Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c43.57

c43.57

As the Bayon temple is typical of the style at this particular phase, it may be described more fully, although covering in its widest dimensions an area hardly so large as that of Angkor Vat, none the less the extreme outside walls form a rectangle 700 feet by 500 feet while the plan of the building itself fills a square of 500 feet side. This plan consists exteriorly of a system of double galleries enclosing a court-yard, in the centre of which stands the main structure rising up into two stories to a height of 130 feet. It is not therefore the dimensions of the building, although these are not inconsiderable, which give the Bayon its character, but the intricate yet logical disposition of the component parts in its plan, and the strikingly unique appearance of its elevation. Taking the plan first, this resolves itself into a central cruciform layout, with the external angles of the cross thus formed filled in with courtyards contained within pillared galleries, by these means converting the ground plan as a whole into a square. This square and the transepts within, are then divided up into a system of arcaded courts, vestibules, chambers, galleries and corridors, all interrelated and each having its specific shape and place according to its purpose. Then, in the centre, occupying the intersecting space of the cross, is the circular basement of the main tower, which rising high over the entire conception enshrines the sanctuary of the deity. It will be realized that although in parts apparently involved, the planning of this temple was worked out with a full and complete knowledge of the various objects for which it was intended, and in its entirety was obviously devised by the master-craftsman of his time possessing marked experience and a thorough grasp of essentials.