Somanathapura Keshava Temple

A Masterpiece of Hoysala Temple Art

Located 24 miles east of Mysore in Karnataka, India, the Keshava Temple in Somanthapura is a shining example of Hoysala architecture. Although not as famous or as big as the Belur – Halebidu temples, it is as stunningly beautiful and ornate. Built in 1258 CE, more than 100 years after the Belur – Halebidu temples, it is a testament to the continued patronage of arts, crafts, and temple building by the Hoysala rulers.

As the name suggests, the Somanathapura Keshava Temple is dedicated to Keshava, one of the numerous titles of Krishna, who is also the eighth avatar of Vishnu. An unusual feature of this temple is its three garbhagrihas (sanctum sanctorum). Standing inside each garbhagriha is a beautiful sculpture of Krishna, and towering above it is an ornate shikhara (conical-shaped tower) with a kalasa (inverted pot-like structure) at the top. Because of the three garbhagrihas, it is known as the trikuta temple. Note: With a single garbhagriha, the Belur Chennakeshava Temple is an ekakuta temple, and with two garbhagrihas, the Halebidu Hoysalesvara Temple is a dwikuta temple.

A bit of history

The history of the Somanathapura Temple and details of its construction is well documented in several Hoysala and Vijayanagara inscriptions. The area around the present-day Somanthapura, located on the banks of the Cauvery River, was under the Chola rule before the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana captured it in 1117 CE.

Inscription slab standing inside the Mahadwara (main door) of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Stele erected inside the Mahadwara (main door) pavilion

According to an inscription (see the stele in the image), Somanatha, a Dandanayaka (military leader) serving under King Narasimha III (1254 – 1291 CE), took the permission from him to build a temple and established an agrahara (see the note below) and named it Vidhyanidhi Prasanna Somanathapura (Treasure of knowledge, Auspicious Somanathapura) for this purpose. Somanatha also allotted grants for the maintenance of the temple.

Note: In ancient India, agrahara is an area allocated for religious purposes by the king or the nobility to provide housing for the people (typically Brahmins) who maintain the temple.

The temple was consecrated in 1258 CE. However, it is not clear when the building of the temple began and ended. It is believed that it took 68 years to complete.

During his expedition to the south in 1311 CE aimed at grabbing precious treasures from the temples and monuments, Malik Kafur – a general under Allaudin Khilji, the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate – plundered this temple and left it badly damaged. The temple then underwent significant renovations and modifications in the 15th century during the Vijayanagara period. Later in the 20th century, the erstwhile princely state of Mysore took a keen interest in this temple and renovated it further.

Unlike the Belur – Halebidu temples, it is not an active temple because of the damaged idols in the garbhagrihas. It is now maintained by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India).

Temple Complex

Mahadvara - Outer entrance to the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Mahadvara – Entrance to the temple complex

The entrance to the temple complex is through the Mahadvara (great door) located on the east side. As you can see from the image, Mahadvara has a doorway with a pavilion on each side. Extending these pavilions is the eastern wall of the prakara (a protective wall enclosing the temple). Erected inside the left pavilion is a stele inscribed with the dates and details of the construction of the temple.

Gallery on the west side of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Gallery on the west side of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple

The temple is surrounded by the galleries on the south, west, and north sides. Attached to the galleries are 64 mini shrines, which are empty because the invading armies of Malik Kafur destroyed the sculptures and looted the treasures underneath them.

Entrance

The Keshava Temple is on a star-shaped platform called Jagati, with only one entrance, which is on the east side. The approach to the doorway is through two flights of steps. The first flight of steps is from the floor to the platform, and flanking it are two mini shrines with missing idols. The second flight of steps is from the platform to the doorway.

The facade of the temple is not as ornate as Belur – Helebidu temples because most of the original facade was destroyed during the Malik Kafur attack. As you can see, the replaced elements of the facade are of different color from the rest.

The architecture of the temple is a harmonious blend of the southern Dravida and northern Nagara styles and is known as the Vesara style. The conical-shaped tower, known as shikhara (a.k.a vimana), above each garbhagriha follows the Nagara style design, and the front portion of the temple follows the classic Mantapa style design.

The temple is symmetrical about the east-west axis. In other words, the south-side layout is a mirror image of the north side (and vice-versa).

Exquisite interior

Just like the other Hoysala temples, the mantapa (covered hall) in front of the garbhagrihas conforms to the navaranga design. The navaranga is a 3×3 grid of nine rectangular sections. The middle section of the navaranga is known as the sabhamantapa (community hall). An ante-chamber, known as antarala, separates each garbhagriha from the navaranga. The porch in front of the navaranga is called the mukhamantapa.

Garbhagrihas

As mentioned earlier, the temple has garbhagrihas in three cardinal directions, i.e., south, west, and north. All three garbhagrihas are equal-sized chambers, each with a statue of Krishna in the middle and an ornate doorway in front. The relief on the lintel of each door depicts a mini version of the statue standing in the garbhagriha.

The south in the garbhagriha is dedicated to Venugopala, the west to Keshava, and north to Janardhana. All three are a form of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. The south and north garbhagrihas have the original statues, whereas the west garbhagriha has a replica of the original.

The statues in the south and north garbhagrihas are monolithic sculptures carved from Krishna Shilé (black stone), which is available in plenty in Karnataka.

South – VenuGopala

Venugopala - Sculpture of Krishna playing the flute standing inside the south garbhagriha of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Venugopala – Krishna playing the flute inside the south garbhagriha

Standing inside the south garbhagriha on the star-shaped platform is an exquisitely carved life-size statue of Venugopala, a form of Krishna portrayed as a divine flute player. Venu means flute and Gopala means one who protects of cows.

As you can see from the image, Venugopala is standing gracefully with his legs crossed. He has elegantly bent his well-proportioned body to allow him to raise his hands to position the flute (which is partly broken) perfectly at the mouth level.

Venugopala is elegantly dressed with a beautiful skirt-like dress and is wearing jewelry all over his body. He is wearing bracelets and arm rings on his hands, anklets on his legs, beautiful necklaces around his neck, and an udiyana (waist chain) around his waist. There is a looped thread, known as yajnopavita, hanging across the chest from the left shoulder to the waist. It is a symbol indicating the person wearing it has mastered Vedas and undergone the Upanayana ceremony and is worn by gods and deities.

