p45  Angkor Wat

Situated a mile south of Angkor Thom, it is enclosed within a wall •3,380 feet or ⅝ths of a mile long (east and west) by •2,665 feet or half a mile wide (north and south), or •approximately 2.3 miles in perimeter. Admission (6 A.M. to 6 P.M.): one piastre.

Unlike other great temples either here or elsewhere, Angkor Wat faces the west instead of the east. This evidently was due to a combination of circumstances rather than to design. After the completion of Angkor Thom much of its trade passed along the highway between its South Gate and Tonle Sap ("Fresh Water Sea"), a great lake near Siemreap, 5 miles south. Suburban districts north and east of the city were already covered with temples. The area west of the highway was a vast marsh, as it still is. Consequently, the architects had no choice but to dispossess the population southeast of the city, drain the rice fields there and lay out their plot, which was limited by the highway on the west, the Siemreap River on the east. A western entrance, therefore, was inevitable, not only because of the river on the east, but because the Khmer kings would want it to be viewed in all its stupendous grandeur by travelers streaming in from the outer world.

 p46  All Khmer temples are disposed to make the deepest possible impression on the visitor, to smite him with amazement and admiration and to cause him to feel the might of the divinities enshrined therein. One must remember that the traveler of that day was in no way profane but a reverential pilgrim, ofttimes from far‑away lands. He must be made to believe that the temples, like our cathedrals, reproduce on earth the divine majesty of heaven.

Angkor Wat, in its beauty and state of preservation, is unrivaled. Its mightiness and magnificence bespeak a pomp and a luxury surpassing that of a Pharaoh or a Shah Javan, an impressiveness greater than that of the Pyramids, an artistic distinctiveness as fine as that of the Taj Mahal.

It reminds one of the tale of the mystery ship found deserted on a calm sea, with all sails set, a fire burning in the galley and a table laid for luncheon. Not a soul is aboard nor is there a hint of what has happened.

That is Angkor Wat. It is no ruin. The roofs still turn the rains. The walls are as solid as when Khmer masons filled them without binder or cement. The carvings in the galleries are intact though the mighty artist — the "Michael Angelo of the Orient" — who conceived the plans and watched the creation of this wondrous fane is unknown.

 p49  The approach to the West Gate, known as the Royal Portico, is over a paved causeway •(748 feet) spanning a •650‑foot moat that encompasses the entire area. This portico, with a broad flight of steps framed with magnificent Nagas, is an architectural triumph in itself. At the far ends of the long galleries on either side of the portico are two entrances, known as "Elephant Gates," which are believed to have been used by the former inhabitants of the temple area. They provide access for carts, vehicles and animals, as the West Gate, as well as those on the East, North and South (the last three probably never used), all have flights of steps raised high over sub‑basements.

(p23)

Royal Portico and Angkor Wat (from west side of moat)

Entering the front, or West Gate (the Royal Portico), one beholds, framed in the east door, the profile of the temple. On either side of the broad causeway •(520 yards, or ³⁄₁₀ths of a mile, long) are balustrades (now in ruins) of nine-headed sacred Naga.

(p35)

Angkor Wat from middle of causeway

Entering the front, or West Gate (the Royal Portico), one beholds, framed in the east door, the profile of the temple. On either side of the broad causeway •(520 yards, or ³⁄₁₀ths of a mile, long) are balustrades (now in ruins) of nine-headed sacred Naga.

A few steps beyond the gate, we look back at the apsara motifs bedecking the walls and the friezes of riders mounted on strange animals above the windows.

Halfway down the causeway, on either side, are two isolated pavilions amid clusters of palm trees that, although their actual purpose has never been ascertained, nevertheless lend a graceful balance to the prospect. Some authorities believe them to be  p50 libraries; though the natives assert that they are kitchens or storehouses.

Just beyond the pavilions are oblong tanks — one excavated and full of water, the other filled in and dry — probably used in the past for ablutions by those entering the sanctuary. Just north of the full one on the left is a modern colony of Cambodian Buddhist priests, who have erected dwellings within the temple area and who hold occasional religious festivals here.

