Banteay
Chmar
The
temple of Banteay Chmar is located about 100 kilometers northwest of Angkor,
near the Thai border. It is a huge City - Temple, largely developed in the late
12th century by the great King Jayavarman VII. The abundant and magnificent
sculptures of this site which were subject to extensive looting throughout the
region are now better protected because of the continued presence of archaeological
teams (WMF) responsible for the clearing and restoration of monuments, as well
as the development of the site for visitors. Banteay Chmar is a large city,
probably much older than the most part of the visible monuments of today. It
has a moat and a baray along 1,700 meters, with a small Mebon at its centre.
The entrance to the town to the east has a Dharmasala, a classical monument
of the reign of Jayavarman VII sometimes called a "house of fire" and whose
use is supposedly that of a haven for travelers. But as its name suggests, it
was more likely a building for the recitation and teaching of... , the heart
of a Buddhist Institute, a school or simply the chapel of a school or the capel
of a hospital built during the reign of Jayavarman VII. The distribution of
the sanctuaries inside the perimeter wall is similar to those of Preah Khan
and Ta Prohm of Angkor and are similar, though perhaps more chaotic. It is a
whole, enclosed by several enclosures forming a long rectangle of 170 by 40
meters, which should have first a very pure Angkorian monastery dedicated to
the Buddha design, but has also received multiple additions of monuments dedicated
to Shiva, Vishnu and to religious or royal personages. As at the Bayon, the
towers of the central sanctuary are four faced. It is accessed by a large hall,
dance hall called out and which has superb bas-reliefs, representing a (creature
which was half-woman, half-bird. The bas reliefs on the walls, depict scenes
of battle on land or sea, and various unidentified legends. The most beautiful
sculptures are a series of eight large Lokesvara forms possessing 4-32 arms
and 1-16 heads. Despite the vandalism and looting, all the bas-reliefs of Banteay
Chmar remain a unique attraction, surpassed only by their counterparts at the
Bayon and Angkor Wat.
Koh
Ker
Koh Ker is an archaeological site under development, situated within a hundred
miles north-east of Siem Reap, on an axis connecting the ancient Imperial City
with Voat Phou via Preah Vihear. Koh Ker contains numerous remains of temples,
almost all built in the 10th century and most of them under the reign of Jayavarman
IV, which allowed for even the audacious move of the capital of the Devaraja
Empire out of Angkor, to what has become a particularly isolated, even deserted
country side. Prasat Neang Khmaw is the first temple met, ... A solitary tower
of laterite, guardian of the magnificent ruins of the city ... The main street
of the town was oriented south-north to the main sanctuary Prasat Thom ... This
axis that we follow today for the visit is marked by the numerous remains of
monuments, mostly either single towers or groups of three brick towers. We have
also met, in sandstone, monuments which are like UFOs in their architectural
style and religious purposes. The main attraction of Koh Ker is a surprising,
somewhat megalomaniacal monument : The Prasat Thom. This is a long esplanade
with palaces and galleries and even a large moat ... At the end stands the main
sanctuary, a pyramid of seven floors, nearly 60 meters high ... This group was
very well-constructed, as this unfinished pyramid, is still standing today,
with no collapsing and no recent important reparations The sculptures from the
site of Koh Ker were victims of extensive looting in the area once deserted
but are now better protected because of the continued presence of archaeological
teams responsible for vegetation clearance and the restoration of monuments,
as well as development of the site for visitors. The main buildings date from
the twelfth century, as with Angkor Wat.
Beng
Meala
Beng Mealea is a large city-temple located forty kilometers east of Angkor,
a node of an ancient road leading to two destinations: Koh Ker to Preah Vihear
and Voat Phou one hand, Kompong Svay and Sambor Prey Kuk other hand. The main
buildings date from the twelfth century, as with Angkor Wat . Beng Meala is
in the same style as Angkor-Wat, but without the large number of carved Apsaras,
as this site was the victim of intensive looting.... it is now better protected
because of the continued presence of archaeological teams responsible for the
clearing and restoration of monuments, as well as accommodation for visitors.
The Temple of Beng Mealea is not of royal foundation ... The author's identity
is a mystery but legend deals with a historic Khmer king or a duke, Kato Mealea
who received from Indra himself a palace in the image of his god-stables. The
written sources for this Angkorian legend mentions Angkor Wat as the identity
of this palace, but Angkor Wat does not resemble stables in its form, unlike
Beng Mealea… More over it has an author: Suryavarman II . Basically, Beng Mealea
and Kato Mealea have the same name. Historical sensitivities of this type are
numerous between the official history sometimes seriously interpreted from epigraphy,
and a more folkloric vision relayed either orally or from records copied and
written on palm leaves.
