ARCHITECTURE IN CAMBODIA

Introduction:

The spread of Indian Culture to Cambodia after the beginning of Christian era left no monuments
of the first century probably, because at the tinewood was the only building material, but from the 6th to
the 8th century onwards temples were erected and stones and bronze images were made. The art of this
period was the primitive Khmer. (ETHNIC CAMBODIANS)

The name “Kambodj”, whence the European from Cambodia, is derived from the Hindu
“Kambu”, the name of the mythical founder of the Khmer race.

Three Hindu States in Indo- China: a. Kambodj

b. Cambupura
c. Vyadhapura

Jaya Varman II – founder of Cambodia Empire. Since then, Cambodia became the center of
Indo- Chinese civilization. He found many hospitals.

GEOGRAPHICAL :

Lies at the central plain of the Mekong river covers an area of about 70, 000sq. miles and has a
population of about 6 millions. Its economy is dependent on agriculture, timber, fishing and most of the
population is employed in rice paddy fields. Rubber plantations have helped the national income.

Capital – Phnom- Penh

GEOLOGICAL :

Chief Building Stones: a. granite

b. hard gray sandstones
c. clay for floor and roofing tiles
d. timber- principal bld. Material
e. minerals
f. pink sandstones

RELIGION :

Chief Religions : a. Buddhism – 90%

b. Hinduism- 10 %
Prince Sihanouk- a king who abdicated to become a political head and prime minister of
Cambodia is still considered by millions of Cambodians to be the “God King”, a reincarnation of Buddha
and a direct descendant of the ancient Khmer Kings.
PERIODS OF HISTORY :

1. Suryavarman Dynasty- The primitive Khmer style

Khmer arch- strong Indian influence developed in Cambodia the main site is Angkor.
Anti- fixaes – ornamental block at the edge of a roof to conceal the ends of the tiles.
“Prasat” – small solitary temples, rectangular in plan and constructed in bricks.
Mouldings are furnished with niche- shaped antifixaes with human heads as ornamental
Two styles of the primitive art : a. simpler
b. more complicated – richer in decoration
RUINS OF ANCIENT KHMER EMPIRE- one of the remarkable archaeological sites in the world.

2. Jayavarman Dynasty- the three Hindu states of Indo- China were united and Cambodian
Empire was founded by Jayavarman II. They built beautiful temples,
splendid monuments and artistic buildings. Many hospital were founded

3. Yasovarman Dynasty- The royal city of Angkor Thom was complicated. It was the center of
classical art.

10th century - Buddhism began to become powerful to rival Brahmanism

- Construction of the Temple of Angkor Wat (VAT) began.
WAT (VAT) – Buddhist monastery in Cambodia

11th – 12th century - Conquest of the Kingdom of Champa which embraced Cochin China

13th century - The Hal (Siamese) commenced a series of revolt which eventually drove
their now- declining Khmer rules.

14th century - The Thai offensive began to Cambodia became a tributary state of Thailand

15th century - European (Portuguese, Dutch, French) interventions

18th century - Cambodia was annexed to Thailand

- King Norodom came to the Throne in 1854

19th century - In the last half of the nineteenth century, Cambodia became a part of
Indo- China.

ARCHITECTURE:

STRUCTURAL SYSTEM :

a. Post beam construction was predominantly used.

b. Corbelling was employed above corridors ad rooms.
c. Bridges to span gorges were built using complicated stone columns and corbelled construction.
d. the spaces between columns often ties were small.
e. Stones were laid in position as raw cubes.
f. They used wooden scaffolding in order to support the thousands of stone masons.
g. Stones obtained and transported down Mekong River and canals taken from the southern Himalayas
drawn by elephants and man- power on wooden rollers.