(p29)

Angkor Wat (from colony of Cambodian Buddhist Bonzes)

(p30)

Dwelling of Cambodian Buddhist Bonzes, Angkor Wat

To observe Angkor Wat at its best one should arrive at the middle of the causeway, between the little pavilions, about sunset — if possible, on the night of a full moon. At that magic hour the towers are wrapped in silence and loneliness.

The effects of light and shade are so striking and harmonious that they seem to have been chosen and ordained by the heavenly architect to give full value to his masterpiece. The sandstone loses its soft, uniform grayness. The sun's dying rays are reflected by the fane, its base being cloaked in purple shadows, its noble towers bathed in tints of gorgeous red.

As darkness descends, a dark cloud suddenly issues from the golden summit of one of the five towers, rises dark and mena­cing against the limpid sky and spreads like smoke in a long, sombre line. The cloud is a swarm of whispering bats, thousands and  p53 millions of bats that make their home in the deserted shrine.

If one has the courage to face these squeaking, evil-smelling little mammals, return to the Wat when the moon is at its full, and you will never forget the surpassing loveliness of an Angkorean night. The temple is yours. Not a creature is near, not even the yellow-clad priests who come by day to burn sticks of incense before a statue of Sakya-muni and to read aloud in low, chanting tones from their sacred palm leaves.

Grope your way through the corridors and chambers where noiseless wings, like ghosts, brush past in the gloom. Heed not the silent call of beckoning devatas nor rows of Buddhas, great and small, casting weird shadows in the moonlit cloisters. But proceed directly in the flickering light shining like a star above the last flight of stairs so high and steep, and when you have reached the final step, turn back and gaze.

(p43)

Steep steps, Angkor Wat

The plan of the fane — so difficult to grasp when wandering through its courts and galleries — lies below, clearly defined, and all around, as far as the eye can see, is the forest, impenetrable and mysterious. Here and there the stiff blades of a palm tree emerge from the sea of foliage and stand out, motionless, against a radiant sky. Among the trees, glistening like a silver mirror, is one of the two great rectangular  p54 basins, perhaps dug as reservoirs for fish or created only as a beauti­ful setting for this perfect temple.

(p151)

Plan of Angkor Wat

At such an hour one fancies wild animals stealing down ruined steps to drink at ponds where princesses and dancing girls bathed in days gone by. Strange sounds rise through the warm stillness: murmurs, hoots and cries and, perhaps, a distant roar, awesome and thrilling. They stir one eerily.

In the light of another day one should approach Angkor Wat again. Its facade is •654 feet on a side, its area •more than 9.8 acres. It is a series of cleverly graduated perspectives. In front of the entrance to the central porch is an immense cruciform terrace where the kings, surrounded by royalty and ministers, are believed to have given audience or witnessed parades and ceremonial processions.

Devotees and pilgrims probably had access to the galleries, shrines and courtyards of the ground floor only, the upper two being reserved for the clergy and royalty.

Once within, everything is amazing, unexpected, yet wonder­fully balanced and clearly ordained. From afar Angkor Wat seems to be one colossal sanctuary with adjacent chapels. In reality it is a world of galleries and verandas, chambers and courts that must be traversed before reaching the monumental staircase leading to the upper story of the central pile.

 p55  The Holy of Holies is a narrow cubicle, dark and bare, which once contained the image of Vishnu and where a lamp now burns night and day before a large gilt Buddha. Above it an enormous dome, looking down upon the earth from a height of •213 feet, is surrounded by four other cupolas of lesser size. And from its base to the summit of its highest tower, this splendid edifice is carved and chiselled like a gem. Not an inch of gray sandstone has been left untouched. The Khmer manifestly possessed "the imagination of a Goth, the gift for harmonious charm of a Greek, the power of a Renaissance craftsman and the prodigality and wealth of ideas that exist only in the East."