Venugopala is standing on a star-shaped pedestal. Carved at the center is a relief depicting kneeling Garuda, who is Vishnu’s vehicle. Surrounding him are cows and gopikas (cow herding girls who are associates of Krishna) listening to his music.

West – Keshava

Keshava - Sculpture of Vishnu standing inside the west garbhagriha of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Keshava – Sculpture of Vishnu standing inside the west garbhagriha

Keshava is also another name for Krishna. Kesha means hair, and Keshava is the one who has long uncut hair.

The original statue went missing, most likely after the attack by Malik Kafur. The currently installed statue is a replica built by using the Keshava relief carved on the lintel of the doorway as a reference. As you can see, the quality of the craftsmanship of the statue is inferior compared to the sculptures on the other two garbhagrihas. It also appears to be smaller.

Keshava is a chaturbhuja (i.e., one who has four arms). He holds shanka (conch) and padma (lotus) with his right hands and holds chakra and gada (mace) with his left hands. These are the signature objects that are part of Vishnu’s iconography (Read under Vishnu with Standard Iconography for more info ).

North – Janardhana

Janardhana - Sculpture of Vishnu standing inside the north garbhagriha of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Janardhana – Sculpture of Vishnu standing inside the north garbhagriha

The image shows the sculpture depicting Janardhana, a manifestation of Krishna, standing inside the north garbhagriha.

Just like Venugopala and Keshava, Janardhana is also another name for Krishna. Jana means people and ardhana means to worship. Janardhana means the one who is worshiped by the people.

Just like Keshava, Janardhana is chaturbhuja (i.e., one with four arms) and is holding four standard emblems of Vishnu, shanka, padma, gadaa, and chakra. Notice that the order in which Janardhana is holding these objects is different from Keshava.

Like Keshava and Venugopala, Janardhana is wearing a beautiful skirt-like dress and jewelry all over his body. He is wearing bracelets and arm rings on his hands, anklets on his legs, finely carved necklaces and garlands of gems/flowers around his neck, an udiyana (waist chain) around his waist, and a looped thread, known as yajnopavita, hanging across the chest from the left shoulder to the waist.A finely carved crown adorns Janardhana’s head, which has a halo around it. Just like the other two statues, the Kirthimukha monster is at the top.

Notice his torso closely. It appears like the face of a cow (i.e., the nipples look like its eyes, and the belly button looks like its mouth). This is to indicate Janardhana is a gopala, i.e., protector of cows

As in the case most of the sculptures in this temple, there are two female figures at the bottom. Each is holding a lotus bud/ corn cob with on one hand, and a kalasa (pot) with the other.

Ceiling carved with mesmerizing patterns

The ceiling of the navaranga has 16 finely-carved rectangular sections, i.e., the navaranga has nine sectors, and the mukhamantapa (porch) has seven sections. The ceiling within each section – which is enclosed by beams placed on top of pillars – is a finely carved vault cut from a single stone.

The theme of the carvings is different phases of a blooming lotus bud. The lotus bud at is surrounded by a variety of geometrical patterns at different levels.

The images below show the lotus bud is at the center surrounded by several geometrical patterns carved at different levels of the conical shape. The pattern at the outer most level is an octagon.

A beautifully decorated ceiling of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Lotus bud surrounded by circular patterns

Magnificent exterior

Like many other Hoysala temples, the temple stands on a star-shaped stone platform, known as Jagati. The stone exterior wall surrounding the temple is ornate with a repertoire of stunningly beautiful artwork and sculptural reliefs.

A view from the southwest side of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Somanathapura Keshava Temple – Southwest Side View

A view from the west side of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Somanathapura Keshava Temple – Southwest Side View

Each garbhagriha is surrounded by a circular outer wall and above the outer wall is a conical-shaped tower with multiple levels of densely carved reliefs. As you can see from the image, the outer wall has three sections:

Base – Six bands of continuously carved friezes
Middle – Sculptural reliefs. It appears as though each sculpture is within a shrine.
Top – Decorative carvings just below the eaves. typically craved like the tower of a shrine

Attached to the outer wall are pillars with sculptural reliefs of gods and goddesses and other deities and do not appear to be carved in any particular order or following any story line.

Because this is a Vishnu temple, the majority of the reliefs are related to Vishnu, including the standard iconography of Vishnu depicting him with four hands, each with his signature objects and some of Vishnu’s ten avatars.

Vishnu with Standard Iconography

Vishnu carved on the outer wall of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Vishnu carved on the outer wall

Vishnu, one of the Trimurti , is the supreme god who preserves the order and maintains harmony in the universe. Vishnu is typically depicted as a man with four arms, each holding one of the following four objects:

Shanka : It is a conch shell named Panchajanya that emerged as a by-product during the Samudra Manthana. It was responsible for the creation of the panchabhootas (five elements), which are: water, fire, earth, and sky. When blown, it produces giant primeval sound.
Chakra: It is a disc-like weapon named Sudarshana (which means a good view). The disc has serrated edges. When fired, it spins and moves with a rapid force to destroy evil and then returns to Vishnu.
Gada: It is a mace named Kaumodaki and represents strength
Padma: It is a sacred lotus flower that represents beauty, purity, and evolution

The order in which Vishnu holds his objects vary. With four hands, there are a total of 24 combinations, and sometimes a combination indicates a particular form of Vishnu.

As you can see from the image, Vishnu is standing on a padma peeta (lotus pedestal) mounted on a base. Engraved into this base is an inscription, written in the Halegannada (Old Kannada) script, which reads as Mallithamma. It is the signature of Ruvari Mallithamma, the most prolific carver of sculptures in the Somanathapura Keshava Temple and many Hoysala temples built in his time.

Ashtabhuja Vishnu (Eight-Armed Vishnu)

Astabhuja (8-armed) Vishnu carved on the outer wall of south garbhagrihaof the Somanathapura Keshava Temple — Astabhuja (8-armed) Vishnu

As mentioned in the previous section, carvings of Vishnu with standard iconography depict him with four arms, but this relief has eight. Notice that two of them are missing.

