North wall of the mantapa
North wall of the mantapa
The mantapa (covered hall) is in front of the central sanctuary tower of the Banteay Srei Temple located 16 miles northeast of Siem Reap, Cambodia. The image shows the north-facing facade of the mantapa guarded by two squatting dwarapalakas(guardians of the door) who have the human bodies and monkey faces. The dwarapalakas on the right side belong to the east-facing entrance of the north sanctuary tower.
The lintel above the door depicts Kaala (Time Monster), a deity associated with Shiva.
Note: Kaala means time in Sanskrit. Because Time devours everything eventually, Kaala is symbolized as a monster. According to Hindu mythology, Shiva controls the time cycles by creation, preservation, and destruction, which makes him the timekeeper of the universe. For this reason, Kaala is often associated with Shiva.
Related Pages
– Angkor Wat, Angkor Wat Bas-Reliefs, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei
– Phnom Kulen, Tonlé Sap, Cambodia
– Bali, Prambanan, Prambanan Bas-Reliefs, Borobudur, Indonesia
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