The Dragon's Mirror: The Magic of Angkor Wat II
Part 2
Diego Antolini
16/05/2022 11:33:52
The Architecture
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Angkor Wat is located at 13°24′45" N latitude and 103°52′0" E longitude, and it is a unique combination of the “Mountain Temple” classic architecture proper to imperial temples, with the later style of the concentric galleries plan.
The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the House of the Gods: the quincunx of the central towers symbolizes the five peaks of the mountain, with the walls and pond representing the surrounding mountains and the ocean.
The access to the highest levels of the temple was reserved exclusively to the priests; in fact, lay personalities were allowed only at the lowest level.
Unlike most of the Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented Westward instead of facing the East. This feature led many (including Maurice Glaize and George Coedes) to suggest that Suryavarman II designated the temple as a funerary place.
Further evidence of this can be deduced from the basreliefs, whose chronological order proceeds counterclockwise (prasavya in the Hindu terminology), and therefore contrary to the natural order: the Brahmins’ funerary rituals were indeed conducted in reverse order..
Archaeologist Charles Higham describes also a container found in the central tower, that could have been utilized as a burial urn.
Angkor Wat has been defined by some as the greatest expenditure of human energy for the burial of a corpse. Freeman and Jacques, however, note that many high temples at Angkor are typically oriented eastwards, and suggest that Angkot Wat's orientation to the west should be ascribed to his inspiring god, Vishnu, who was associated with the West.
An alternative interpretation on both the dimensions and the alignment of Angkor Wat has been provided by Eleanor Mannikka, who studied also the arrangement and content of its basreliefs: according to Mannikka, the structure represents the beginning of the peaceful era under King Suryavarman II. Mannikka writes:
"...As the measurements of the sun and the moon’s cycles were built within the sacred space of Angkor Wat, this divine mandate to govern was anchored to the consecrated chambers and corridors, so to perpetuate the king's power and honor (and appease) the deities that manifest themselves in the heavens…"
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Mannikka's hypothesis has been received with a mixture of interest and
skepticism from the academic circles. She strongly detaches from the
"speculations" of researchers such as Graham Hancock, according to whom
Angkor Wat would be the earthly representation of the Draco
constellation. In fact such speculations, as we shall see, have very
precise and logic implications in understanding the origins and the
meaning of Angkor Wat.
Architectural elements
The outer
wall measures 1.024x802mt and is 4.5mt high; the perimeter is surrounded
by 30mt of open ground and a pond of 190mt across. Access to the temple
is possible through a land bank to the east, and from a strip of
sandstone to the west; the latter leads to the main entrance and is a
later addition that perhaps replaces an ancient wooden bridge.
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There
are Gopuras at every cardinal point, but the one in the West is by far
the largest and displays the remains of three towers. The Gopura is a
structure that marks the entrance to the temple, a more elaborate way
than a simple opening in the wall or a door. If looking at the plant of
Angkor Wat, you can see Gopuras on each cardinal point; their shape is
an elongated cross along the wall’s axis. If the wall is connected to a
tunnel, it is so through the arms of the Gopuras. Many Gopuras have a
tower in the center of the cross, and are often decorated with guardian
figures -the Dvarapalas- on both sides of each entrance.
Glaize
notes that the Gopuras conceal and at the same time recall the shape of
the main temple. Beneath the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu also
known as Ta Reach, which may originally have occupied the altar in the
central temple. The tunnels run through the towers and reach the two
opposite entrances on both sides of the Gopuras (often called "Elephant
Doors", for their size allows those animals to pass through).
The
tunnels are supported by square pillars on the West (outer) side, and
by a compact wall on the eastern (inner) side. The ceiling between the
columns is decorated with rosettes that recall the lotus flower, while
the Western wall shows dancing figures; the Eastern façade is decorated
with balustrade windows, male figures dancing on moving animals, and
Devas, including the only one in the temple that actually shows its
teeth (South of the entrance).
The outer walls surround a space of
820,000 square meters (203 acres), which was originally occupied by the
city (with the temple in its center and the royal palace to the North).
Like all historical temples in Angkor, these were built of perishable
material rather than with stone, so nothing remained of them except the
profiles of some roads. Most of the area is now covered by the forest.
A
350mt overpass connects the western Gopura with the main temple. This
higher passage is decorated with Naga-shaped balustrades, and six groups
of steps descend to the city on both sides. Each side also houses a
bookshelf with entrances at each cardinal point by the third group of
steps from the entrance. A pond stands between each bookshelf and the
temple. The ponds were added later to the original design, and so was
the lions-guarded, cross-shaped terrace, which connects the overpass to
the central structure.
Central Structure
The
temple rests upon a raised terrace so to overlook the city from a
higher position. It consists of three rectangular tunnels which go up to
a central tower, and where each level is higher than the previous one.
Mannikka
interprets these galleries as a dedication to the king, to Brahma, to
the Moon, and Vishnu. Each gallery has a Gopura on each of the cardinal
points, and the two inner galleries have towers at their corners, thus
forming the quincunx with the central tower.
Since the temple is
oriented to the West, the elements are all arranged Eastward, leaving
more space to fill into each recess and gallery on the Western side. For
the same reason, the West-oriented steps are more bare than those on
the opposite side.
The outdoor gallery
measures 187x215mt, with pavilions and not towers on the corners. The
gallery is open outside the temple with semi-arches supported by columns
that extend to sustain the main structure.
A cruciform cloister,
called Preah Poan (the "Hall of a Thousand Gods") connects the outer
gallery to the second fence on the Western side. Images of Buddha have
been left in the cloister by pilgrims over the centuries, although today
some have been removed.
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This part of Angkor Wat displays many
inscriptions related to the good deeds of pilgrims; many of them are
written in Khmer language, but also in Burmese and Japanese. The four
small courtyards in the cloister could have been originally filled with
water. More bookshelves are present to the North and South of the
cloister.
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The second and the inner
galleries are connected to each other and with the two bookshelves
flanking them by a cross-shaped terrace, also a later addition.
From
the second level onward the figurines of the Devas abound on the walls,
both individually and in groups up to four at a time.
The
second-level fence measures 100x115mt and may originally have been
covered with water to represent the ocean around Mount Meru. Three
groups of stairs on each side lead up to the towers at the corner, and
to the Gopuras of the inner galleries. The steep stairs represent the
difficulty of ascending to the realm of the gods.
The
inner gallery, called Bakan, is a 60mt square with axial tunnels
connecting each Gopura with the central altar, while secondary altars
are located under the corner towers. The ceilings of the galleries are
decorated with bodies of snakes ending with lions' heads or Garuda
(mythical bird-like creatures belonging to the Suparnas race according
to Hindu texts.) Bearing stones and triangular gables are placed to
decorate the entrances of the galleries and altars.
The tower above
the central altar rises up to 43mt reaching an overall height of 65mt
off the ground; unlike the towers of the previous Mountain Temple, the
central one is elevated above the other four.
The altar itself,
originally occupied by a statue of Vishnu and open on each side, has
been walled when the temple was converted into a Buddhist temple (and
the new walls depicted Buddha in standing position).
In 1934
conservative George Trouvè dug up the well below the central altar,
finding it filled with sand and water, and already been plundered of its
treasure. However, Trouvè discovered a sacred foundation that contained
a deposit of gold leaf two meters above ground level.
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