History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c33.s10: Temples.
History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c33.s10
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Temples.
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Broadly speaking, the temples, the relative position of which is shown in Woodcut No. 458, may be divided into four classes: firstly, those in which the enclosures, generally three in number, are all more or less on the same level, such as in the temples of Ta Prohm, Kedei, and Prê Rup; secondly, the pyramid temples, which consist of a series of narrow terraces rising one above the other as Phimêanakas and Bapuon; thirdly, those in which the two first classes would seem to be combined, where the enclosures, one within the other, are each raised from 15 to 20 ft. above the level of that outside, so as to give the whole a pyramidal form, such as in those of Angkor Vât and Bayon; and fourthly, the smaller temples, consisting of three or five sanctuaries placed side by side, the centre one being the most important, the whole surrounded by a wall or moat. The enclosures consist either of a moat within which may have been some kind of timber palisade now gone, or a stone wall 8 to 10 ft. high, with cresting at the top. In a large number of temples one or more of the enclosures take the form of a gallery or corridor, which is roofed over with horizontal courses of stone corbelled over till they meet at the top. The nature of this construction limits the width of the corridor to 7, or at the utmost 10 ft., so that if a greater width is required, an aisle is provided on one or both sides. An example of this is shown in Woodcut No. 461, a section of the corridor at Angkor Vât. In this case the support on the left consisted of a solid wall, the roof over the aisle being at a lower level than that over the corridor, but there are instances in which this system of construction is employed over the vestibules and halls leading to a sanctuary, in which case the outer supports are walls, the inner ones piers, constituting in plan what might be described as a nave and aisles.
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The approaches to the temples acquire considerable importance, not only on account of their great length, but because they consist of causeways raised from 10 to 12 ft. above the ground, necessitated by the fact that from June to October the valley of the Me-kong, where all the more important Cambodian temples are found, is flooded, and the raised causeways form the only means of communication between the towns and temples: the whole valley, in fact, is mapped out with roads arranged at right angles to one another, along which the caravans pass.
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In the approaches to the principal temples and the great towns, these causeways have led to features which are confined to Cambodia, viz., the cruciform terraces (such as that shown
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458. Map showing the position of the principal Temples.
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in Woodcut No. 459, in front of the temple of Angkor Vât, and in Woodcut No. 470 in the foreground of the temple of Beng Méaleâ), the bordering of the causeways with steles, lions, and other animals, and, when crossing the moats, to stone bridges the balustrades of which consisted of serpents carried by giants on sculptured pedestals, the serpent terminating at the entrance end by a lofty Nâga figure 10 to 12 ft. high, with from five to seven heads. A similar feature terminates the balustrades of bridges across rivers or streams, an example of which, the Spean Taon, is shown on Plate XLIV., Fig. 2. In the latter case the bridge is carried on great stone piers corbelled out at the top, the banks being widened out so as to give an equal passage to the torrent as that enjoyed before the bridge was built. Across the moats which surround the outer enclosure of the temples, the bridge is carried on circular or compound piers, sometimes carrying side walls enriched with Nâga figure sculpture.
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In front of the temples and also in parts of the enclosure are tanks of water known as *sras*, with stone borders and steps round. These provide for the services of the temple; there are some cases in which these *sras* are of enormous dimensions, forming reservoirs to supply water for agricultural and other purposes.¹
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¹ De Lajonquierè, ‘Inventaire archéologique,’ tome i. introd. pp. 43ff.
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The principal approach to the temples is, as a rule, from the east, unless, as in the case of Angkor Vât, where there is some special reason for the change, the main road from the capital Angkor Thom being on the west side of the former, which has accordingly a western entrance. The entrance gateways to the several enclosures are called gopuras² and are cruciform on plan, owing to projecting wings thrown out on all four sides: the side wings being of greater length than the others, in some cases, as at Angkor Vât, having a second entrance on each side. Over the centre of the gopura is a tower which in the entrance gate-way of Angkor Thom is carved on each side with Brahmâ heads. The gopura is repeated for the entrance of each enclosure, always being in the centre of the east and west fronts, but on the north and south fronts nearer to the west end, where the main entrance is on the eastern side, and to the east end if on the western side; the reason being to provide additional space for other structures within the enclosures on the entrance side, the axis of the sanctuary and of the gopura being always the same.
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² *Loc. cit.* introd. pp. 30ffg.
