angkor wat Flashcards
date
c. 1116 – 1145
material
laterite and sandstone
Angkor Wat is made from 6-10 million blocks of sandstone transported by canal, and possibly lepghant and buffalo
Laterite:
*local stone which cuts easily when wet, but hardens as it dries
*However, it is full of holes and not good for carving, unlike sandstone
*Therefore it was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts
*The technique of corbelling is used in order to build domes and arches (blocks arranged like steps rather than voussoirs – allowing for only narrow corridors and domes)
Sandstone:
*Used for most of the visible areas due to its finer appearance.
*Quarried and transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 25 miles (40 km) to the northeast.
*Razor joints (blocks ground against each other to a smooth fit, no mortar or cement) were used to make for a flat surface for the bas reliefs
location
Angkor, capital of the Khmer Empire, present-day Cambodia
*Angkor Wat is built on flat monsoon-plagued swamp land, rising from the flood plains of the Mekong River
who commissioned it and why
Commissioned by King Suryavarman II
It was the King’s insecurities that forced him to build the finest possible residence for Vishnu, proving his claim to the throne.
was to act as a portal to the afterlife, therefore it had to be finished during Suryavarman II’s lifetime, and thus was built in around 30 years
At his death his body was cremated and his ashes were put into the temple in a stone casket, under the central tower.
Offerings to Vishnu of gold and white sapphires (symbolising the sun and the moon) were buried beneath this sanctuary tower, where the ashes of Suryavarman II would later be held.
WHAT WAS BURRIED UNDERNEATH
Offerings to Vishnu of gold and white sapphires (symbolising the sun and the moon) were buried beneath this sanctuary tower, where the ashes of Suryavarman II would later be held.
WHERE WAS THE TEMPLE ORIENTATED TO AND WHY
ontrary to the other temples Angkor Wat was oriented towards the west, which is both as-sociated with Vishnu and death (the setting sun).
*Angkor Wat was sited so that from outside the western entrance the sun could be seen rising above the central spire on 21st June, the beginning of the solar year according to Indian astronomy, as was appropriate for Suryavarman whose name means ‘shield of the sun’.”
who was king survyaman II
He came to the throne having seized the throne from his uncle and was thus a usurper king.
He reigned from 1113 until his death in 1145-50
To legitimise his rule and the way he came to power, he identified particularly with the Hindu god Vishnu, the preserver but also god of war and victory. He thus identified as a Vishnuraja (rather than just a devaraja), and he was worshipped as a manifestation of Vishnu himself.
the city of angkor history
The city of Angkor was the royal capital from which Khmer kings ruled
was the largest city in the world in the 12th C
Khmer kings instituted the cult of devaraja, or “god-king”, where the king was worhsipped as a god.
Angkor was fed by a delicate grid of waterways linked to the great lake Tonle Sap
What does ‘Angkor’ and ‘wat’ mean
Angkor means ‘capital city’ and Wat means temple/pagoda, so Angkor Wat means the city which is a temple / temple city.
STYLE
This distinctive architectural style is known as ‘Angkor Wat style’ and represents the culmina-tion of Khmer architecture and sculpture. It combines two basic features of Khmer temple ar-chitecture:
- the temple-mountain
- the galleried temple.
compoition structurally
*Very geometric and symmetrical structure.
*Laid out on tiered platforms that ascend to the central tower, which rises to a height of 213 feet (65 metres).
*Long colonnades connect the towers at each stepped level in concentric rings of rectangular galleries, whose walls are lined with sculpture and relief carvings.
The site is organised as a mandala – a diagram of the Hindu universe:
-The towers are arranged in a quincunx: a sanctuary tower flanked by four subsidiary pra-sats.
-The quincunx represents the five peaks of Mount Meru, the mythical centre of the Hin-du world
.
