Baksei Chamkrong

Baksei Chamkrong
The temple mountain of Baksei Chamkrong
Location in Cambodia
Geography
Coordinates 13°25′31″N 103°51′29″E / 13.4253122°N 103.8581318°E / 13.4253122; 103.8581318Coordinates: 13°25′31″N 103°51′29″E / 13.4253122°N 103.8581318°E / 13.4253122; 103.8581318
Country Cambodia
Province Siem Reap
Locale Angkor
Elevation 13 m (43 ft)
Culture
Sanctum Shiva
Architecture
Architecture Khmer (Bakheng to Koh Ker style)
Number of temples 1 tower
History
Date built 968
Creator Harshavarman I, restored by Rajendravarman II

Baksei Chamkrong (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបក្សីចាំក្រុង) is a small Hindu temple located in the Angkor complex (Siem Reap, Cambodia). It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and used to hold a golden image of him. The temple can be seen on the left side when entering Angkor Thom at the southern gate. It was dedicated to Yasovarman by his son, King Harshavarman I.[1]:114[2]:70,75 The temple was completed by Rajendravarman II (944-968).[3]

Name

The name Baksei Chamkrong means "The Bird Who Shelters Under Its Wings" and comes from a legend. In it, the king tried to flee Angkor during a siege and then a huge bird landed and sheltered him under its wings.

Description

This temple is one of the first temples constructed of durable material such as bricks and laterite and with decoration in sandstone. A brick enclosure originally surrounded the pyramid with a stone gopura on the east side is now almost completely disappeared. Much of the stucco on the surface of the temple has vanished. The main sandstone lintel is decorated with a fine carving of Indra standing on his three-headed elephant Airavata. Garlands emanate from either side of Indra in the style current to the monument. There is an inscription on either side of the small doorway which detail the dedication and praises the early Khmer kings from Jayavarman II onward as well as earlier legendary kings, including the ancestor of the nation, the hermit Kambu.[4]

The pyramid measures 27 metres across at the base and 15 at the summit for an overall height of 13 metres. Four stairway reach the summit at the cardinal points. The brick sanctuary tower, eight meters square on a sandstone base open to the east with the usual blind doors on the other sides.

Indra on Airavata, with Ganesh riding his trunk on either side, at Baksei Chamkrong, Siem Reap, Cambodia

See also

References

  1. ↑ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella, ed. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
  2. ↑ Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN 9781842125847
  3. ↑ "The temple complex of Angkor Baksei Chamkrong". CambodianOnline.Net. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  4. ↑ Ancient Angkor guide book by Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques, p.72, published in 2003.


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