Entertainment & Theory

Angkor Wat's Architecture

Despite all troubles of his reign, Suryavarman II left a much longer lasting legacy of him. The construction of Angkor wat became the iconic success story of the Khmer Empire. It was in this temple that he was deified in the form of Visnu incarnation and received the posthumous name of Paramavishnuloka. The new introduction of Visnuite legacy, as we shall see, marked the high point of the next Khmer architecture. Conforming to the Khmer legend of the building of Angkor Wat, an inscription found at the temple at Ban that located near Kuruksetra where the scholar Sukarman resided, makes a reference to an architectural marvel. Under the leadership of Divakara the Brahmin , Suryavarman II 's leaning toward Vishnuism was obvious. However, we had argued that true to its legacy from the Cholan legacy of the Sangum era, the Cholan clan of South India had very strong Sivaite legacy of the Nanda. For instance, the naga king that was the representation of the Soma of Funan culture ( Nokor Phnom ). was still considered as progenitor of the Vishnuite Cult. On the other hand, other aspects of the Meru legacy had been revised and included in the new Angkorean architecture. On its face B, the inscription described an edifice of three towers, a representation of the three tops of mount Meru, the celestial mountain. This could be the reference to the temple of Ban-That where the inscription was found, but it was also a prelude to an architectural design used in a larger scale for the building of the celestial temple of Angkor Wat as representing the mount Meru

“ Three high edifices (Saudhhatrayam) represent the three tops of mount Meru, the celestial mountain where dwelled religious sages and celestial nymphs. Just as the Indra' s palace, with banner floating in the air, under the sound of music high into the sky, groups of women dance and sing with mellow voices accompanying string musical instruments. “

The use of tower (prang in Khmer) is typical of Khmer architecture that could not be found anywhere else in India. Contrary to stone temples in Champapura of Po-Nokor where Indian architecture was well noticeable, Angkor Wat and its contemporary temples are undeniably free of Indian influence. It is reflecting that Suryavarman II was conforming to the Khmer custom of the Angkorean Empire. As a matter of fact, we shall see that many more khmer legacies were founded in Angkor Wat than in other temples of prior date. And for those who wonder what Angkor Wat was built for, the next passage of the inscription provides the best answer of all. One could imagine that it was used the same way as Buddhist temples are used in Cambodia today. Besides sheltering monks and religious members, it was the place where all sort of religious activities and ceremonies took place. At Ban-That and perhaps the same at Angkor Wat, two such ceremonies were mentioned in the inscription.

“ During the Sraddha and the Dirghasatra, people listen to the recital of the past history. There we can see, in anytime, the universe brought close on the magnificent tables displayed on the wall. “

The Sraddha, known as the ceremony of ancestral observance, consist of bathing procession of the ancestral royal linga. On the other hand, the Dighasatra was referring to a sacrifice ceremony of some sort, for the goddess Soma. During these two ceremonies, people might entertain themselves and learn the pass history from the recital of scholars. The two ceremonies were undeniably not Vishnuite. It confirms the fact that under Suryavarman II, Angkor was retaining no less of its Sivaite legacy. On its architecture, Angkor's temples undoubtedly adopted new feature that reflected the greatness of the Angkor Empire of the time. The earlier mountain temples embedded the legacy of Nokor Phnom that consisted of using the pyramid bases to support a tower of lotus shape. Later temples, including the temple of Angkor Wat, were the aggrandizement of the previous architecture consisting of a central mountain temple surrounded by smaller towers at the cardinal points. With multiple enclosures and different level of terraces, the five towers represented the Cakravatin Empire consisting of its Middle Kingdom and its four cardinal states. One significant feature of the new architecture, more noticeable at Angkor Wat than any other temples, was the presence of the Naga sculptures. Under the Buddhist and Vishnuite influence, these Khmer nagas grew many heads out of the mouth of a Makara. Each head represented a Naga clan formed by the Meru Culture and classified by the Hinduism : the Simha (lion), the Kala (Sura), the Guchasa (elephant) etc... Looking closely one might notice the Buddhist wheel of Dharma right at the beginning of spanning fan of the Naga heads. It was an integrated symbol of Naga races under the influence of mixed cosmology of the Hindu Trinity. The Simha or Lion sculptures were also noticeable, at the site of Angkor Wat, reflecting the importance of the Simha past legacy of the Khmer Empire.

ជីវិតកសិករគឺបែបនេះហើយ ជីវិតប្រជាពលរដ្ឋនៅតាមមូលដ្ឋានខិតខំណាំដំណាំដើម្បីចិញ្ជឹមជីវិត ដើម្បីផ្គត់ផ្គង់អោយកូនបានរៀនសូត្រមានចំណេះដឹង មិនអោយលំបាកដូចគាត់ដែលពុំសូវបានរៀនសូត្រព្រោះប្រទេសជាតិជួបទៅនិងសង្គ្រាមការសិក្សាបានតិចតួច៕ នេះគឺជាទិដ្ឋភាពមួយដែលប្រជាកសិករយើងប្រកបការងារកសិកម្ម អ្នកខ្លះក៏នៅធ្វើកសិកម្មតាមបែបប្រពៃណី និងមួយចំនួនតាមបែបទំនើបកម្ម ៕ប្រជាកសិករនៅកម្ពុជាពឹងផ្អែកទៅលើកសិកម្មនៅឡើង ព្រោះប្រទេសកម្ពុជាជាប្រទេសកំពុងតែអភិវឌ្ឍន៍នៅឡើយ ៕សេដ្ឋកិច្ចជាតិពឹងផ្អែកទៅលើវិស័កសិកម្ម ទេសចរណ៏ ....៕
🌽🥥🍉🍆🥦

ផ្តល់យោបល់ម្នាក់មួយមកបងប្អូនជនរួមជាតិ ៕