Besides his signature objects, shanka (conch), and padma (lotus), Vishnu in this relief is holding a beautifully carved dhanush (bow) and a bāna (arrow) with his left and right hands, respectively. The two missing hands at the bottom likely carried his other signature objects, chakra and gadā.

Notice that Vishnu’s two hands in front do not carry any objects. They do, however, make specific gestures, known as mudras. In Hinduism and Buddhism, each mudra has a name and meaning and symbolizes the state of mind and intentions of the person making it.

As you can see from the image, the palm of one of Vishnu’s right hands is upright and faces outwards. This gesture is known as Abhaya Mudra, which symbolizes fearlessness and reassurance. The palm of one of his left hands faces upwards, with its fingers slightly pointing downwards. This gesture is known as Vara Mudra (a.k.a Varada Mudra), which symbolizes charity and compassion.

As with the other Vishnu sculptures, he is standing on a padma peeta (lotus pedestal) accompanied by two small female figures located at the bottom.

Check the other Ashtabhuja Vishnu sculptures:
– Ashtabhuja Vishnu in Angkor Wat, Cambodia
– Ashtabhuja Vishnu in Cave – 3 of rock-cut cave temples of Badami in Karnataka, India.

Majestic Maha Vishnu seated on Adishesha

Seated majestically on a cushion formed by Adishesha, a seven-headed mythical serpent, is Maha Vishnu, a form of Vishnu represented as a supreme being. This beautifully carved sculptural relief is mounted on the outer wall surrounding the south garbhagriha.

Maha Vishnu seated on Adisesha - A relief carved on the outer wall of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Maha Vishnu seated on Adisesha

As you can see, Adishesha has created a beautiful throne for Maha Vishnu by stacking up his soft coils to form its cushion and raising his seven-headed hood as its canopy.

It appears that Maha Vishnu is in a relaxed mood, indicated by his pleasant facial expression and informal way of sitting. As you can see, one of his left hands gently rests on the knee of his elevated left leg with its foot placed above the coils, while one of his right hands, which firmly rests on the coils, supports the weight of his body that is leaning slightly to his right.

Adishesha is known by many names, including Shesha, Sheshanaga, and Ananta. Hidden in these names are two interesting mathematical concepts, remainder and infinity. In Sanskrit, shesha means one that remains (i.e., remainder), and ananta means endless (i.e., infinity). In other words, Shesha will prevail even after the end of the universe, and Ananta will exist for eternity.

Check the similar images in other temples:
– Vishnu seated on Adishesha – A beautiful sculpture carved in the mukhamantapha (veranda) of Cave – 3 of rock-cut caves of Badami .
– Vishnu reclining on Adishesha – An intricately carved relief on the outer wall of the Belur Chennakeshava Temple

Lakshminarayana

The sculptural relief on the left depicts Lakshminarayana, a form of Vishnu presented with his consort Lakshmi, and is one of the most beautiful sculptures in the temple. As you can see, Vishnu (as Narayana) is seated leisurely on his throne with his consort Lakshmi on his lap. This relief is mounted on the outer wall of the north garbhagriha.

Lakshminarayana is a combination of two names, Lakshmi and Narayana. Narayana is another name of Vishnu, and it means one who dwells on the water. In Sanskrit, Nara means water and Ayana means dwelling. According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu lives on the cosmic ocean.

As you can see, three of Vishnu’s four arms are missing, and the remaining one holds a gadaa (mace). Lakshmi is holding a kalasha (pot) with her left hand and lotus (top part is broken) with her right hand. Her right leg is gently resting on a lotus cushion, and her other leg is resting on Vishnu’s lap with the half-padmasana pose. Lakshmi’s vehicle, an elephant, is standing next to the lotus cushion. Vishnu’s vehicle, Garuda, is kneeling with the folded hands (namaste gesture) at the left end. Notice that his head is missing.

As per the signature at the bottom of the Lakshminarayana sculpture, Mallithamma is the carver. His attention to detail is striking. For instance, the top part of the lotus cushion is carved with a slight bend to indicate that Lakshmi is resting her leg on it.

The relief on the right is also about Lakshminarayana. In this relief, Garuda, who has a human-like body with a bird-like face, carries a smaller version of Lakshminarayana with his left hand. As you can see, Garuda is dressed elegantly and wearing fine jewelry all over his body. Adorning his head is an intricately carved mukuta (crown).

Dashavatara – Ten Incarnations of Vishnu

According to Hindu mythology, whenever there is a crisis in the universe, Vishnu, the preserver, intervenes to restore order and maintain harmony by manifesting himself in different forms, sometimes human and sometimes anthropomorphic. These manifestations (or incarnations) of Vishnu are known as avatars. The Dashavataras are the ten standard avatars, according to ancient Indian texts, including the Puranas, although there is no complete agreement on the eight and ninth avatars.

The avatars of Vishnu are spread across all four yugas (epoch), which are, Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kalki. Here is the list of all ten avatars:

Matsyavatara – Anthropomorphic – Human body with the fish face. See the image on the left.
Kurmavatara – Anthropomorphic – Human body with the turtle fave. See the image on the right
Varahavatara – Anthropomorphic – Human body with the wild boar face. See the image on the left below
Narasimhavatara – Anthropomorphic – Human body with the lion face and claws. See the image on the right below
Vamanavatara – Human
Parashurama – Human
Rama – Human
Krishna – Human
Buddha Human
Kalki – Human – Kalki is riding a galloping white horse

The avatars of Vishnu are spread across all four yugas (epoch), which are, Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali. The first five avatars occurred during the Satya Yuga, the sixth and seventh during the Treta Yuga, and eight and ninth during the Dwapara Yuga. The last avatar hasn’t occurred yet. According to Hindu mythology, the Kalki avatar will appear at the end of Kali Yuga.

The outer wall around the south garbhagriha has the first four avatars of Vishnu shown.