DECORATIVE SYSTEM:

a. Colored Sandstones ( grey and pink) were used on temple walls.

b. Faced snakes were carved from a single stone at least 8 feet in cube.
c. Bas- reliefs depicting great battles being fought by opposing kings.
d. Apsaras – celestial dancing girl, originated in Indian Mythology
e. Colonetts- used as decoration on either side of doorways
f. Nagas- Mythical serpents 5 or 7 heads used as decorative motifs in Khmer Architecture

ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS:

a. ANGKOR WAT- called “Pagoda Town”

- towers of Angkor Wat are beehive shapes nearly 300 feet high built of dry laid
stones, each exceeding one ton in weight.
-The canals formed a major means of transportation.
- In their huge towers, corridors and rooms complex form employed corbelling.
- Stone bridges were built to span gorges
- Surrounded by wide moats and approached through causeways.
- Outer wall is a series of continuous gallery facing internally.
Enclosed by these galleries are five central towers
- Ascending the central tower are steep stairs with threads 6” wide and risers 18”
high, each flight is unbroken for sixty feet of height.
- A central cell or sanctuary contain the single statue of Buddha
- On each side of the central tower are bas- reliefs showing stories of great battle
- Temples within Angkor Wat
a. Temple of Phnom Bakhneg
b. Temple of Tai Sam
c. Rem Temples of Banteay Srei (Citadel of Woman)
b. ANGKOR THOM- the Large Town
- Founded by Jayavarman
- the center of Cambodian classical art
- commonly called “Angkor the Magnificent”
- Square and surrounded by wall and moat
- There are five gateways, from which roads with snake- balustrade lead to the
center of the city where the central religious temple, “The Bayon” stands.
- The central temple inside the city has fifty- four towers and each tower carved on
it four faces of Buddha.
- The entrance portals into Angkor Thom through the outer wall have four storey
high openings to allow for elephants to pass in procession.

Blind doors- balance true doorways and to maintain symmetry

Phalic Post- Linga Angkor Wat- city Buddhist monastery
Bastion- projection on the angle of fortification
Gorges- narrow entry to a bastion
Architecture of Cambodia

Angkor Wat

Architecture of
Cambodia has
dated back to
many centuries
ago and has
influenced Thai
Architecture.

Features

Apsaras (left) and a devata (right) at Banteay Kdei

The architecture of the Angkor period used certain specific structural features and
styles which (along with inscriptions) are one of the main methods used to date
the temples.

Apsaras and Devatas

Apsaras or celestial dancing girls, originated in Indian mythology, but their widespread decorative use
was a Khmer innovation. The term is commonly used to cover not only dancers but any heavenly
nymphs, although the latter are technically devatas rather than apssaras. True apsaras are found in the Hall
of Dancers and are seen in bas- reliefs flying above sacred scenes, while the largest population of devatas
(around 2000) is at Angkor Wat, where they appear individually or in groups.

Blind doors and windows

Blind door with colonettes at Bantey Srei.

Blind doors were typically used to balance true doorways. Shrines frequently
opened only towards one direction: the other three sides therefore featured blind
doors to maintain symmetry. Blind windows were often used along otherwise
blank walls.
Central Sanctuary

The central sanctuary was home to the temple’s primary deity, that to whom the site was dedicated. The
god or Buddha, as appropriate, was represented by a statue (or in the case of Shiva, sometimes by a
linga). As the temple was not place for worship by the population at large, the sanctuary needed only to
be large enough to hold this statue it was never more than a few metres across. Its importance was instead
conveyed by the height of the above it, by its location at the centre of the temple (both indicative of the
sanctuary’s representing Mount Meru) and by the greater amount of decoration on its walls.

Colonettes- were used as decoration on either side of doorways.

Corbelling

Corbel arch at the south gate of Angkor Thom.

Rather than a true arch, the Khmers used corbel arches. These were
constructed by adding layers of stones to the walls on either side, with each
layer projecting further towards the centre. This method while adequate,
made the temples particularly prone to collapse once the buildings were no
longer maintained.

Enclosures

Khmer temples were typically enclosed by a concentric series of walls, with the central sanctuary in the
middle: this arrangement represented the mountain ranges surrounding Mount Meru. The enclosures are
Mythical serpents or nagas (often with five or seven heads), were commonly used as decorative motifs in
Khmer architecture. Naga bridges were causeways or true bridges with nagas running down either side as
balustrades. In some cases, as with the bridges at the entrances to Angkor Thom, the nagas were held by
gods and demons as in the story of the Churming of the Ocean Milk. The significance of the nagas were
may be explained as bridges between the world of the gods and that of men, or as guardians of wealth.

