. In
Province, making him by far the most pro- fact, a French missionary known as Charles-
lific builder of Angkor’s many kings. Emile Bouillevaux had visited Angkor 10
Jayavarman VII also embarked on a ma- years before Mouhot and had published an
jor public-works program, building roads, account of his own findings. However, the
schools and hospitals across the empire. Bouillevaux account was roundly ignored
Remains of many of these roads and their and it was Mouhot’s account, with its rich
magnificent bridges can be seen across descriptions and tantalising pen-and-ink col-
Cambodia. Spean Praptos at Kompong Kdei, our sketches of the temples, that turned the
65km southeast of Siem Reap on National ruins into an international obsession.
Hwy 6 (NH6), is the most famous, but there Soon after Mouhot, other adventur-
are many more lost in the forest on the old ers and explorers began to arrive. Scottish TTT
eee
Angkorian road to the great Preah Khan, photographer John Thomson took the first mmm
including the now accessible Spean Ta Ong, photographs of the temples in 1866. He was ppp
lll
about 28km east of Beng Mealea near the the first Westerner to posit the idea that eee
sss
village of Khvau. they were symbolic representations of the o o o
After the death of Jayavarman VII around mythical Mt Meru. French architect Lucien fff
A A A
1219, the Khmer empire went into decline. Fournereau travelled to Angkor in 1887 and nnn
The state religion reverted to Hinduism for produced plans and meticulously executed ggg
kkk
a century or more and outbreaks of icono- cross-sections that were to stand as the best ooo
clasm saw Buddhist sculpture adorning the available until the 1960s. r r r A
Hindu temples vandalised or altered. The From this time, Angkor became the target R
Thais sacked Angkor in 1351, and again with of French-financed expeditions and, in 1901, CH
devastating efficiency in 1431. The glorious the École¨ Française¨ d’Extrême-Orient A
E
Siamese capital of Ayuthaya, which enjoyed (EFEO; www.efeo.fr) began a long associa- O
L
a golden age from the 14th to the 18th cen- tion with Angkor by funding an expedition O
turies, was in many ways a recreation of the to Bayon. In 1907 Angkor was returned to GY
glories of Angkor from which the Thai con- Cambodia, having been under Thai control O
querors drew inspiration. The Khmer court for more than a century, and the EFEO took F A
moved to Phnom Penh, only to return fleet- responsibility for clearing and restoring the N
G
ingly to Angkor in the 16th century; in the whole site. In the same year, the first foreign K
meantime, it was abandoned to pilgrims, tourists arrived in Angkor – an unprecedent- O
R
holy men and the elements. ed 200 of them in three months. Angkor had
been ‘rescued’ from the jungle and was as-
Angkor¨Rediscovered
suming its place in the modern world.
The French ‘discovery’ of Angkor in the
1860s made an international splash and cre- Archaeology¨of¨Angkor
ated a great deal of outside interest in Cam-
With the exception of Angkor Wat, which
bodia. But ‘discovery’, with all the romance
was restored for use as a Buddhist shrine in
it implied, was something of a misnomer.
the 16th century by the Khmer royalty, the
When French explorer Henri Mouhot first
temples of Angkor were left to the jungle for
stumbled across Angkor Wat on his Royal
many centuries. The majority of temples are
Geographic Society expedition, it included a
made of sandstone, which tends to dissolve
wealthy, working monastery with monks and
when in prolonged contact with dampness.
slaves. Moreover, Portuguese travellers in the
Bat droppings took their toll, as did sporadic
16th century encountered Angkor, referring
pilfering of sculptures and cut stones. At
to it as the Walled City. Diego do Couto pro-
some monuments, such as Ta Prohm, the
duced an accurate description of Angkor in
jungle had stealthily waged an all-out inva-
1614, but it was not published until 1958. A
sion, and plant life could only be removed at
17th-century Japanese pilgrim drew a de-
great risk to the structures it now supported
tailed plan of Angkor Wat, though he mis-
in its web of roots.
takenly recalled that he had seen it in India.
124
Initial attempts to clear Angkor under the istry of Culture teams had removed many of
aegis of the EFEO were fraught with techni- the statues from the temple sites for protec-
cal difficulties and theoretical disputes. On tion. Nevertheless, turmoil in Cambodia re-
a technical front, the jungle tended to grow sulted in a long interruption of restoration
back as soon as it was cleared; on a theo- work, allowing the jungle to resume its as-
retical front, scholars debated the extent sault on the monuments. The illegal trade of
to which temples should be restored and objets d’art on the world art market has also
whether later additions, such as Buddha im- been a major threat to Angkor, although it
ages in Hindu temples, should be removed. is the more remote sites that have been tar-
It was not until the 1920s that a solution geted recently. Angkor has been under the
was found, known as anastylosis. This was jurisdiction of the UN Educational Scientific
the method the Dutch had used to restore and Cultural Organization (Unesco) since
Borobudur in Java. Put simply, it was a way 1992 as a World Heritage Site, and interna-
of reconstructing monuments using the tional and local efforts continue to preserve
original materials and in keeping with the and reconstruct the monuments. In a sign
original form of the structure. New materi- of real progress, Angkor was removed from
als were permitted only where the originals Unesco’s endangered list in 2003.
