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Location | Siem Reap, Cambodia |
---|---|
Region | Southeast Asia |
Coordinates | 13°26′44″N103°51′21″E / 13.44556°N 103.85583°E |
Type | Archaeological site |
Part of | Angkor Thom |
Length | 585 m |
Width | 246 m |
Area | 14.4 ha |
Circumference | 1662 m |
History | |
Builder | Suryavarman I and others |
Founded | 11th to 13th century AD |
Abandoned | 16th century AD |
Periods | Middle ages |
Site notes | |
Condition | Ruined |
Public access | Ticket required for foreigners |
Architecture | |
Architectural styles | Bakheng to Bayon |
The Royal Palace was first built by king Suryavarman I and used continuously from the 11th to the late 16th century AD. During that period, the area was transformed and restored several times. Recent excavations have revealed many remains, such as a 10th-century temple which was built by a minister to Yasovarman I, was probably considered to be this minister's residence.
Most of the royal palace buildings were constructed by using perishable materials because they would have been non-religious in nature.
The rectangular place of the royal palace was surrounded by a 5 meters high laterite wall with 246 meters along the north-south axis and 585 meters along the east-west axis, covering an area of more than 14 hectares. Five sandstone gopuras with steps served as the entrance to the palace. Two gupuras are located on the south, other two are on the north, the largest one faces to the east and aligned with the Elephant Terrace and Victory Gate. The first group of buildings, built by king Suryavarman I, was surrounded by a moat on the east. The ground inside the palace compound is 1.2 meters higher than outside that necessitating a double course of stone on the exterior of the entrances and in some places, the ground has been raised even higher.
The 5625 square meters pond, probably built by king Jayavarman VIII, is faced with sandstone around its circumference. 13 tiers of steps descend 5.32 meters to the laterite paving. A wall was built on the south and to a lesser extent on the west which probably retain the embankment that extends to the pond from Phimeanakas. Dominating the pond on top of the wall is a paved terrace.
The walls are completely carved with bas-reliefs the lower sections show marine lives, heads of cow or horse, There are two rows of princes and naga princesses in the middle part which is similar to Terrace of the Leper King that located above winged figures, male and female guardian figures.
An 800 square meters sandstone pond, situated near the east gopura, was probably part of the first palace.
A small pond and low terrace are located to the west of the Large Pond that both connected by a laterite wall to the west northern gopura of the royal palace. The walls are carved with fascinating bas-reliefs of a procession of people, elephants and horses above a frieze of hamsas.
The cruciform terrace with round column and overhanging top was typically built in the 16th century AD.
The four small sanctuaries were constructed in the early phase, which evidenced by their floor level. They are opening to the west and parallel to the southeast of the second part of the Royal Palace. [1]
Khmer architecture, also known as Angkorian architecture, is the architecture produced by the Khmers during the Angkor period of the Khmer Empire from approximately the later half of the 8th century CE to the first half of the 15th century CE.
Angkor Wat is a Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. Located on a site measuring 162.6 hectares within the ancient Khmer capital city of Angkor, it is considered as the largest religious structure in the world by Guinness World Records. Originally constructed in 1150 CE as a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Vishnu, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century.
Angkor Thom, alternatively Nokor Thom, located in present-day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. The site is one of the major tourist attractions of Southeast Asia.
The Bayon is a richly decorated Khmer temple related to Buddhism at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom.
Ta Keo is a temple-mountain in Angkor (Cambodia), possibly the first to be built entirely of sandstone by the Khmer Empire.
Banteay Kdei, also known as "Citadel of Monks' cells", is a Buddhist temple in Angkor, Cambodia. It is located southeast of Ta Prohm and east of Angkor Thom. Built in the mid-12th to early 13th centuries AD during the reign of Jayavarman VII, it is in the Bayon architectural style, similar in plan to Ta Prohm and Preah Khan, but less complex and smaller. Its structures are contained within two successive enclosure walls, and consist of two concentric galleries from which emerge towers, preceded to the east by a cloister.