-The various enclosures symbolise the mountains surrounding it
-The moat represents the cosmic ocean encircling it.
what connected the towers
*Long colonnades connect the towers at each stepped level in concentric rings of rectangular galleries, whose walls are lined with sculpture and relief carvings.
*The outer gallery is the longest which is most likely the only one the people of Angkor were allowed to enter.
moat
Surrounded by an artificial moat
The temple is approached across the moat, via a stone causeway lined with stone figures
The moat represents the cosmic ocean encircling it.
*The moat of Angkor Wat is 200 metres wide and around 6 kilometres in length and with a depth of 5 metres it could store six million cubic metres.
stone causeway
The temple is approached across the moat, via a stone causeway lined with stone figures
what do the towers resemble
The towers resemble closed lotus buds or pinecones
what were in the galleries
*Within this there are small pavilions, known as ‘libraries’ with water basins.
natural imagrey
*Balustrades are carved into the form of a Naga snake and there are statues of lions guarding the temple at several points
The towers resemble closed lotus buds or pinecones
how is the site organised as a mandala
The site is organised as a mandala – a diagram of the Hindu universe:
-The towers are arranged in a quincunx: a sanctuary tower flanked by four subsidiary pra-sats.
-The quincunx represents the five peaks of Mount Meru, the mythical centre of the Hin-du world
.
-The various enclosures symbolise the mountains surrounding it
-The moat represents the cosmic ocean encircling it.
Thus the complex overall embodies the Hindu conception of heaven and the cosmos in minia-ture. The central four stairways are very steep with an 11 metre gradient, recalling the steep slopes of a mountain.
scale
Covering 500 acres, this building was the largest temple in the empire; god-like in scale, it was thus a demonstration of power.
Although the overall site is monumental, the central shrine (which is believed to have originally enclosed a metal statue of Vishnu) has modest internal dimensions of 4.6m x 4.7m.
bas reliefs
There are 1,200 square meters of bas reliefs carved into sandstone at Angkor Wat. The finest are the continuous bands of bas reliefs in the outer corridors, mainly illustrating scenes from Indian mythology with some historical scenes.
Alongside these narrative scenes there are other decorative elements such as a bewildering array of animal and human figures, as well as abstract motifs like lotus rosettes and garlands. There are floral leaf carvings on the arches, richly moulded capitals and Naga snake-shaped stone balustrades.
the churning of the sea of milk
depicts a story about the beginning of time and the creation of the universe.
In the story, devas (gods) are fighting the asuras (demons) in order reclaim order and power for the gods who have lost it. In order to reclaim peace and order, the elixir of life (amrita) needs to be released from the earth; however, the only way for the elixir to be released is for the gods and demons to first work together. Both sides are aware that once the amrita is re-leased there will be a battle to attain it.
In the story, devas (gods) are fighting the asuras (demons) in order reclaim order and power for the gods who have lost it. In order to reclaim peace and order, the elixir of life (amrita) needs to be released from the earth; however, the only way for the elixir to be released is for the gods and demons to first work together. Both sides are aware that once the amrita is re-leased there will be a battle to attain it.
when was it abandoned
but by the 15th Century the city had been completely abandoned.
After Suryavarman’s rule Buddhism replaced Hinduism as the official religion and in the 15th century Angkor Wat became a Buddhist shrine. Monks stayed at the site continuously which is why it was protected from trees unlike the many other temples which were abandoned. The city of Angkor disappeared and was lost.
who rediscovered angkor wat and what did he say
in a chance discovery in 1859 by French naturalist Henri Mouhot, who was scything his way through leafy branches in search of exotic insects. Astonished, he stumbled upon Angkor Wat. After the French took over Cambodia in 1863, they instigated a thorough programme of recon-struction.
Artifacts taken from the site and large sections cast from the temple buildings were exhibited in Paris in 1867, announcing a great and unknown civilization rivalling in sophistication the work of the greatest architects in the West.
“One of these temples—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo—might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than any-thing left to us by Greece or Rome,’