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In the pyramidal temples and in those of the third class, where each terrace or enclosure rises from 15 to 20 ft., the staircases are very steep—in some cases the rise of the steps being three times the width of the tread. The steps are enclosed between projecting spurs or ramps of stone, which are richly moulded and carved, and the width of each flight is of less dimension as it rises, so as to give the appearance of greater height. In some of the large temples—in addition to the towers over the central This page is completely blank; there is no text, page furniture, headings, or images to transcribe.
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FIG. I. GOPURA AT PREA KHANE (PRAH-KHAN).
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FIG. 2. THE SPEAN TAON NÂGA-HEAD.
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[Figure: CORRIDOR OF TEMPLE AT PRAH-KHAN. From Tissandier's 'Cambodge et Java.']
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and side entrances—there are others over the angles of each enclosure; and in the temple of Bayon, including those of the sanctuary and other buildings within the enclosure, there are as many as fifty towers,—that over the sanctuary rising to a height of 130 ft. above the central enclosure or platform, the latter being 34 ft. above the ground outside. The principal characteristic of the design in the Cambodian temples consists in the accumulation of features; thus the sanctuary, for instance, originally a square tower of the same height as width, with a series of five storeys, one above the other, diminishing in size as they rise, and crowned with the lotus flower, has been enriched with one or two slightly projecting bays on each face, in front of which elaborately carved doorways have been added; similar projecting bays and doorways, of less dimensions as they rise, are carried up each storey of the tower. The general effect of this accumulation of features may be judged by Woodcut No. 464, where the two rising roofs of the corridors add to those features above described, and in the view (Plate XLV.) of the gopura to the sanctuary enclosure of the temple of Prah-khan (Prov. Kompong Svay). The two upper stages of the tower over the gopura are gone, but on the left hand side there are four repetitions of the serpent gables over the doorways, such as are more clearly shown in Plate XLIV., Fig. 1.
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Although to each enclosure there are four gopuras or entrance gateways, those on the north and south are invariably closed with imitation doors in stone. Similar false doorways, sometimes elaborately carved, are found on the three sides of the sanctuary, the east or, in some instances, the west doorway being the only entrance. The sanctuary is always situated on the axis of the principal entrance, and, owing to the projecting bays added to each side, presents a cruciform plan. In general design the sanctuary takes the form of a tower or sikhara, the lower portion rarely higher than the width but crowned with a series of receding stages; the walls are of great thickness, sometimes 5 to 6 ft. deemed necessary to carry the superstructure which was built with horizontal courses of stone or brick, corbelled out internally so as to meet in the centre. No trace of an arch of any description has ever been found in Cambodian architecture; so that corbelling out with horizontal courses of stone was the only expedient employed to roof over their corridors, sanctuaries, or other halls. The widest span never exceeds 10 ft., and to increase the width of a hall or vestibule, often found in front of a sanctuary, aisles are added: this applies to all temple buildings, the roofs of which would seem always to have been of stone. In secular buildings, timber roofs, none of which exist at the present day, were almost certainly employed, as remains have been found of parallel walls of a much greater width. In the inner enclosure of a temple, on each side of the central axis, and in front of the sanctuary, two other structures are invariably found, which are assumed to have been the treasury for the deposit of the sacred vessels and other properties of the temple and the library for the records; their entrance doors face the opposite direction to those of the sanctuary; they are lighted by rectangular window openings closed with balusters such as shown in Plate XLV.; the sills of the windows of the treasury or library are always about 6 ft. from the ground, and the same is found in other buildings, which are assumed to have been occupied by the women. In some of the temples there are other structures in the rear of the sanctuary;¹ thus at Phnom Chisor (Prov. Bâti)² are five buildings of different sizes and similar in general design, all having doorways facing east which are undoubtedly shrines for divinities of the same cult, whether Saiva or Vaishnava. The temple of Phnom Chisor is built on an eminence, and is approached by long causeways with numerous flights of steps, there being in front of the gopura a flight of 392 steps; a second example exists in the Prah Vihear,³ where the temple is built on a cliff which in Europe would have been selected for a strongly fortified castle.
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¹ These are analogous to the small shrines connected with Hindû temples, as at Kailâs, Elûrâ, at Sinnar, Dhamnâr, etc.
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² L. de Lajonquière, 'Inventaire archéologique,' tome i. pp. 16-29.
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³ *Loc. cit.* tome ii. pp. 173ff.
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The three largest temples in Cambodia are those of Angkor Vât, Bayon and Beng Méaleâ; of these the first named is the best preserved, though of later date, the other two being built at a period when the architectural style of Cambodia had reached perhaps its highest development.