Cambodian Architecture

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official language of Cambodia – which is immensely influenced by

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khmer, Sanskrit & Pali

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the main fishery resource.

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Mekong River and the Tonle Sap

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The earliest inhabitants of Cambodia were

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animists (animism)

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later they became, due to Indian influences

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hindus (hinduism)

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The main religion, which gradually began to spread from the 10th century

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buddhism

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is a region ofCambodiathat served as the seat of theKhmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries.

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Angkor(Khmer: “Capital City”)

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A complex temple considered as the biggest religious structure in the world

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ANGKOR WAT

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IMPORTANT TEMPLES FOUND IN THE COMPLEX (Ankor wat)

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Temple of Phrom Bakheng
Temple of Ta Sam
Temple of Banteay Srei

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a large Cambodian town considered to be the center of Cambodian classical art.

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ANGKOR THOM

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central temple found at the Angkor Thom

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Bayon

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The only stone used by Angkorian builders was sandstone, obtained from the Kulen mountains. Since its obtainment was considerably more expensive than that of brick, sandstone only gradually came into use, and at first was used for particular elements such as door frames.

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Sandstone

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Angkorian builders used this, a clay that is soft when taken from the ground but that hardens when exposed to the sun, for foundations and other hidden parts of buildings.

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Laterite

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are individual figures, groups of figures, or entire scenes cut into stone walls, not as drawings but as sculpted images projecting from a background.

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Bas-relief

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on the other hand projects farther from the background, in some cases almost detaching itself from it.

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Haut-relief

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The most famous early narrative bas-reliefs are those on the tympana at the 10th-century temple ofBanteaySrei, depicting scenes fromHindu mythologyas well as scenes from the great works of Indian literature

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Ramayana and Mahabharata

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(the term comes from south Indian temple architecture) are gateways that lead into a temple; they are placed on the principle axes of the enclosure wall.

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Gopura

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Many Khmer buildings were surrounded by a moat; this led across the water to the main complex.

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Causeway

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A typical feature of the temples at Angkor. They are quite massive (mostly built of coarse laterite stone) and archeologists believe that their purpose was not so much to provide physical protection, but a psychological barrier between then profane world outside and the sacred world inside.

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Enclosure wall

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Smaller building inside the temple, often found in pairs along the axial road leading to the sanctuary (e.g. the “libraries” at Angkor Wat).

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Pavilion (Shrine)

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A simple type of arch. In Khmer buildings, passageways and galleries were covered with this (an overlapping arrangement of blocks of stone).

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Corbelled Vault

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is the subject of this bas-relief at Angkor Wat.

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The Battle of Kurukshetra

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were narrow decorative columns that served as supports for the beams and lintels above doorways or windows. Depending on the period, they were round, rectangular, or octagonal in shape.

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Colonette

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a horizontal beam connecting two vertical columns between which runs a door or passageway. Because the Angkorean Khmer lacked the ability to construct a true arch, they constructed their passageways using this or corbelling.

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Lintels

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a roughly triangular structure above a lintel.

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Pediment

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the decorated surface of a pediment.

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Tympanum

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Common motifs in the decoration of lintels include the

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kala, the nāga and the makara

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the god of the sky, is associated with East

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Indra

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the god of judgment and Hell, with South

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Yama

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the god of the ocean, with West

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Veruna

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god of wealth, with North

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Kubera

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are notoriously steep. Frequently, the length of the riser exceeds that of the tread, producing an angle of ascent somewhere between 45 and 70 degrees

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Angkorean stairs

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The of an Angkorian temple was home to the temple's primary deity, the one to whom the site was dedicated: typically Shiva or Vishnu in the case of a Hindu temple, Buddha or a bodhisattva in the case of a Buddhist temple.

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central sanctuary

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is the tall finger-like spire, usually richly carved, common to much Khmer religious architecture.

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Prang

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a passageway running along the wall of an enclosure or along the axis of a temple, often open to one or both sides. Historically, the form of the gallery evolved during the 10th century from the increasingly long hallways which had earlier been used to surround the central sanctuary of a temple.

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Gallery

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an entrance building. At Angkor, passage through the enclosure walls surrounding a temple compound is frequently accomplished by means of an impressive

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Gopura

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a structure of a type found in certain late 12th-century temples constructed under King Jayavarman VII: Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei and Banteay Chhmar. It is a rectangular building elongated along the temple's east axis and divided into four courtyards by galleries.

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Hall of Dancers

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The pillars of the galleries are decorated with carved designs of

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Dancing Asparas

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is the name given to a type of building found only in temples constructed during the reign of late 12th-century monarch Jayavarman VII: Preah Khan, Ta Prohm and Banteay Chhmar. It has a tower at the west end and south-facing windows.

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House of Fire, or Dharmasala

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a common feature of Khmer temple architecture, but their true purpose remains unknown. Most likely they functioned broadly as religious shrines rather than strictly as repositories of manuscripts.

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Library

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were reservoirs, generally created by excavation and embankment respectively. It is not clear whether the significance of these reservoirs was religious, agricultural, or a combination of the two.

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Srah and Baray

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The dominant scheme for the construction of state temples in the Angkorian period. an architectural representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Hindu mythology. 

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Temple Mountain