Delicate, lace-like carvings cover thousands of square feet of stone with a profusion of ornamentation and decoration inexpressibly abundant and sumptuous. For miles, bas‑reliefs and friezes clothe the wall in an embroidery of sculptures representing sacred dancing girls and smiling goddesses playing with buds of lotus flowers; armies mingled in battles fierce and innumerable; gods and kings with their retinues of warriors and ladies, escorted by all the animals of the jungle and the delight­ful monsters invented by Brahmanical mythology.

(p44)

Bas-reliefs, Angkor Wat

Most of these are in the gallery that encompasses the ground floor so that they might be easily seen and reverently touched  p56 by pilgrims. Beginning at the western entrance, let us walk around the four sides of the Wat •(approximately half a mile) regarding the bas‑reliefs in this order.

West Gallery: South Wing
(From North to South)

Battle scenes from the Mahabharata, the famous historical epic of ancient India, cover the face of the walls from top to bottom. Some of the panels, highly polished, have a pleasing bronzed effect due to contact with human hands that have passed over them during the centuries since these stone pictures were carved for the ocular instruction of millions of uneducated devotees that once came from far and near. Certain venerated personages have been covered with gilt; others, less respected, have been spattered with the red juice of betel quids.

The Mahabharata recounts the history of great and prolonged wars in the province of Kurukshetra, where stands the present‑day city of Delhi, between the Brahmans, or priest class, of India and the Indo-Aryan war lords from 1000 B.C. to the 2nd century A.D. It comprises 100,000 stanzas written originally in Sanskrit and divided into 18 Tomes or Episodes.

The battle scenes depicted in the bas‑reliefs  p59 of this gallery reveal, in the lower panels, soldiers in marching order, their faces turned in the direction of their opponents. In the higher panels the chiefs and leaders are represented on a larger scale, riding in chariots or mounted on elephants and horses. As we approach the center (9th pillar) where the antagonists meet (Kauravas coming from the left and Pandavas from the right) the scene grows more animated until at last it resembles a veritable shambles of heads, bodies, arms and legs.

Note the precision with which every detail of physiognomy, head-dress, attire and arms is represented. Countless shields, lances, bows and arrows and other primitive weapons of warfare are being fantastically wielded by each army in various attitudes. Here and there a buffoon with a gong is urging the warriors on with wild gestures. Bhisma, chief of the Kauravas, an arrow in his neck (9th pillar, lower row), is giving his last instructions to followers and family about him.

Among the Pandavas (11th pillar, upper row) is Arjuna with a four-armed equerry (Krishna) on the pole of his chariot. This scene occurs in the Bhagavad Gita ("Song of God"), a sacred allegorical book said to have been written about the time the Indo-Aryan race sprung from primitive nomadic tribes that entered India from the table­lands of Persia and Afghanistan.

 p60  Pavilion: Southwest Corner

East Wall (upper left): Krishna, with his brother beside him, is lifting a mountain, represented here, as elsewhere in the bas‑reliefs, by a mound of what resembles lozenges, to shelter the shields and their companions from a storm provoked by Indra. Floating in the air above are apsaras, who often frequent scenes depicting Hindu gods.

West Wall (above the bay, upper right): The famous milk-churning scene of the Ramayana (described at length under East Gallery: South Wing). Note on either side of the central pivot, where the snake is coiled, the two discs enclosing images of the sun and moon.

West Wing (above north bay): Ravana, giant king of Lanka (Ceylon), transformed into a chameleon that he may enter the gyneceum of Indra's palace to seduce his wives, the most beauti­ful of whom is framed just beneath.

West Wing (above south bay): Ravana again, with his ten heads and twenty arms, shaking a mountain on which Siva is seated. Note the snakes, disturbed by the shaking, frightening the monks near the mountain's base.