Matsyavatara

Matsyavatara – The first avatar of Vishnu

In this avatar, Vishnu manifests himself into a half-fish half-human form to save humanity from the Maha Pralaya (Great Flood). According to the story, Vishnu appeared before King Satyavrata, also known as Manu, in a half-fish half-human form warning him of a Maha Pralaya that would occur for seven days and destroy all forms of life. To save them from from the deluge, he instructed Manu to build a boat to hold all kinds of life forms. Manu then built a gigantic boat and held pairs of living creatures and plants and seeds. When the deluge began, Vishnu appeared again in the half-fish half-human form to help Manu. Using Vasuki as the rope, he towed the boat safely to the mountains in the north, i.e., Himalayas.

The story of Noah and the great flood in the Bible is strikingly similar to the Matsyavatara story. Numerous cultures in the world also tell similar stories.

The iconography of Vishnu in Matsyavatara has two forms: 1. Upper half-human and lower half-fish 2. Fish face and the rest human-like. The iconography of the sculpture shown in the image follows the second form. It portrays him with the face of a fish and the body of an Ashtabhuja (eight-armed) Vishnu. Notice that three of his hands are missing. The two of his remaining hands hold lotus and chakra, his signature objects. The rest hold an akshamala (rosary) and a book. He is wearing an elegant dress and beautiful jewelry. He is adorned with a finely carved mukuta (crown) on his head with a halo behind it.

Kurmavatara

Kurmavatara -The second avatar of Vishnu

In this avatar, Vishnu assumes half-man half-turtle form during the Samudra Manthana (Churning of the Ocean of Milk), which was a collaborative effort by devas (demigods) and asuras (demons) to produce amrita, the nectar of immortality. Using the seven-headed snake called Vasuki as the rope and Mount Mandara as the churning rod, the devas and asuras tugged Vasuki to churn the ocean for thousands of years to produce amrita. Vishnu assumed the form of a turtle and went under Mount Mandara to enable churning.

The image depicts Vishnu with the face of a turtle. The rest of the body is human with four hands, two of which are holding chakra and shanka, his signature objects. The other two are holding an egg-like object known as Hiranyagarbha, or the cosmic golden womb. In Sanskrit, hiranya means golden, and garbha means womb. According to both the Rigveda and Yajurveda, Prajapathi, an deity who eventually became a form of Brahma, was born from this womb. However, they differ in what he created. The Rigveda says the Pajapathi created abstract entities like mana (mind), kama (desire), and tapas (austerity). As per the Yajurveda, he created the sky, earth, seasons, devas, asuras, etc.

Varahavatara and Narsimhavatara

Varahavatara and Narasimhavatara are related. Vishnu slays an evil asura named Hiranyaksha with Varahatara and then kills his brother Hiranyakashipu with Narasimhavatara.

Varahavatara – The third avatar of Vishnu

Narasimhavatara – The fourth avatar of Vishnu

Varahavatara is the third of the ten avatars of Vishnu. Varaha in Sanskrit means wild boar. In this avatar, he assumes the form of a wild boar and rescues Bhudevi (Mother Earth) from an evil demon named Hiranyaksha, who was tormenting her.

In Narasimhavatara, Vishnu has a man’s torso with a lion’s face and claws. Narasimha in Sanskrit mean lion-man. He adopted this body to kill an asura named Hiranyakashipu, who wanted to take revenge on Vishnu for killing his brother Hiranyaksha in his previous avatar, i.e., Varahavatara.

Other incarnations of Vishnu

Mohiniavatara – A female avatar of Vishnu

Danvantari - Sculptural relief carved on the outer wall of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple, Karnataka, India. — Danvantari

The incarnations in the two images emerged during the Samudra Manthana.

Dhanvantari is the god of medicine in Hindu mythology. According to the Bhagavad Purana, he is an incarnation of Vishnu, who emerged with a pot of amrita during the Samundra Manthana .

As you can see from the image, he is carrying a kalasha (pot) with his right hand and a bowl with medicines with his left hand. His two missing hands most-likely carried shanka and chakra.

Mohiniavatara is a female avatar of Vishnu and just like Dhanvantari, she also is a by-product of Samudra Manthana (Note: Moha means Infatuation or crush. Mohini means a seductress).

Once the churning produced amrita, asuras cleverly stole all of it. When Vishnu realized that asuras have amrita, he appeared as a young beautiful woman, a femme fatale, who enticed asuras and successfully grabbed amrita back from them and gave it to the devas.

Other gods, goddesses and deities

Brahma and Sarasvati

Brahma carved on the outer wall of Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Brahma, the creator

Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge and learning, carved on the outer wall of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge and learning

In Hindu mythology, Brahma is responsible for the creation and is one of the Trimurti (Hindu Trinity) and the other two being Vishnu and Shiva. He is typically shown with four heads, each facing a cardinal direction, and four hands.

This relief is carved on a pillar on the exterior wall surrounding the south garbagriha. As you can see from the image, Brahma has three heads (the assumption is that the fourth head [facing east] is not visible), and four hands, two on each side, and each carrying an object.

He is carrying a spoon (used for pouring ghee into the yagna pyre) and japamala (prayer beads) with his right hands, a kamandala (water jug) and a book (Vedas) with his left hands.

Although Brahma is the creator in Hindu mythology, he is not worshiped as widely as Vishnu or Shiva. There are very few temples dedicated to Brahma in the world. The Brahma Temple in Prambanan (in Yogyakarta, Indonesia) is one of the few temples dedicated to Brahma. The other well-known Brahma Temple is in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India.

Sarasvati is the goddess of knowledge and learning. Sarasvati means one that flows. During the Vedic times, she was the deity represented the Sarasvati River, an ancient river that used to flow in the northwest region (present-day Afganistan and Pakistan) but dried up 3000 years go. Later texts associated her with Brahma and made her his consort.

The relief shown in the image is not the usual representation of Sarasvati. Her standard iconography shows her playing the veena, a sitar-like musical instrument. She is typically shown with two hands and occasionally four, and in this relief, however, she has eight hands (three of which are missing). Instead of the veena, she is holding a talegari (book made of palm leaves) with two of her hands. The talegari indicates that she is the goddess of knowledge and learning.

It appears from Sarasvati’s stance that she is dancing with a traditional Indian dance move. Accompanying her are the two musicians at the bottom (one of them is missing).

