East facing facade of the north sanctuary tower
East-facing facade of the north sanctuary tower
The north sanctuary tower is situated inside the inner enclosure of the Bantaey Sei Temple, about 16 miles northeast of Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The image shows the east-facing facade of the north sanctuary tower, a squarish structure resting on a star-shaped platform. As you can see, this facade has a door in the middle, which opens into the inner sanctum. There are no openings on the other three sides of this facade, although they have false doors carved into the panels for decorative purposes. The design of this facade is symmetrical about the vertical axis centered at the middle of the door.
The approach to the door is through flight steps, guarded by two dwarapalakas (guardians of the door) squatting on the platform. Surrounding the door-frame are the decorative panels, exquisitely carved with an artwork of foliage and geometrical patterns. Also carved into two panels are the devatas (demi-goddesses) enclosed by beautifully carved artwork.
It has multi-level pediments and a lintel above the door. The bottom-most scene on the pediment most likely depicts Bhima killing Jarasandha – who was the king of Magadha- by splitting his body into two. The lintel shows Indra riding his vehicle three-headed elephant Airavata.
Structures of the Innermost Enclosure
– A View from the Northwest
– A View from the Southwest
– A View from the Northeast
Sanctuary Towers
– North Sanctuary Tower – North facing facade
– North Sanctuary Tower – West facing facade
– North Sanctuary Tower – East Facing Facade
– South Sanctuary Tower – East Facing Facade
– South Sanctuary Tower – South Facing Facade
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
– Hampi Virupaksha Temple Murals: Ashta Dikpalas (Guardians of the Eight Directions)
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