Quincunx

Linga in the form of quincunx, set inside a yoni, at Kbal Spean.

The identification of a central sanctuary with Mount Meru was

often emphasized by the inclusion of four towers surrounding the
central prang in the form of a quincunx (Mount Meru having five
peaks in this arrangement). The rectangular plan of the typical
Khmer temple easily lent itself to this design. The quincunx also
appears elsewhere in designs of the Angkor period, as in riverbed carvings of Kbal Spean.
Srahs and Barays

Srahs and barays were reservoirs generally created by excavation and embankment respectively. The two
largest at Angkor were the West Baray and East Baray, located on either side of Angkor Thom. The
temples were built in the middle of both of these (the West and East Mebons), while Neak Pean was built
at the centre of Preah Khan’s Jayataka. It is not clear to what extent the significance of the reservoirs was
religious, agricultural, or a combination of the two.

Temple Mountain

Temple Mountains took the form of representations of Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu
mythology. The temples were built in a series of tiers, each shorter than the last to create an illusion of
greater height. The first known example was Ak Yum, although very little of that structure now remains;
others at Angkor were Bakheng, Bakong, Bapuon, Pre Rup, Ta Keo and most notably Angkor Wat. Each
of these was in turn the state temple, and thus the religious centre of the whole empire.

Library at Angkor Wat: unusually, the libraries here

open both east west.

Library

The library is one of the most common features of

Khmer temple architecture, but it is still not certain what
they were used for. Most likely they were shrines rather
than actual libraries. Free- standing buildings, they were
normally placed in pairs on either side of the entrance to
an enclosure, opening to the west.

Lintels and Pediments

Lintel and pediment t Bamteay Srei; the pediment

shows Shiva Nataraja.

Because of their position at the point of entrance to the

temple, lintels (horizontal blocks at the top of
doorways) and pediments (triangular panels above the
lintels) had particular significance in Khmer temple
architecture. The decoration of lintels passed through a
series of styles which provide a useful guide for the
dating of temples: protective kalas, nagas and makaras
were common motifs. Also frequently appearing were the gods associated with the direction in which the
particular lintel faced.
 Demons holding the naga on a bridge entering Angkor
Thom.

Gallery

Cruciform gallery at Angkor Wat.

The gallery was a passageway running along the wall of an

enclosure or along the axis of a temple, often open to one or
both sides. The form evolved during the 10th century from
the increasingly long hallways which had earlier seen used
to surround the central sanctuary. During the later Angkor
Wat period, additional half galleries on one side were
introduced to buttress the structure of the temple.

Gopura

Gopura at the Ta Prohm.

A gopura was entrance building. Each enclosure of a

temple usually had a gopura at each of the cardinal
points. In plan they were most often cross- shaped,
elongated along the axis of the enclosure wall; where the
wall had a gallery, this could be connected to the arms of
the gopura. Many gopuras had a tower at the centre of the
cross. The lintels and pediments were often decorated, and
guardian figures (dvarapalas) were often placed or carved
on either side of the doorways.

Hall of Dancers

The Hall of Dancers is a structure found at Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei, and Banteay Chhma.
In each case it is a rectangular building elongated along the temple’s east axis; and divided into four
courtyards by galleries. The roofs were made of perishable materials and have disappeared. The pillars of
the galleries are decorated with dancing apsaras, hence the presumption that the buildings were used for
dancing.

House of Fire

The House of Fire, found only in temples of Jayavarman VII’s reign is enigmatic. 121 are known, all
along the highways in and out of Angkor; it seems therefore to have been a resting point of some kind,
either for travellers or (as the name suggests) for the sacred flame used in a religious ceremonies. It has
thick walls, a tower at the west end and south- facing windows. Examples include those at Preah khan, Ta
Prohm and Banteay Chhmar.