Indra and Surya

Indra and Indrani riding Airavata - A relief carved on the outer wall of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Indra and Indrani riding Airavata

Surya, the sun god, carved on the outer wall of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple in Karnataka, India — Surya, the Sun God

The image on the left shows a beautifully carved sculptural relief depicting Indra, the king of Swarga and devas (demigods), seated majestically on his vehicle Airavata, a white elephant, with his wife Indrani (also known as Sachi) seated behind him.

This sculpture is mounted on the outer wall surrounding the southern garbhagriha As you can see from the image, Indra is wielding his signature weapon Vajrayuda (Thunderbolt) with his right hand and holding a lotus bud with his left hand.

The sculptural relief shown on the right depicts Surya, i.e., the Sun, as a god. As you can see from the image, Surya is holding a lotus flower with his right hand. Although the top part is missing, the object in his left hand is also a lotus flower. The lotus flowers are part of the standard iconography of Surya and were used to identify this sculpture. At the bottom of this sculpture are his consorts Saranyu and Chhaya, who are twin sisters.

Check these pages for other Surya sculptures.

Statue of Surya in the Nandi Temple belonging to the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Surya bas-relief carved into the ceiling of the Virupaksha Temple in Pattadakal, Karnataka, India
Statue of Surya in the shrine behind the Nandi Mantapa situated inside the Hoysaleswara Temple complex at Halebidu in Karnataka, India

Angkor Thom

Located a mile north of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom is a city founded in the late 12th century by the famed Khmer King Jayavarman VII on the western banks of the Siem Reap River. It served as the Khmer capital until the 17th century. The city now contains the ruins of several temples within its limits, some of them already existed when the city was founded and some of them were built by Jayavarman VII and his successors. The most significant among them is Bayon, which was commissioned by Jayavarman VII as the state temple.

The city of Angkor Thom has four gates, one each on the cardinal direction. The ruins of the south gate are one of the most photographed structures in Siem Reap and visited by most tourists.

South Gate

The south gate is on the banks of Siem Reap River, which flows into the Tonle Sap Lake. The pathway leading to the gate is on a bridge over this river. Lined on the left side of the pathway are the statues of devas (demigods) and on the right side are the statues of asuras (demons). Both devas and asuras are sitting on the body of a naga (serpent).

Statues of asuras (demons) on the pathway to the south gate of Angkor Thom in Siem Reap, Cambodia — Statues of asuras (demons) on the pathway to the south gate of Angkor Thom

A statue of a deva on the pathway to the south gate of Angkor Thom in Siem Reap, Cambodia — A statue of a deva on the pathway to the south gate of Angkor Thom

The upper part of the gate has four towers, each of which is carved with a statue of the head pointing to a cardinal direction. Standing on the lower part on both sides of the doorway are the sculptures of Indra’s vehicle Airavata, which is a three-headed elephant. Above Airavata are the damaged and weathered statues of Indra and Devas.

Angkor Thom South Gate

Angkor Thom south gate – Indra seated on a three-headed elephant

Angkor Wat

Dedicated originally to Vishnu, the magnificent temple complex of Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument built anywhere in the world. Considered an architectural marvel, the temple is an imposing sight with a majestic facade and five tall towers that can be seen from a distance. The symmetry and precision with which the temple complex was built are striking. Because of the symmetry, all the five towers on the top can only be seen at a certain angle.Built like a mountain having three concentric enclosures with inner enclosures higher than the outer ones, Angkor Wat is filled with repetitive and recursive structures that are pleasing to the eye. These structures include pillars, roofs, galleries, doorways with lintels and pediments, and gopuras (towers). In-spite of Angkor Wat’s grand scale, it gives an impression of a harmonious architecture because of its open spaces, the proportionality of the architectural elements and seamless blending with the surroundings.

Angkor Wat – An Architectural Marvel

Dedicated originally to Vishnu, the magnificent temple at Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. Considered an architectural marvel, it is an awe-inspiring sight with a majestic facade and five tall and imposing towers, which are visible from a great distance. The symmetry and precision with which the temple was built are striking. Because of the perfect symmetry, all the towers are only visible at a certain angle.

Built like a mountain consisting of three concentric enclosures with inner enclosures higher than the outer ones, Angkor Wat is filled with repetitive and recursive structures that are pleasing to the eye. These structures include pillars, roofs, galleries, doorways with lintels and pediments, and gopuras (towers). Despite Angkor Wat’s grand scale, it gives an impression of harmonious architecture because of its open spaces, the proportionality of the architectural elements and seamless blending with the surroundings.

Unlike many other famous monuments, it was never really abandoned and was in use continuously since its inception. Although it was built as a Hindu temple with cultural and religious influences from India, the architecture and building techniques were unique to Cambodia. There are no Hindu or Buddhist monuments in the Indian subcontinent that are as massive as Angkor Wat. The temple was built with local ingenuity and talent that existed for many centuries, even before the Khmer rulers came to power.

The people of Cambodia are very proud of their heritage, and it is evident from the fact that the Cambodian flag carries the image of Angkor Wat. During the civil war in the 70s and 80s, monuments did not suffer any damage as the rival sides were very protective of their heritage.

Archaeological site

Angkor Wat is a part of the larger Angkor Archaeological Park, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The preservation and restoration of Angkor Wat started in 1908 by the French and is now being undertaken by the Government of Cambodia with the help of many countries, including Japan, France, and India.

The erosion of the bas-reliefs, especially on the pediments of the doors, is significant compared to Banteay Srei, which was built 200 years before Angkor Wat. The main reason for this erosion is the quality and type of sandstone used.

History

Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century at the height of Khmer civilization. The temple was originally dedicated to Vishnu, one of the Trimurti (Trinity) of Hinduism. Even though the predecessors of Suryavarman II were devotees of Shiva, he became a devotee of Vishnu for an unknown reason. The temple became a Buddhist monument later and underwent some changes.