South Wing (upper panel, above east bay): Rama ending the fight between the two monkeys, Sougriva and Valin, by piercing the  p61 latter with an arrow (see West Gallery: North Wing). Below (just above the bay) is the death of Valin. His body, pierced by an arrow, is in the arms of his wife Tara, wearing a three pointed mukata (mokot). On the left are Rama and his brother Lakshmana. Between them sits Rama's ally, Sougriva, the victor.

South Wing (above west bay): Siva, seated in dignified meditation on a mountain, with his charming wife, Ouma, seated on his right. At the base of the mountain (lower panel) is Kama, god of love, aiming an arrow at Siva, who remains unmoved. In the next scene Kama, manifestly stricken by the affronted Siva, is shown prostrate, with his wife weeping over him.

East Wing (north wall): An unidentified nautical episode, probably of divine origin in view of the flying apsaras. In the pavilion of the upper boat (high up) two persons are playing chess; in the lower boat, a man and a woman are playing with little children; at the right is a cockfight.

South Gallery: West Wing
(West to East)

The panels here are divided into two historical subjects of unequal lengths.

In the first King Suryavarman II, founder of Angkor Wat, whose posthumous designation  p62 was Parama Vishnuloka (1112‑1182), is represented (opposite 4th pillar) seated on a throne, the four feet of which are Nagas. A brief inscription reveals his identity and his situation as "on Mount Sivapada sending down the army." His figure is easily distinguished by traces of gilt spread over it by pious pilgrims.

Below the figure of the King is a Royal procession of the Queens and ladies of the Court, borne in ornamented palanquins and attended by servants brandishing fly‑flaps. To his right, lower down, is a group of graceful princesses and their servants passing through a forest. Above them are warriors seated on the ground. The King is surrounded by Brahmans and umbrella-bearers. Not far to the right of the throne is the red figure of Sri Vardha (according to the inscriptions) seated beneath a tree and fa­cing the sovereign in token of allegiance. In the upper panel, beyond Sri Vardha, is the army in battle array. At the 6th pillar it marches down from the upper to the lower panel.

The second and longer section is another parade of Royal troops. The leaders are seated on elephants, the soldiers below escorted by mounted cavalry. The King (about midway, 21st pillar), above whom is held a state umbrella of fifteen tiers, and who is wearing the Royal Mukata, or cone-shaped crown, is easily recognized among the Chiefs, whereas most of the warriors in the lower  p65 are wearing masks representing heads of animals.

This scene blends (28th pillar) into a procession of Brahman priests wearing their hair in topknots and chanting psalms to the accompaniment of cymbals. The head priest is being carried in state, while others bear the portable altar on which is the sacred fire to bring down divine blessings upon the army. The procession is headed by the Royal Musicians and buffoons. To the end of the panel the army is marching past again. Opposite the last two pillars twenty warriors armed with hooked pikes and wearing Siamese attire resembling a kilt and with headgear adorned with plumes are insinuated among the Royal soldiery.

South Gallery: East Wing

This panel, •214 feet 6 inches long, represents the judgment of mankind after death. The god of the departed, Yama (7th pillar), with several arms and a head painted with red lead, is riding a bull and wielding a club in the act of administering reward and punishment. One pillar beyond are his scribes, Dharma and Chitragupta, inditing the verdicts. All around are departed spirits awaiting judgment, guarded by Garudas (three near the bull, two near the scribes) to prevent escape.

 p66  The lower portion represents Hell; the upper one, Heaven. Beyond the scribes they are separated by a little decorative frieze of Garudas bearing garlands of flowers. At the top is an even more charming frieze of dancing apsaras, the most graceful and animated in all Angkor.

