![]() It may symbolize the rainbow uniting the worlds of man and the gods. Its body extends the length of the causeway and is held by the gods and demons forming a serpent-like railing. (Some of the heads on these figures are copies the original ones have been removed and are at the Angkor Conservancy in Siem Reap).Ī serpent spreads its nine heads in the shape of a fan at the beginning of the causeway. The demons have a grimacing expression and wear a military headdress whereas the gods look serene with their almond-shaped eyes and wear a conical headdress. CAUSEWAY WITH STONE FIGURESĪ long causeway leading to each entry tower is flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side – demons on the right and gods on the left-to make a total of 108 mythical beings guarding the city of Angkor Thom. A small temple known as "Prasat Chrung' stands at each corner of the wall around the city of Angkor Thom.Īn earth embankment 25 meters (82 feet) wide supports the inner side of the wall and serves as a road around the city. The additional one, called the "Gate of Victory "is aligned with the causeway leading to the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King. ![]() An entry tower and along causeway bisect each side of the wall except on the east where are two entrances. A moat with a width of 100meters (328 feet) surrounds the outer wall. ![]() The city of Angkor Thom consists of a square, each side of which is about three kilometers (1.9 miles) long a laterite wall 8 meters (26 feet) in height around the city encloses an are of 145.8 hectares (360 acres). The surrounding moat (now dry) symbolizes the cosmic ocean. The wall enclosing the city of Angkor Thom represents the stonewall around the universe and the mountain ranges around Meru. The temple of the Bayon is situated at the exact center of the axes and stands as the symbolical link between heaven and earth. Symbolically, Angkor Thom is a microcosm of the universe, divided into four parts by the main axes. A quarter of a mile further north is the residence of the King rising above his private apartments is another tower of gold, These are the monuments which have caused merchants from overseas to speak so often of "Cambodia the rich and noble " North of the Golden Tower of Bronze, higher even than the Golden tower. On the eastern side is a golden bridge guarded by two lions of gold, one on each side, with eight golden Buddhas spaced along the stone chambers. Zhou Daguan the Chinese emissary, who provided the only first-hand account o f the Khmer, described the splendor of Angkor Thom.Īt the center of the Kingdom rises a Golden tower Bayon flanked by more than twenty lesser towers and several hundred stone chambers. Jayavarman VII reconstructed the original site of the Royal Palace Palace to erect the city of Angkor Thom, which was centered on the temple of Bayon and surrounded by a wall. It included the temple-mountain of Phimeanakas and surrounding pools together with residences and buildings for administering the capital, which were probably at the back of the enclosure. ![]() ![]() The French ascertained a general plan of the Royal Palace (see map opposite). This absence of archaeological evidence of the royal buildings suggests that they were constructed of wood and have perished. Although the foundations and an enclosing wall around the palace with entry towers have been identified, little evidence remains of the layout of the buildings inside the enclosure. The Royal Palace situated within the city of Angkor Thom is of an earlier date and belonged to kings of the tenth and first half of the tenth and first half of the eleventh centuries. Temples inside the walls of the city described in this article are Bayon, Phimeanakas, Baphuon, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Prah Palilay, Tep Pranam and Prasat Suor Prat. These structures were built of wood and have perished but the remaining stone monuments testify that Angkor Thom was indeed a "Great City" as its name implies. ![]()
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