By any stretch of imagination, building a monument of this magnitude is a massive undertaking. It is amazing how the structure as enormous as Angkor Wat was completed in 36 years. It uses more stone blocks than the Giza Pyramid. Almost every part of the building is decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures. According to an inscription, it took 300,000 workers and 6000 elephants to complete the job. The sandstone slabs needed to build the temple were quarried from the Phnom Kulen mountains and transported to the site using elephants.

Purpose

There is a lot of debate among experts as to why this massive monument was built. Some claim that it was built as a mausoleum for Suryavarman II, the Khmer king who commissioned this monument. Some believe his body was buried under the central tower of the temple.

The Khmer people practiced their religion by mixing their ancestral belief system with Hindu traditions and philosophy. The Khmer rulers started their own brand of Hinduism known as the Devaraja cult. According to this belief system, the king is a devaraja (god-king in Sanskrit) who is divine and allowed to rule with divine authority.

Although Angkor Wat was built as a Hindu temple, it broke many traditions of the Hindu temple architecture. The main one is its orientation. Whether it is in India or Southeast Asia, almost all the Hindu temples are built facing east, a direction considered sacred because the sun, a source of energy and light, rises in that direction. In contrast, the Angkor Wat Temple faces west, the sunset direction. This is one of the reasons why the experts believe Angkor Wat is more of a mausoleum than a temple.

Angkor Wat, the heavenly city of Vishnu

The original name of Angkor Wat was Vrah Vishnuloka, which in Sanskrit means the sacred abode of Vishnu. The name Angkor Wat became prevalent once the Khmer rulers started following Buddhism.

The name Angkor Wat means temple city in the Khmer language. The world angkor was derived from nakor, which was borrowed from the Sanskrit word nagara, which means city. Wat in Khmer means the temple. It is again derived from the Sanskrit word vata, which means enclosure.

As the name suggests, Angkor Wat is a city with a temple complex. It covers an area of 200 hectares with many rectangular shaped concentric enclosures.

Moat

A large moat surrounds the city. As you can see from the image, the moat is still filled with water and has steps to access it. It is about 650 ft wide and 4 ft deep and encompasses the entire temple perimeter of 3 miles.

The moat served an important purpose from the architectural standpoint. It helped to stabilize the massive Angkor Wat structures by keeping the groundwater at a steady level, i.e., it acts as a reservoir that does not let the groundwater go down too low or high. This is one of the reasons why the Angkor Wat structures are almost intact even after 1000 years.

The next inner enclosure is the actual city that housed many royal buildings, none of which have survived. Experts believe the king and the nobility lived in these buildings.

Causeway

On the west side of Angkor Wat, there is a causeway that begins at the outer bank of the moat and ends at the temple complex. There is a similar causeway on the eastern side, but a shorter one. Both the causeways are built on top of the moat.

The image shows the statue of multi-headed Sheshanaga (king of serpents) at the beginning of the causeway.

Outer enclosure

The causeway over the moat leads to the main entrance of the outer enclosure of the temple. The entrance structure has three gopuras, the middle one being the taller than the other two and the entry point.

Moat and the causeway at the entrance to the outer enclosure of the Angkor Wat complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia — Entrance to the outer enclosure

Entrance to the outer enclosure of the Angkor Wat Temple

Statue of Vishnu inside a gopura of the outer enclosure entrance

The southern gopura of this structure shelters a statue of Vishnu, which according to some experts stood inside the principal sanctuary, i.e., the uppermost terrace of the temple.

The standard iconography of Vishnu shows him with four arms, but this sculpture has four additional arms. Vishnu with 8-arms is known as Ashtabhuja Vishnu (8-armed Vishnu).

Check the following pages for the other Ashtabhuja Vishnu depictions.

Ashtabhuja (8-armed) Vishnu – Sculptural relief mounted on the outer wall of the Somanathapura Keshava Temple near Mysore in Karnataka, India
Ashtabhuja (8-armed) Vishnu – Sculptural relief carved into the left side wall of Cave -3 in Badami in Karnataka, India

A spectacular view of the entrance from the top level

A view of the outer entrance from the top-most level of Angkor Wat Temple

The image shows the space between the outer entrance and the temple complex. At the far end, the image shows part of the gallery consisting of three gopuras at the perimeter of the outer enclosure. The middle gopura is taller than the other two and is the entrance.

At the near end, the image shows the pediment of the door located on the lower level gallery. The bas-relief on the pediment depicts a scene from the Battle of Kurukshetra, an episode from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

A causeway connects the outer entrance to the main entrance of the temple. The two similar looking library structures are situated on either side of the causeway.

The image shows one of the library structures seen in the above image.

Reflective ponds

North side pond on the outer enclosure of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia — North-side pond on the outer enclosure

The outer enclosure has two ponds, one on the south and another on the north. These ponds were not part of the original monument but were built sometime in the 16th century. The north side pond is where the tourists gather in the morning to view Angkor Wat at sunrise. If the weather is right, the sunrise offers a spectacular view of the temple with its reflection on the pond.

Magnificent temple complex built with symmetry and precision

The diagram shows the ground plan of the Angkor Wat Temple. Note: It is not drawn to scale.

The Angkor Wat Temple is oriented along the east-west axis, and as mentioned before, it is facing west, i.e., the main entrance is on the west side. The layout of the structures is symmetrical about the east-west axis. In other words, the structures on the north and south of this axis are the mirror images.

The temple complex consists of three rectangular-shaped concentric enclosures. Within these enclosures, there are three levels of structures. The middle enclosure on the first level supports the second level structures, and the inner enclosure supports the second and third level structures. In other words, the temple complex was built like a three-level pyramid.

Following the Hindu temple tradition of having a prakara at the outer limits, a rectangular structure surrounds the outer enclosure. This structure has galleries along the cardinal directions with small towers called pavilions built at the four corners. In the middle of the west and east galleries are the entrances. Carved into the walls of the galleries are the bas-reliefs depicting stories and scenes mainly from the Hindu epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. Check the Angkor Wat Bas-Reliefs page for a detailed descriptions of these bas-reliefs.

A courtyard separates the outer and middle enclosures. On this courtyard, there are two libraries near the west entrance; one on the north and another on the south. A structure known as the Cruciform Cloister connects the west entrance to the middle enclosure. This structure also connects the first level to the second level.