Inscriptions give names to the various hells, according to the torment provided: Hell of Suffocation, Hell of Thorn Trees, the "Frying Pan," the "Lake of Blood," the "Lake of Glutinous Pus." Those sinners who blaspheme the gods are thrown to the "mass of worms." Others are being thrust headlong through an opening to the lower regions where their torturers, themselves lost souls, are in the act of meting out various excruciating punishments. Some of the victims are being burned at the stake, head downwards, or roasted collectively in a huge cauldron. Some are being beheaded, others cut to pieces and thrown to dogs, vultures and other beasts of prey. Some have been pinioned and are suffering the tortures of the rack, while others are being devoured alive. Thirty‑two phases of Hell are depicted with masterly refinement and skill. Their very conception would lead one to believe that these torments were administered to purify the souls of the wicked and not as an eternal punishment. For example, a flower thief is receiving a worse penalty — roped to a tree while demons hammer  p67 long nails into his eyes — than is being inflicted on a betrayer of women, who is being rolled up and down a thorny tree trunk.

Comparatively, the upper portion of the panel is rather tame. The Blessed, seated on thrones, are fanned by female attendants, while lovely serving girls offer them fruit and gifts. Graceful apsaras dance hopefully all about. Yet one can easily imagine being palled by such a dull show — the more if it is to be endured an eternity.

East Gallery: South Wing
(From South to North)

This •162‑foot panel is known as "The Churning of the Ocean," an allegory taken from the ancient mythological literature of India. It is executed with marvelous skill and imagination.

According to the legend, the gods (Devas) and the demons (Asuras) for thousands of years have disputed the possession of immortality, obtained only from the Amrita ("Elixir of Life"), a precious draught procured by churning the ocean.

At each end of the panel are the bodyguard, attendants and servants in charge of the chariots, horses and elephants of those engaged in the "churning."

The central figure (between 9th and 10th pillars) is that of the god Vishnu (in human shape) directing operations.

 p68  A mountain known as "Mandara," resting on the back of a huge tortoise (also Vishnu), is used as a pivot or "churn," and around it is coiled an enormous serpent, Vasuki, which, in place of a rope, serves to revolve the pivot.

The 88 almond-eyed gods (Devas), wearing conical mukatas, are holding to the serpent's tail; the 92 round-eyed demons (Asuras), with crested helmets, to the head. Assisting the deity is Hanuman, the monkey god and ally of Rama.

The fish at the bottom of the ocean around the churn are in a state of great agitation due to the rotation of the waters.

In the course of the "churning," countless graceful female spirits, or apsaras (above), and even Lakshmi herself, Goddess of Beauty and Wealth (above Vishnu), emerge from the ocean. Following her are marine animals of all shapes and forms. Eventually, from the same source, no doubt, the priceless "Elixir" may be expected to gush forth majestically.

East Gallery: North Wing

In a little lateral hall beyond the central vestibule between the South and North wings, is a fine inscription dated early in the 18th century. After a Buddhist invocation, the governor of a Cambodian province records the building of a chedi, or funeral pyramid,  p71 for the bones of his wife and children, then enumerates, with prolixity, all that he expects in return for his many good deeds and merits. The monument, in a half-ruined state, visible through a stone grille window, stands directly in front of the inscription, on the esplanade surrounding the temple.

In the gallery beyond, the imaginative bas‑reliefs of which are most inferior to those in the last, an army of demons (Asuras) is shown marching against the god Vishnu, distinguished between the 10th and 11th pillars, riding a Garuda. All about is a scene of carnage. The slain are strewn in all directions around the warring god who by his formidable strength annihilates the onrushing demons on both sides.

The leaders of the Apsaras, mounted on animals or riding in chariots drawn by monsters, are surrounded by soldiers marching in battle array.

Farther north is a similar scene. The stereotyped warriors are bearing bows and arrows, their chiefs are in chariots or are mounted on huge birds.

North Gallery: East Wing

Vishnu, with his eight arms holding his eight attributes — arrow, spear, disc, conch, club, thunderbolt, bow and shield — is seated (between 2nd and 3rd pillars) on the shoulders  p72 of a Garuda. On the latter's wings are two figures, either heroes or minor deities.

The legend which this scene represents is taken from an ancient piece of Indian literature, the Harivamsa, and describes the exploits of Vishnu against the Asura king Bana.