Preah Khan is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built in the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII to honor his father. It is located northeast of Angkor Thom and just west of the Jayatataka baray, with which it was associated. It was the centre of a substantial organisation, with almost 100,000 officials and servants. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples and numerous later additions. Like the nearby Ta Prohm, Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins.
Ta Som is a small temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built at the end of the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII. It is located north east of Angkor Thom and just east of Neak Pean. The King dedicated the temple to his father Dharanindravarman II (Paramanishkalapada) who was King of the Khmer Empire from 1150 to 1160. The temple consists of a single shrine located on one level and surrounded by enclosure laterite walls. Like the nearby Preah Khan and Ta Prohm the temple was left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins. In 1998, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) added the temple to their restoration program and began work to stabilise the structure to make it safer for visitors.
Banteay Srei is a 10th century CE Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and Parvati. Located in the area of Angkor, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (16 mi) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yaśodharapura and Angkor Thom. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as the jewel of Khmer art.
Phanom Rung Historical Park is an archaeological site in Thailand, covering the ruins of Prasat Phanom Rung, a Hindu Khmer Empire temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcano at 402 metres (1,319 ft) elevation. It is located in Buriram Province in the Isan region of Thailand, and was built at a time when Khmer social-political influences were significant in Srisaket. It was built of sandstone and laterite between the 10th and 13th centuries. It was a Hindu shrine dedicated to Shiva, and symbolises Mount Kailash, his heavenly dwelling.
Pre Rup is a Hindu temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built as the state temple of Khmer king Rajendravarman and dedicated in 961 or early 962. It is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone construction.
The Khleangs are two buildings of unknown purpose on the east side of the Royal Square in Angkor Thom, Cambodia, located just behind the twelve towers of Prasat Suor Prat and separated by the royal route that leads from the Angkor Thom Royal Palace to the Victory Gate. They are oriented along the north-south axis. The two were not built at the same time—the northern building was built under King Jayaviravarman and the southern under his successor Suryavarman I—but they are of similar design. They have given their name to the Khleang style, which is characterised by relatively simple lintels with a central kala. Other buildings in the style are Phimeanakas and Ta Keo.
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Preah Palilay is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is located in Angkor Thom, 400 m north-west of Phimeanakas. This small Buddhist sanctuary in the wooded area north of the Royal palace in Angkor Thom has a number of attractive features and is well worth the short detour.
Preah Pithu is a group of five temples at Angkor, Cambodia. In fact they were in all probability not designed as a group. Despite their ruined state, the remains have good decorative carving and their semi-wooded setting is attractive and peaceful.
Koh Ker is a remote archaeological site in northern Cambodia about 120 kilometres (75 mi) away from Siem Reap and the ancient site of Angkor. It is a jungle filled region that is sparsely populated. More than 180 sanctuaries were found in a protected area of 81 square kilometres (31 sq mi). Only about two dozen monuments can be visited by tourists because most of the sanctuaries are hidden in the forest and the whole area is not fully demined.
Sdok Kok Thom, or Sdok Kak Thom, is an 11th-century Angkorian temple in present-day Thailand, located about 34 kilometres (21 mi) northeast of the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet. The temple is in Khok Sung District, Sa Kaeo Province, near the village of Ban Nong Samet. It is regarded as the largest Angkorian temple in eastern Thailand. The temple was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Constructed by a prominent priestly family, Sdok Kok Thom is the original site of one of the most illuminating inscriptions left behind by the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of Southeast Asia from the end of the 9th century to the 15th century.
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Prasat Sikhoraphum is a Khmer temple located in Thailand, located between the cities of Surin and Sisaket. It was built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II for Hindu worship.
Wat Ek Phnom is an Angkorian temple located on the left side of the Sangkae River at the small creek of Prek Daun Taev northwest the Peam Aek spot approximately 9 km north of the city of Battambang in north western Cambodia. It is a Hindu temple built in the 11th century under the rule of King Suryavarman I. Although partly collapsed and looted it is famous for its well-carved lintels and pediments.
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