February 21, 2013: Cambodia, Angkor Temples Part I

    Here is a copy of some of my slides and my notes from the Cambodia: Angkor Temples presentation. Unfortunately the group was rather small. Many folks I believe are on vacation. Those present seemed to find the topic interesting, however. Hit Read more to see what I have been able to load.
     Next week, Part II of Angkor Temples, Cambodia, and especially we will learn about the ancient Hindu creation myth called "Churning the Ocean of Milk".

What are we going to see and learn while in SiemReap? 

We are primarily going to visit several of the temples built by the Khmer Dynasty 

kings from 800AD to 1400AD. These temples are built of a variation of materials 

depending on the time period when built. Can be brick, carved sandstone, a local 

rock called laterite, or other local stone covered by a plaster which was carved. In 

the case of sandstone the rock itself was carved. There was mortar used, probably 

made from various local herbaceous plants and sometimes with animal protein. 

 The Khmer Dynasty
• Originally Java peoples controlled this area.
. Jayavarman Ill r. 834-877 Son of Jaya Il
. Indravarman r. 877- 889 Son of iaya Il. Expanded the Khmer territory
without war.
• Yasovarma Il r. 889-915, Son of Indra. Built the East Baray, a huge water
reservoir.
• The kingdom split, Jayavarman IV estblished new capitol 100 km northeast
of Angkor. r. 9 15-950
Rajendravarman Il r. 944-968. Brought capitol back to the small mountain
near Siem Reap. First war with Champs (current Vietnam). Built Pre Rup,
first temple we visited.
. Jayavarman V r. 968-1001. A period of peace and prosperity. Built several
temples, among them Banteay Srei which we saw.
• Then followed 10 years of wars and struggles, each king only ruling for a
few years.

• Suryavarman Il r. 1013-1050. Consolidated the Empire, expanded territory,
built the other huge reservoir East Baray. Built largest temple, Angkor Wat,
over 37 years.
• Again there followed a period when rulers were brutally overthrown by
their successors, not reigning for long at all. In 1177, conquered by Chams
and became province of Champa.
Jayavarman VI. R. 1181-12 15. A military leader, he regained the capitol and
then the country from Champa. Then he built Angkor Thom, and Bayon
Temple and many other stone buildings. Several other temples including Ta
Prohm, and among other edifices, 102 hospitals. First Mahayana Buddhist
Indravarman Il r. 1219-1243. Son of Jayavarman VI. He was also Buddhist.
But he lost territories to his warring neighbors, the Chams and the Thais.
• Jayavarman VIII r. 1243-1295. Unlike his father he was a devotee of Shiva
and he destroyed many Buddhist statues.
Sriridravarman, his son in law defeated Jayavarman VIII, r. 1295-1309. He
was a Theravedan Buddhist.
In 1350, Thai factions began to conquer the Khmer repeatedly, and then by
1400, the capitol was moved to the Phnom Penh region.

 

The Khmer people are thought to have originated about 3000 years ago and have 

blood lines from the Mon states, and locally from the southeast Asian peninsula, and 

an area called the FunanEmpire by the Chinese, in the first century AD, peak period 

from 300AD to 600AD. The yellow area on this map was controlled by the Cham 

people of current Vietnam. The green area was one of the early Thai kingdoms 

called Ayuthaya. The Thai people entered the area later than the Khmer people. 

Their religion came from India as did that of the Cham people. It was a syncretic 

combination of Hinduism, animism, and Shivism, but where the king became 

invested with divine powers and forms. The king actually became a God-king. Each 

successive king therefore wanted and often built his own temples which were 

intended to worship a Hindu god, usually Shiva, occasionally Vishnu, and sometimes 

the King himself. Often the temple was also built as a mausoleum for the king.

Extent of the Khmer Empire in 900 AD. The gree

is the Thai Empire beginning to form, and the yellow

is the Cham people who were constantly battling with

the Khmer people.

 

Here is a map of the main area of temples just northwest of the modern town of Siem Reap. The actual area of the Archeological Park, six times the size of this square map, contains 3000 temples. Some are just ruins, but perhaps 70 or 80 have been restored, some back to their original beauty.

 

     Below are a few photos of some of the Angkor Wat temples that we discussed and viewed during this presentation. I cannot begin to show all the slides presented but you will start to get an idea of the sheer magnitude and the artistic creative ability of the Khmer people back in the 9th century AD.