A wall of fire around the city in which dwells the demon king momentarily prevents Vishnu and his army of Devas from making further progress, but the Garuda extinguishes the flames with water from the sacred river Ganges and scales the burning wall followed by the Devas, who rush the enemy's lines. The Garuda (4th pillar) is seen fa­cing a gigantic six‑headed, four-armed monster riding a rhinoceros (5th pillar). Then follows a terrible combat between the armies of Krishna (the incarnation of Vishnu) and of Bana, the demon king.

Vishnu is represented a second time on his Garuda (between 9th and 10th pillars), a third time (between 15th and 16th) with four arms, fighting with bow, disc and club; then a fourth time (18th pillar) with infinite heads and eight arms, accompanied by his two attendants. When he appears a fifth time (between 21st and 22nd) in a chariot drawn by fabulous lions, he is face to face with Bana. Bana, (between 23rd and 24th) is represented with twelve, rather than the thousand arms ascribed by legend. Vishnu also appears a sixth time (between 25th and 26th pillars).

 p76  Farther along a golden Siva, with rather Chinese features, is seated on a mountain between his wife Parvati and his elephant-headed son Ganesh. On the mountain side are pious monks and bird-women, also Krishna (on Siva's right), with a thousand heads and two of his eight hands joined across his chest, kneeling before Siva after having slain Bana.

This inferior panel, as well as that in the last gallery (East Gallery: North Wing), is believed to have been executed by Chinese rather than Khmer craftsmen.

North Gallery: West Wing

In this wing are 21 different deities, each combating a demon (Asura) wearing a peculiarly shaped helmet. Among the gods is Skanda, the war lord (15th pillar) seated on a peacock whose feet energetically repulse two monsters that draw chariots bearing leaders of the enemy. Skanda is represented with six heads and six arms and his formidable blows strike terror in the heart of his vanquished enemy. This scene is towards the center of the panel where dead and dying monsters and a five-headed Naga occupy the lower portion.

Indra (18th pillar) is astride his sacred four-tusked elephant Airavata, which is crushing an adversary in its trunk; Kubera, god of wealth (21st pillar) is on the shoulders of a Yaksha, and Vishnu, with his faithful Garuda, is shown above two horses (between  p77 22nd and 23rd pillars), his feet resting on their necks.

Beyond are Yama (25th pillar), god of justice and death, brandishing numerous swords on a chariot drawn by buffaloes; Siva (27th pillar), shooting arrows from a chariot drawn by sacred bulls; Brahma on his sacred goose (between 29th and 30th); Surya, deity of the sun (between 31st and 32nd), with his discus and halo about him, riding in a chariot driven by a figure half-bird, half‑man; Varuna, god of the waters (between 35th and 36th), on a bridled Naga held by an attendant.

Pavilion: Northwest Corner

East Wing (south wall): Vishnu, as Krishna, returns astride his Garuda from a success­ful campaign. Soldiers and servants are carrying vases and other booty, while back of the Garuda is the contour of a mountain, object of the expedition. To the right of the Garuda is Lakshmi, Krishna's wife, in her finest garb as goddess of beauty and fortune.

East Wing (above north bay): Vishnu (the upper portion of his body missing) rests on a serpent (whose heads are obliterated), while his wife watches at his feet, and apsaras strew garlands in the air. Below, tenº divinities, with their usual steeds, do homage: Surya (lower left), deity of the sun, in his chariot: Chandra, deity of the moon (above Surya, also in his chariot); then, in a row above  p78 Chandra, Kubera, on his Yaksha, Brahma, on his Hamsa; Skanda, on his peacock; another god on horseback; Indra, on his elephant; Yama, on his buffalo; Siva, on his bull, and a ninth, at the right, unidentified.

North Wing (above east bay): Unidentified scene in a palace, with two persons of high rank sitting under parasols in the upper portion. Below are servants and some graceful scenes in a gyneceum, with women and their hand-maidens in richly ornamented headgears chatting and dressing.