The second and third level also have galleries at the boundaries. At each corner of the second level, there is a small tower connecting the galleries on both sides.

At each corner of the third level, there is a large tower connecting the galleries on both sides. At the middle of the third level is a tall tower which can be seen from all sides. There are four rectangular basins between the middle tower and the four corner towers.

Entrance to the temple complex

Entrance to the Angkor Wat temple — Entrance to the Angkor Wat Temple

Galleries

The rectangular gallery structures built on the periphery of the outer enclosure form the prakara of the temple. Note: A prakara in Hindu temple architecture is a protective wall or structure built around the outer perimeter of the temple.

There are four galleries, one in each cardinal direction. At each corner of the gallery-structure is a tower-like structure called pavilion. The image shows a view of the temple from the southwest corner showing the of the west and south galleries and the pavilion where they meet.

The images below show the corridors of the galleries whose inner walls are carved with bas-reliefs depicting various themes from Hindu mythology. The roof is beautifully decorated with rosettes of lotus flowers. Supporting the outer side of the gallery are the square pillars.

East gallery corridor on the lower level of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia — East gallery corridor on the lower level of Angkor Wat

Pillars on a corridor of the gallery structure on the lower level of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia — East gallery corridor on the lower level of Angkor Wat

Exquisite bas-reliefs

Intricately carved bas-reliefs adorning the gallery walls are one of the main attractions of this temple. The bas-reliefs are divided into eight sections with each gallery having two sections, each of which was carved continuously in the horizontal direction depicting multiple scenes of a theme. Some panels have two or three tiers in the vertical direction. Some part of the bas-reliefs have polished appearance and some still have traces of original paint, especially red.

Check Angkor Wat Bas-Reliefs for a detailed description of bas-reliefs on the lower-level galleries.

Libraries – Mysterious structures

Many Khmer temples, including the stunningly beautiful Banteay Srei, have libraries near the entrance. Built like mini shrines, the libraries are the unique elements of the Khmer temple architecture. Although their exact purpose is still a mystery, the likely intention was to use them as repositories of manuscripts.

It is worth noting that there is no concept of libraries in the Hindu temples in India. The Hindu religious texts, which include two epics and 18 Puranas, are large and numerous. The manuscripts of these texts were likely brought from India and were considered precious and sacred. The libraries were likely built to preserve them in a safe place and were designed like shrines to allow people to worship them. However, there is no evidence that the libraries were ever used as repositories of manuscripts.

South library situated on the courtyard of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia — Library in the courtyard

The south library building on the courtyard of the Angkor Wat Temple — Library in the courtyard

The temple complex has two identical libraries, one in the south and the other in the north, located at the same distance from the east-west axis. They are near the west side entrance and south and north of the cruciform cloister.

The image on the right shows the library on the south side. The image on the left shows courtyard of the lower terrace, library, and gallery on the south side of the temple. To the north of the library is a structure called the cruciform cloister, a term used by architects to describe these types of structures.

Cruciform Cloister – An excellent example of symmetrical design

A Cruciform Cloister basin — A cruciform cloister basin

The term cruciform cloister is used in architecture to describe a cross-like covered structure. The underlying design-principle was used in the Angkor Wat architecture in two locations, one in the lower level and another in the top-most level. The cruciform cloister on the lower level is situated near the entrance on the west side, and it was built to connect the outer enclosure to the middle enclosure of the temple.

The cruciform cloister structure has two perpendicular axial galleries that intersect in the middle to form a cross and four boundary galleries that surround the cross to form a square. The shape of the structure thus looks like a cross surrounded by a square.

Each axial gallery connects to a boundary gallery in the middle. Thus, the resulting structure has four equal-sized quadrants, each of which is enclosed by half of the boundary and half of the axial galleries. As you can see from the image, each quadrant looks like a basin.

The cruciform cloister structure described above is an example of a perfectly symmetrical design. It is symmetrical about the east-west axis as well as the north-south axis.

As you can see from the image, the floor of the basin is paved and has steps to reach it. The construction appears water-tight. So, in all likelihood, it was a temple-tank (kunda or phuskarini), a common feature in Hindu temples. Experts believe that all four basins were filled with water when the temple was in use.

A part of the central gallery on the lower level Crucifrom Cloister — A part of the central gallery on the lower level cruciform cloister

The gallery on the right side (i.e., south side ) of the cruciform cloister is also called Preah Poan (thousand Buddhas) because of thousands of Buddha statues left inside this structure by pilgrims, most of whom came from the neighboring regions and Japan. They erected Buddha statues made of metal, stone, and wood as votive offerings. While the majority of them are lost, some can still be found here, and some are in the storage.

The gallery on the left side is called the Hall of Echoes. Here you hear the echoes of the sound you make at the end of the gallery. This is a common feature in many temples and monuments in India.

The image shows the axial gallery along the east-west direction. As you can see, it has steps at the end leading to the middle terrace.

Middle terrace

The middle terrace also has galleries at the perimeter of the rectangular enclosure. Galleries are connected to relatively small gopuras at the end. As you can see from the image on the left, a well-paved corridor is between the uppermost terrace enclosure and the middle terrace galleries. The gallery on the left side of the image ends into a small corner gopura (tower). To the right of the corner gopura is a door to the gallery. The top-level structures are on the right.

The doorways of the galleries and gopuras are beautifully decorated, and always have pediments typically carved with scenes from the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The image on the right shows a doorway to the middle-level gallery. The lintel (which is just above the door) depicts Indra wielding his weapon Vajrayuda with his right hand while riding his vahana (vehicle) Airavata, a three-headed elephant.

The bas-relief on the pediment (which is above the lintel) depicts a scene based on an episode from Ramayana in which Vali, the Monkey King of Kishkindha, lay dying while his courtiers are mourning and the gods above are watching.

Death of Vali – A poignant episode from Ramayana

According to the story, Sugriva, who is Vali’s younger brother, secretly desires Vali’s throne. When Rama approaches Sugriva seeking his help to find his kidnapped wife Sita, Sugriva sees an opportunity to fulfill his desire. As a condition to look for Rama’s wife, Sugriva asks Rama to help topple Vali. Rama agrees to this condition and forms an alliance with Sugriva. Rama and Sugriva devise a plan to defeat Vali. According to this plan, Sugriva invites Vali for a duel, and during the fight, Rama, who is waiting on the sidelines, kills Vali with an arrow.

