| Angkor
Thom South Gate (late 12th—early
13th centuries) other
sites in Angkor |
Angkor, Cambodia |
Click on the above
images for larger views
Angkor Thom is
quadrangle of defensive walls totaling 12 kilometers that once protected the Khmer
capital of the same name (Angkor Thom means "Great City"). Built in the
late 12th and early 13th centuries by King Jayavarman VII, the walls are divided
by two axes running north-south and east-west. A gateway lies at the end
of each axis, four in total, facing the four cardinal directions. An additional
gate, called the "Gate of Victory", pierces the east wall just north of the "Gate
of the Dead", the east gate along the central axis. The significance of
the additional gate is that it provided access to a terrace of the royal palace.
As for the other gates, the two axes intersect at the center of the enclosed area
where the Bayon temple sits.
The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached
from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat.
On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged
in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the
Ocean. On the left side of the moat, 54 'devas' (guardian gods) pull the
head of the snake 'Shesha' while on the right side 54 'asuras' (demon gods)
pull the snake's tail in the opposite direction. In this myth, the body
of the snake is wrapped around the central mountain—Mt.
Meru—perhaps
corresponding here to the Bayon temple at the center of the site. In any case,
the myth relates that as the Devas pulled the snake in one direction and the
gods pushed in the other, the ocean began to churn and precipitate the elements.
By alternating back and forth, the ocean was "milked", forming the earth and
the cosmos anew.
The central tower of the stone gate is capped by three face-towers that face
the four directions (the central tower faces both out and in). Below them
at the base of the gate are two sets of elephant statues that flank the entrance
on both sides. Sitting on each elephant is a figure of the god Indra carrying
his usual weapon—the
'vadra' (a lightning bolt). The gate itself is shaped like an upside-down
"U" and is corbelled at the top (instead of arches, the builders of Angkor preferred
to use corbelling to span distances). It is still possible to see where
wooden doors once fitted to the gate through openings in the stone.
There is some debate as to the functionality of Angkor Thom as a whole.
If it was a wall intended for defense, it was rather poorly designed, since
there is nowhere along the wall for defenders to take refuge from incoming fire
or shoot back from a shielded location. This is surprising since Angkor
had been sacked in 1177 by Champa invaders, and one can readily imagine that
its new King, Jayavarman VII would have been concerned with defense should the
invaders return.
If not intended for defense, the walls may simply have been an additional
enclosure around the Bayon temple, more for ceremony than for practical use.
As in Southern India, the Angkor rulers built temples surrounded by walls, but
usually not with walls as thick and grand as those of Angkor Thom.
Bibliography:
Cohen, Joan Lebold. Angkor: The Monuments of the God Kings
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. 1975
Freeman, Michael and Roger Warner. Angkor: The Hidden Glories
Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. 1990
Jacques, Claude. Angkor: Cities and Temples
River Books Co., Ltd. Thailand. 1997.
Laur, Jean. Angkor: an Illustrated Guide to the Monuments
Flammarion. Italy. 2002
All images copyright 2000 by Professor Robert D. Fiala of Concordia University EXCEPT images 1, 2, and 14, which are copyright 1999-2000 by Professor Yunsheng Huang