North Wing (above west bay): Sita's ordeal. The famous scene of the Ramayana, wherein Rama's wife, to prove her chastity while a captive of Ravana, the giant king of Lanka (Ceylon), ascends the funeral pyre, submits to the test by fire and emerges unscathed and justified. Unfortunately this interesting panel is almost half obliterated.

West Wing (above north bay): Also deteriorated, this panel shows the front view of a chariot, with Rama sitting on his throne in the upper part, above a series of cells. This complicated vehicle, probably indicative of Rama's victory over Ravana, is borne by Hamsas, the goose-like birds ridden by Brahma. As in the previous panel, troops of monkeys are in the lower part, grima­cing, gesticulating, playing musical instruments and bearing baskets of fruit.

 p79  West Wing (above south bay): In the grove where Ravana holds Sita captive, Hanuman, the monkey general, comes to console her and to advise of the impending rescue. A servant in strange headgear sits beside her. In the lower part are Sita's warders, some with animal snouts, some with beaks.

South Wing (east wall): An episode of the Ramayana, with Rama, the central figure, shooting arrows through a wheel turning at the top of a mast. The scene is the court of King Janaka, who is shown at Rama's right next to the bearded Brahman seated next him. In front of Rama, wearing a three-pointed mukata, sits Sita, while all around are her evicted suitors.

South Wing (above west bay): A four-armed Vishnu, seated on a throne, receives gifts from jewel-laden apsaras ascending in graceful files.

South Door: Rama and Lakshmana about to be attacked by a monster with enormous head and two arms.

East Door: Rama, with bow, and Lakshmana, with sword, concluding an alliance with Sougriva, the monkey leader.

North Door: Rama and Lakshmana about to attack a giant Rakshasa, who holds Sita captive on his left thigh.

West Door: An alliance between Rama and Vibhishana, Ravana's runaway brother.

 p81  West Gallery: North Wing

This scene is from the Ramayana and represents the struggle between Rama, assisted by the monkey god, Hanuman, on the one side, and Ravana, the demon king, on the other. The battle is that which took place in Lanka (Ceylon), ending in the defeat and annihilation of the army of demons whose king had carried away Sita, the young and beauti­ful bride of Rama. The combat is long and fierce and at the end of the struggle Ravana is slain by Rama, who recovers his faithful and long-lost spouse and returns with her to his native India.

As the panel records, the army of monkeys sustains but slight losses, whereas that of the demons is almost annihilated. All about lie the dead and dying Rakshasas, or demons, with crested helmets — a veritable holocaust. Most of the monkeys are armed only with stones and branches of trees, whereas the giant monsters carry swords, spears, clubs and are protected by shields.

Toward the center of the panel (between 8th and 9th pillars) Rama is standing on the shoulders of his ally, Hanuman, while arrows fall thick and fast about them. Behind Rama stands his brother Lakshmana. A little distance away (between 12th and 13th) is the demon Ravana, represented with ten heads and twenty arms. He rides in a highly decorated  p82 chariot drawn by a pair of curiously shaped monsters. Between Rama and Ravana (10th and 11th) is a monkey, with one foot on each of the said two monsters, bearing aloft on his shoulders the corpse of a dead demon while another monkey attacks the monsters themselves. Then begins a combat (11th and 12th) between a monkey and an elephant upon which is seated a Rakshasa leader. The monkey succeeds in tripping the elephant and slays the demon.

Similar animated scenes are all along the remainder of the panel, in certain parts the combat becoming exceedingly fierce as the combatants huddle together in hand-to‑hand fights.

This panel is not only faithful in detail but magnificently executed — quite the best!

First Floor

Having returned to our starting point, let us now enter the temple itself.

Within are a vestibule, then a cruciform cloister with four depressions evidently used as tanks. Some authorities regard these tanks as purely artistic. In any case, they and the countless surrounding pillars greatly enhance the elegance of the place.

Numerous carvings bedeck the galleries, alleyways and sanctuaries. Above the entrance door on the west is the "Churning of  p83 the Ocean"; on the north, Vishnu and Garuda; on the south, the figure of Vishnu asleep on the body of a seven-headed Naga.