TTT could not be found, and were to be used Many of Angkor’s secrets remain to be
eee
mmm discreetly. An example of this method can discovered, as most of the work at the tem-
ppp be seen on the causeway leading to the en- ples has concentrated on restoration efforts
lll
eee trance of Angkor Wat, as the right-hand side above ground rather than archaeological
sss
o o o was originally restored by the French. digs and surveys below. Underground is
fff The first major restoration job was carried where the real story of Angkor and its peo-
A A A
nnn out on Banteay Srei in 1930. It was deemed ple lies – the inscriptions on the temples
ggg such a success that many more extensive res- give us only a partial picture of the gods to
kkk
ooo toration projects were undertaken elsewhere whom each structure was dedicated, and the
r r r A aArnoguknodr AWnagtk roers, tcouralmtioinna itnin gth ien 1t9h6e0 sm. aLsasrigvee kinTgos lweahron bmuoilrte t haebmou.t Unesco’s activities at
R
C cranes and earth-moving machines were Angkor, visit http://whc.unesco.org, or take
H
A brought in, and the operation was backed by a virtual tour of Angkor in 360 degrees at
EO a veritable army of surveying equipment. www.world-heritage-tour.org. For a great
L The Khmer Rouge victory and Cambodia’s online photographic resource on the tem-
O
G subsequent slide into an intractable civil ples of Angkor, look no further than www.
Y
O war resulted in far less damage to Angkor angkor-ruins.com, a Japanese website with
F than many had assumed, as EFEO and Min- an English translation.
A
N
G
K TOP¨10¨KINGS¨OF¨ANGKOR
O
R
A mind-numbing array of kings ruled the Khmer empire from the 9th to the 14th centu-
ries AD. All of their names include the word ‘varman’, which means ‘armour’ or ‘protec-
tor’. Forget the small fry and focus on the big fish in our Top 10:
Jayavarman¨II¨(r 802–50) Founder of the Khmer empire in AD 802.
Indravarman¨I¨(r 877–89) Builder of the first baray (reservoir), Preah Ko and Bakong.
Yasovarman¨I¨(r 889–910) Moved the capital to Angkor and built Lolei and Phnom
Bakheng.
Jayavarman¨IV¨(r 924–42) Usurper king who moved the capital to Koh Ker.
Rajendravarman¨II¨(r 944–68) Builder of Eastern Mebon, Pre Rup and Phimeanakas.
Jayavarman¨V¨(r 968–1001) Oversaw construction of Ta Keo and Banteay Srei.
Suryavarman¨I¨(r 1002–49) Expanded the empire into much of Laos and Thailand.
Udayadityavarman¨II¨(r 1049–65) Builder of the pyramidal Baphuon and the Western
Mebon.
Suryavarman¨II¨(r 1112–52) Legendary builder of Angkor Wat and Beng Mealea.
Jayavarman¨VII¨(r 1181–1219) The king of the god-kings, building Angkor Thom, Preah
Khan and Ta Prohm.
125
Architectural¨Styles
TEMPLE¨ADDICTS
From the time of the earliest Angkorian
monuments at Roluos, Khmer architecture The god-kings of Angkor were dedi-
was continually evolving, often from the cated builders. Each king was expected
rule of one king to the next. Archaeologists to dedicate a temple to his patron god,
therefore divide the monuments of Angkor most commonly Shiva or Vishnu during
into nine periods, named after the foremost the time of Angkor. Then there were
example of each period’s architectural style. the ancestors, including mother, father,
The evolution of Khmer architecture was and grandparents (both maternal and
based on a central theme of the temple- paternal), which meant another half
mountain, preferably set on a real hill (but dozen temples or more. Finally there
an artificial hill was allowed if there weren’t was the mausoleum or king’s temple,
any mountains at hand). The earlier a tem- intended to deify the monarch and
ple was constructed, the more closely it ad- project his power, and each of these
heres to this fundamental idea. Essentially, had to be bigger and better than one’s
the mountain was represented by a tower predecessor. This accounts for the
mounted on a tiered base. At the summit staggering architectural productivity
TTT
was the central sanctuary, usually with an of the Khmers at this time and the epic eee
mmm
open door to the east, and three false doors evolution of temple architecture. ppp
at the remaining cardinal points of the com- lll
eee
pass. For Indian Hindus, the Himalayas rep- sss
resent Mt Meru, the home of the gods, while a central point; known as false arches, they of of of
the Khmer kings of old adopted Phnom Ku- can only support very short spans. A A A
len as their symbolic Mt Meru. Most of the major sandstone blocks ngngng
By the time of the Bakheng period, this around Angkor include small circular holes. kkk
ooo
layout was being embellished. The summit These originally held wooden stakes that rrr
of the central tower was crowned with five were used to lift and position the stones A
‘peaks’ – four at the points of the compass during construction before being sawn off. RC
and one in the centre. Angkor Wat features H
this layout, though on a grandiose scale. Climate ITE
Other features that came to be favoured in- C
Avoid the sweltering temperatures of March T
clude an entry tower and a causeway lined U
to May. November to February is the best R
with naga (mythical serpent) balustrades A
time of year to travel, but this is no secret, L
leading up to the temple. so it coincides with peak season. And peak S
As the temples grew in ambition, the cen- T
season really is mountainous in this day Y
tral tower became a less prominent feature, L
and age, where more than two million visi- E
although it remained the focus of the temple. S
tors a year descend on Angkor. The summer
Later temples saw the central tower flanked
months of July and August can be a surpris-
by courtyards and richly decorated galleries.
ingly rewarding time, as the landscape is
Smaller towers were placed on gates and on
emerald green, the moats overflowing with
the corners of walls, their overall number of-
water, and the moss and lichen in bright
ten of religious or astrological significance.
contrast to the grey sandstone.