Tonle
Bati
Located near Tonle Bati Lake, 40 km from Phnom Penh, the temple of Ta Prohm,
from the 12th century, (and that of Yeay Pew) are well maintained with flowers
and trees. It was built by King Jayavarman VII on the site of a shrine from
the seventh century and contains superb sculpures, apsaras and bas-reliefs from
the 12th century. This temple, Ta Prohm, therefore, involves the building of
a model: a Chapel of the Hospital, at least the third such one to be given the
name of Ta Prohm, or Ta Prohm Kel specifically, a legendary paralytic king of
humble origin and who was miraculously healed before accessing the Throne. Note
that Ta Prohm is described by travel guides as a term referring to Brahma, a
hypothesis validated for the Great Angkor Ta Prohm, which has entries topped
with towers with four faces that they, (the French) have long confused with
Brahma. Inscriptions reveal that the Ta Prohm Angkor is a great foundation,
like a department of health and had hospital chapels under its authority. Ta
Prohm is a name that does not refer to Brahma, because otherwise it would not
in Preah Prohm and Ta Prohm. The lexical root Prohm is used to form words and
names evoking poetic purity, virtue, chastity. The particle Ta reveals that
what was worshiped in the temple following the decline of Angkor was not Buddha
but a “génie du terroir”
Battambang
The Battambang region is located relatively close to Siem Reap and Angkor, but
relatively difficult to access due to regular flooding of the lake that requires
a long terrestrial road to bypass it, still true today, but mitigated by recent
opening of the great and beautiful road between Siem Reap and the Thai border.
Thanks to another route, linking the Thai border to Battambang by Paylin, this
region will see economic and tourist progress thanks to its proximity to Bangkok
and the beaches of the central coast of Thailand. Two main Angkor monuments
to visit in this region: ek Phnom and Phnom Banan. Ek Phnom is a monastery located
12 km from Battambang on the west bank of a canal along the northern side of
the Sangkač river. The archaeological site contains the small but impressive
remains, of a temple built in the eleventh century to a new architectural form
which had become fashionable, replacing temple mountains: an enclosure surrounding
a temple Gopura composed of a halled tower, a Mandapa and two libraries. The
shape of the temple is clearly visible as it is still standing, despite its
poor condition. Its base, which is relatively high, was installed by placing
blocks of stone, but without any trace of sculpture job. The modern monastery
of Wat Phnom Ek is the subject of major construction and decoration and is an
interesting mix of contemporary Khmer religious architectures . It is, however,
less impressive than its neighbor in the region of Battambang: Phnom Sampeuw.
Prasat Banon is a temple mountain located 25 kilometers south of Battambang
on the bank of the river Sangkač. The archaeological site is located on a high
hill and contains the ruins of a temple mountain from the twelfth century built
by an unknown ruler which has raised the question of Shivaite-styled architectural
temples of late. Were they built by turbulent vassals of Angkor, and Devaraja
who dared to proclaim the will of Shiva at a time when the state religion of
the Khmer Empire turned to Buddhism.
Bakan
preah khan kompong svay
Bakan
renamed by the French administration the Preah Khan of Kampong Svay, is an Angkorian
city of more than three kilometers area gived, which means an area greater than
Angkor Thom. This city is located 150 kilometers west of Angkor and was for
a long time the capital of a Khmer nation, that of the Kuys, who lived in harmony
as vassals of Angkor from at least the 9th century, the period of the construction
of the oldest monuments. The Kuys were in Angkorian times a people with valuable
expertise with steel and in all areas related to iron working. Most monuments
of the ancient city are of an artistic style typical of the area which flourished
during the late 12th century, ie after Angkor Wat, later to become part of the
Bayon Style (the monumental gates of Angkor Thom, the central tower of the Neak
Poan, ...) and some late Angkorian styles. Even more so than in other sites,
the abundant and beautiful sculptures of Bakan were victims of the intensive
looting in this region, which is now better protected because of the almost
permanent presence of archaeological teams (JSA) charged with the release and
restoration of monuments, as well as the development of the site for visitors.
Bakan is in the form of a large fortified perimeter with a triple wall, containing
a very large number of relics of magnificent monuments the 12th and 13th centuries,
including a particularly admirable module: Prasat Preah Stung, whose style is
completely Angkorian but with architectural and decorative solutions that are
completely unprecedented. There is also the presence of a Dharmasala, a classical
monument of the reign of Jayavarman VII sometimes called a "house of fire" and
whose use is supposedly that of a haven for travelers. But as its name suggests,
it was more likely a building for the recitation and teaching of... , the heart
of a Buddhist Institute, a school or simply the chapel of a school or the capel
of a hospital built during the reign of Jayavarman VII. Some older monuments
are visible outside the walls, including Prasat temple Domrey – a mountain temple
that dates from the 9th century and is situated on the edge of a baray (reservoir
artificial irrigation rectangular) installed perpendicularly to the east side
wall of the city.
Sambor
prey kuk
Preah
Vihear
Preah
Vihear is probably the most breathtaking Angkorian site after Angkor Wat itself
Preah Vihear, perched atop the Dangrek Mountains, on the northern boundary line
between Cambodia and Thailand, and is not always accesible as the political
situation, on one side or the another becomes turbulent It is a temple, and
is easily accessible from the Thai side but difficult (however, the roads are
improving and increasing in number each year) from the Cambodian side. The linked
article has been written following a visit in May 2008, at a particularly quiet
time in terms of political tension between the two brothers, now unfortunately,
enemies ...
Ta
moan
Ta
Moan stands atop the Dangračks Mountains, that is to say, on the northern boundary
line between Cambodia and Thailand, and is not always accesible as the political
situation, on one side or the another becomes turbulent. It is a temple, or
rather a set of three modules, particularly isolated but easily accessible from
the Thai side, yet particularly difficult - even dangerous- because of mines
on the Cambodian side. The linked article has been written following a visit
in May 2008, at a particularly quiet time in terms of political tension between
the two brothers, now unfortunately, enemies ...
