Art and Archeology of Southeast Asia: Angkor Wat essay
Today the architecture of Southeast Asia attracts particular attention of researchers and tourists. According to Keat Gin Ooi (2004), “Southeast Asia was once the site of several great architectural civilizations”(p.179). The architectural monuments of Southeast Asia are of great importance as historical landmarks in architectural records. Angkor Wat is one of the ancient temple complexes located in Southeast Asia. Originally, it was called Prasat Paramavishuloka ( Freeman, 1999). Today this temple complex remains a treasured national symbol of Cambodia. Actually, Angkor Wat, located in Siem Reap Province of Cambordia, is well-known as Buddhist temple complex and the magnificent religious monument. Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire, and served as a state temple and eventual mausoleum (Freeman, 1999). In general, the temple of Angkor Wat, as a unique ancient temple, plays a significant role for the study of Southeast Asian architecture, art and archeology.
The major goal of this paper is to describe the object of study, assess its role, function or purpose, provide the basic information about the object, including details of previous studies, and assess the significance of the object for the study of Southeast Asian art and/or archaeology.
Description of the object of study
Angkor Wat can be viewed as a unique combination of several Southeast Asian features of art: the temple mountain structure, the implementation of the standard design specially developed for the empire’s state temples, and unique concentric galleries influenced by Kalinga art and architecture. It is located in the southeastern part of Angkor. Angkor Wat, as an architectural complex, covers a rather large territory. It is a rectangular area of over 200 hectares. Actually, the temple of Angkor Wat is a clear representation of Mount Meru that is considered to be the home of the gods (Freeman, 1999). There are five central towers that symbolize five peaks of Mount Meru. The walls and the moat are designed to surround the mountain ranges and ocean. The temple of Angkor Wat as a religious monument holds the images of Hindu deities, including Siva (the symbol of power), Visnu and others.
Angkor Wat’s structure is unique due to four towers in the form of upturned lotus buds, located on several colonnaded platforms that rise towards the center of the temple. Angkor Wat’s outer walls are 4.5m (15ft) high. They served as walkways decorated by unique balustrade and covered with ornate carvings and bas-reliefs (Briggs, 1951). The temple was built from sandstone blocks and hard rock (Vickery, 1985).
There are four entrances in this temple. The largest entrance can be found on the western side, close to five portals. In addition, the central door of the temple in linked by the bridge passing across the moat, which links it with the temple. On the opposite site, one can find two small temples and two water basins in the form of rectangular (Vickery, 1985). The heart of the complex is comprised of three galleries, a cruciform platform and one huge tower. The temple is surrounded by the huge rectangular reservoirs. There are three terraces that are directed to the central shrine and to the magnificent tower (Briggs, 1951).
Assessment of the role, function or purpose of the object
It is known that the function of Angkor Wat is still unclear. Some historians and archeologists consider that this object was a tomb, while others suggest that it was a temple. For example, in 1933, “Prysluski advanced the theory that Angkor Wat was not a temple, but a tomb” (Briggs, 1951, p. 56). His ideas were based on the evidence: the narrative bas reliefs with writings from left to right which proved the route of the funeral procession, performing prasavya. However, in a temple the so-called ambulation is usually made in the opposite direction, performing pradaksina. In this case, the function of the temple was to enthrone and worship gods (Briggs, 1951).
In addition, the research has shown that this architectural structure was originally used as a sacred Visnu temple, but the Visnu worship was closely connected with the worship of the deceased king Suryavarman II who in life had the power to erect the complex of Angkor Wat, and in death he was immortalized in Angkor Wat’s shrine as an image of Vesnu, the Hindu God (Jacques, 2007.). Nevertheless, many experts consider that Angkor Wat was a tomb as it represented the king’s spirit after death.
The role of Angkor Wat in the cultural and religious development of the city was enormous, including the role of ritual and merit making. Actually, this monument is an outstanding historical achievement of the civilization of Angkor. The temple was dedicated to the god Vesnu, therefore it lies open to the west, standing for the god’s quarter of the compass (Jacques, 2007). The researchers suggest that Angkor Wat played an important role in the city, as it served as the monument to the king (Stark, 2006).
The basic information about the object, including details of previous studies
The conception of the temple of Angkor Wat differs from other temples. The architectural model is not based on “proportional reductions, but on breaks in the lines of sight, created by the different enclosures, which formed screens separating one part of the structure from another” (Dumarзay & Royиre, 2001, p. 83). Actually, Jacques Dumarcay and Pascal Royиre (2001) have explored the history and evolution of Cambodia, placing emphasis on its architecture. They state that Angkor Wat is a huge complex that can be assumed not only as a religious significant monument, but also as the “expression of political will, affirming royal control over water resources” (Dumarcay & Royиre, 2001, p. 12). According to the research, “in addition to its extraordinary monuments, the medieval Cambodian capital of Angkor is characterized by an extensive network of canals, embankments and reservoirs”(p.497).
Many researchers state that Angkor Wat contains some calendrical information in its unique design. Researchers interpret the design in the following way: the alignment of the site and the unusual arrangement of the temple’s decoration provide records of the cycles of the sun and the moon (Penny et al., 2006). According to the opinion of other researchers, Angkor Wat can be viewed as an “astronomical phenomena” (O’Reilly & Pheng, 2001).
Assessment of the significance of the object for the study of Southeast Asian art and/or archaeology
The temple of Angkor Wat can be viewed as a significant object for the study of Southeast Asian art and archeology. This historical monument helps to better understand the nature of Angkorian Empire. According to Miriam Stark (2006), “the very monumentality of the ninth-fourteenth century Angkorian Empire may explain why scholarship of ancient Cambodia continues to focus on the latter period of ancient Khmer civilization rather than on its earlier periods” (p. 44). The exploration of the temple of Angkor Wat may explain the nature of some historical processes, such as collapse and regeneration in ancient Cambodia, reconstruct the history of Khmer civilization, and provide the study of economic and political patterns in the Angkorian state, explore some aspects of the system of religious ideology. For example, the “representations of the gods Shiva and Vishnu reflect the establishment of local Indic cults in the region”(Stark, 2006, p. 163).
Conclusion
Thus, it is necessary to conclude that Angkor Wat is a unique architectural monument located in Southeast Asia. The magnificent temple complex reflects the history of Angkorian civilization. Today Angkor Wat is considered to be the largest temple of the 100 temples that survived in the region from the ancient Angkor city. The temple complex plays a significant role for the study of Southeast Asian art and/or archaeology. The function of the temple was widely discussed by the researchers. It has been found that Angkor Wat was intended to serve two purposes: as a temple and as a tomb for king Suryavarman.