These refinements and additions eventu-
ally culminated in Angkor Wat, which effec- Itineraries
tively showcases the evolution of Angkorian
Back in the early days of tourism, the prob-
architecture. The architecture of the Bayon
lem of what to see and in what order came
period breaks with tradition in temples
down to two basic temple itineraries: the
such as Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. In these
Small (Petit) Circuit and the Big (Grand)
temples, the horizontal layout of the galler-
Circuit. It’s difficult to imagine that anyone
ies, corridors and courtyards seems to com-
follows these to the letter any more, but in
pletely eclipse the central tower.
their time they were an essential component
The curious narrowness of the corridors
of the Angkor experience and were often un-
and doorways in these structures can be ex-
dertaken on the back of an elephant.
plained by the fact that Angkorian architects
never mastered the flying buttress to build a Small¨Circuit
full arch. They engineered arches by laying The 17km Small Circuit begins at Angkor Wat
blocks on top of each other, until they met at and heads north to Phnom Bakheng, Baksei
126
Chamkrong and Angkor Thom, including and Sra Srang, and finally returns to Angkor
the city wall and gates, the Bayon, the Bap- Wat via Prasat Kravan.
huon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas,
Big¨Circuit
Preah Palilay, the Terrace of the Leper King,
The 26km Big Circuit is an extension of the
the Terrace of Elephants, the Kleangs and
Small Circuit: instead of exiting the walled
Prasat Suor Prat. It exits from Angkor Thom
city of Angkor Thom at the east gate, the
via the Victory Gate in the eastern wall, and
Grand Circuit exits at the north gate and
continues to Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon,
continues to Preah Khan and Preah Neak
Spean Thmor and Ta Keo. It then heads
Poan, east to Ta Som, then south via the
northeast of the road to Ta Nei, turns south
Eastern Mebon to Pre Rup. From there it
to Ta Prohm, continues east to Banteay Kdei
MOTIFS,¨SYMBOLS¨&¨CHARACTERS¨AROUND¨ANGKOR
The temples of Angkor are intricately carved with myths and legends, symbols and
signs, and a cast of characters in the thousands. Deciphering them can be quite a chal-
lenge, so here we’ve highlighted some of the most commonly seen around the majestic
TTT
eee temples. For more help understanding the carvings of Angkor, pick up a copy of Images
mmm of the Gods by Vittorio Roveda.
ppp
lelele Apsaras Heavenly nymphs or goddesses, also known as devadas; these beautiful
s os os o female forms decorate the walls of many temples.
f Af Af A Asuras These devils feature extensively in representations of the Churning of the Ocean
nnn of Milk, such as at Angkor Wat.
ggg
kkk Devas The ‘good gods’ in the creation myth of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.
ooo
rrr Flame The flame motif is found flanking steps and doorways and is intended to purify
IT pilgrims as they enter the temple.
INE Garuda Vehicle of Vishnu; this half-man, half-bird creature features in some temples
R and was combined with his old enemy the nagas to promote religious unity under
A
R Jayavarman VII.
IE
S Kala The temple guardian appointed by Shiva; he had such an appetite that he de-
voured his own body and appears only as a giant head above doorways. Also known as
Rehu.
Linga A phallic symbol of fertility, lingas would have originally been located within the
towers of most Hindu temples.
Lotus Another symbol of purity, the lotus features extensively in the shape of towers,
the shape of steps to entrances and in decoration.
Makara A giant sea serpent with a reticulated jaw; features on the corner of pediments,
spewing forth a naga or some other creature.
Naga The multiheaded serpent, half-brother and enemy of garudas. Controls the rains
and, therefore, the prosperity of the kingdom; seen on causeways, doorways and roofs.
The seven-headed naga, a feature at many temples, represents the rainbow, which acts
as a bridge between heaven and earth.
Nandi The mount of Shiva; there are several statues of Nandi dotted about the temples,
although many have been damaged or stolen by looters.
Rishi A Hindu wise man or ascetic, also known as essai; these bearded characters are
often seen sitting cross-legged at the base of pillars or flanking walls.
Vine Yet another symbol of purity, the vine graces doorways and lintels and is meant to
help cleanse the visitor on their journey to this heaven on earth, the abode of the gods.
Yama God of death who presides over the underworld and passes judgment on whether
people continue to heaven or hell.
Yoni Female fertility symbol that is combined with the linga to produce holy water in-
fused with fertility.