Innumerable Buddhistic and other statues, probably dating from the Siamese occupation, are scattered about. This sanctuary is called Prah Pean ("the 1,000 Buddhas").

To reach the upper floor, use the recently repaired flight of steps under the covered galleries on the north side.

Second Floor

The galleries around this floor, lit only by the light let in from the inner yard, are believed to have been the retreat of monks who sought seclusion from the world. They now are heaped with poor Buddhist images of modern manufacture. In the middle vestibule on the west are two rather excellent wooden statues of the Buddha, standing and wearing royal ornaments.

On the west are two inner edifices supposed to have been used as libraries or repositories for sacred writings.

Many beauti­ful and ornamental carvings are to be seen within the galleries, on doorways, pillars and walls, both interior and exterior.

(p39)

Bas-relief on second floor, Angkor Wat

The four angles evidently were used as sacrificial shrines by the clergy. Similar sanctuaries at each angle of the lower floor also no doubt were used for the same purpose.

 p84  Third Floor

To reach the third and last floor of the temple, one should use the middle flight of 38 steps on the south side where a bar of iron is affixed to the wall, where new cement steps have replaced or been added to the originals. Eleven other breathless flights — the world's steepest — do exist, but this is by far the surest and safest.

The final climb will amply reward the exertion, for from the top, for miles around, one can see the various temples and monuments buried in the neighboring forest.

Above is the central tower, or "prasat," •195 feet square and 213 feet above the ground, approximately the height of the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral⁠1 in Paris. At the four corners are lesser towers, between which and the central tower are four small courts, somewhat resembling those in the covered yard between the first and second stories.

Rich carvings are seen everywhere about the "Holy of Holies," which in itself is a sanctuary, formerly open on four sides. Herein, according to legend, perished the last of the monarchs who ruled Angkor Thom. At his command the four entrances are said to have been walled up by his faithful followers so that he might die "alone with his  p87 gods" rather than fall into the hands of the conquering Siamese who had taken the Royal City after a fierce and prolonged struggle.

In 1908 one of these entrances (the southern) was opened, but disclosed no secret passage or any peculiarity other than a shrine containing several statues of the Buddha and fragments of some Brahmanical images. In the center is all that remains of a pedestal upon which once must have stood a statue of Vishnu, to whom this great temple was dedicated.

At one time this huge central tower, as well as the lesser four, is believed to have been resplendent with gold paint. In fact, a yellowish hue is still apparent among the upper parts at certain hours of the day.

After its abandonment Angkor Wat evidently was visited, many centuries later, by Buddhist monks as a place of pilgrimage and of retreat, for several additions, modifications and badly executed repairs are evident in various parts of the temple, especially on the third floor.

(p40)

Cambodian Buddhist Bonzes, Angkor Wat

Contrary to some theories, the Wat is not built on a hill but on embankments held up by laterite groundworks progressively distributing the weight of the higher levels.

This superb structure benefited by all the experience of the Khmers through five centuries of incessant building. It is the work of master builders, of an architect who knew how to secure the maximum effect within  p88 the restrictions imposed by religious dogmas. Every detail was carefully planned — the vacant spaces, the height of the foundations and the construction of the galleries — to afford a perfect whole.

It is an unparalleled symphony, a superb finale, the only anachronism of which is a dim‑witted shell of a man who until recently haunted its empty galleries in the fantastic belief that he is the "King of Angkor."

---

The Author's Note:

1 Angkor Wat's west facade is three times as wide as Notre Dame's.

◂ previous						next ▸
Images with borders lead to more information. The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.)
UP TO:		Wondrous Angkor	Readings in Asian History	Home
A page or image on this site is in the public domain ONLY if its URL has a total of one *asterisk. If the URL has two **asterisks, the item is copyright someone else, and used by permission or fair use. If the URL has none the item is © Bill Thayer. See my copyright page for details and contact information.

Accessibility