The Banteay Srei Temple has a beautifully carved bas-relief that illustrates the Vali-Sugriva fight.

Enchanting apsaras

The middle level of the Angkor Wat is less ornate than the lower level. However, the walls and pillars of the galleries are carved with beautiful bas-reliefs of apsaras and devatas. The images show two such reliefs.

Apsaras in the middle terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia — Apsaras in the middle terrace

Apsaras carved on the middle level gallery of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia — Apsaras in the middle terrace

The images show apsaras carved in the middle level. As you can see, they are standing gracefully, each with different postures. They are wearing elegant skirts and beautiful jewelry, including necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and anklets. The dangling earrings reach up to their shoulders, and they look like the flowers of the Kror Sang tree. On their head are the intricately carved three-tipped headdresses (except one on the image on the right). The jewelry and costumes in the carvings showcase the richness of the Khmer culture and reflective of how people used to live in the Khmer era.

Note: There is no equivalent English translation for the Sanskrit word apsara. The closest translation is celestial maiden or nymph. In Indian mythology, apsaras are youthful eternal beauties. According to one myth, they are accomplices of gandharvas, who are celestial musicians. Through their singing and dancing, apsaras entertain the gods. Apsaras are one of the by-products of the Samudra Manthana, which was a collaborative effort by devas (demigods) and asuras (demons) to produce amrita, the nectar of immortality. The victorious devas took them to the court of their king, Indra (i.e., heaven). For more details on the Samudra Manthana, check: Angkor Wat Bas-Reliefs.

Inspired by the beauty and elegance of the apsara carvings in the Khmer temples, especially in the Angkor Wat, apsaras make up a significant part of cultural dances (ballets) in Cambodia. They wear similar types of jewelry and costumes, including the majestic headdress’, that appear in the bas-reliefs.

Uppermost terrace

Known as the Bakan, the uppermost terrace is the principal sanctuary of the temple. The access to the Bakan was restricted to the king and high priests. The Bakan symbolizes Mount Meru, which in Hindu mythology is a mythological mountain with five peaks at the center of the Universe and is home to gods and demigods (devas). Mount Meru also appears in Buddhist and Jain texts.

Bakan structure

The uppermost terrace has four equally-sized towers rising from the corners and a taller and bigger tower in the middle. In architectural terms, this forms a quincunx, a geometrical pattern formed by five elements, four of which are placed at the corners and one placed at the center of a square. All the towers have the same conical shape, which symbolizes the bud of a lotus flower sacred in India and Southeast Asia.

From a distance, the towers of Angkor Wat appear similar in shape to the towers of the temples in Prambanan, which were built a few centuries earlier on the island of Java. This goes to show that the Khmer architecture was influenced by the architectures of temples in the neighboring regions rather than India.

Corner towers

The four corner towers are identical in shape and size. Each has two access doorways with steps from the middle terrace corridor. The images below show the views of the corner towers as seen from the middle terrace corridor.

The southeast corner tower on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia — The southeast corner tower on the uppermost terrace

Southwest corner tower on the top level of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia — The southeast corner tower on the uppermost terrace

Corner towers of Angkor Wat

The image shows the door of one of the corner towers on the uppermost terrace. The door frame is beautifully decorated. The pediment shows a scene from the Battle of Kurukshetra.

Cruciform Cloister

A basin on the uppermost terrace on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

At the boundaries of the Bakan are the four galleries, each connecting to a corner tower at both ends. An axial gallery in each cardinal direction perpendicular to the boundary gallery connects that boundary gallery to the central tower. The four boundary galleries and four axial galleries form a cruciform cloister structure, just like the one in the lower level.

The image shows a boundary gallery connected the axial gallery and one of four basins formed by this arrangement.

Entrances to the Bakan

An outer view of an entrance to the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia — An outer view of an entrance to the uppermost terrace

Steps to an entrance to the uppermost terrace (Bakan) of Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia — An outer view of an entrance to the uppermost terrace

At the middle of each boundary gallery on the outer side is a porch that was used as an entrance. When the temple was built, the Bakan had all the four entrances open. Once the temple became a Buddhist monument, three of the entrances were closed and statues of Buddha were installed on the vestibule.

The image on the left shows the outer view of one of the porches of the entrance as seen from the uppermost terrace itself. On the left, it shows a section of the outer wall of the north gallery ending into an entrance. Also seen on the right are the middle terrace corridor and the north library on the lower level courtyard.

The image on the right is a view from the middle corridor of the steps to the same entrance shown in the above image. As you can see, the steps to enter the Bakan from the middle terrace are steep.

Galleries

Surrounding the uppermost terrace are the galleries. The image on the left shows an inside view of the gallery. Although not as ornate as the middle terrace, some of the walls and pillars have carvings of apsaras .

The left image shows a pillar with intricate and detailed carving of two smiling apsaras with perfect anatomy standing elegantly with the flowers in their hands. As you can see, they are wearing exquisite jewelry on their necks, hands, legs, ears, and around the waists. The dangling earrings reach up to their shoulders, and they look like the flowers of the Kror Sang tree. Adorning their heads are intricately carved three-tipped mukutas (headdresses). Both the apsaras are wearing different but elegant dresses decorated with beautiful flowery patterns.

Apsaras carved on a pillar in the uppermost terrace (Bakan) of the Angkor Wat Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia — Apsaras carved on a pillar in the Bakan

Gallery on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia — Apsaras carved on a pillar in the Bakan

Buddha statues

The Bakan has many Buddha statues, which were installed after the Angkor Wat temple was converted to a Buddhist monument.

A statue of sleeping Buddha on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia — A statue of sleeping Buddha on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple

A statue of Buddha on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reao, Cambodia — A statue of sleeping Buddha on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat Temple

The rightmost image shows the Buddha statue seated on a seven-headed serpent (naga) placed on the eastern gallery. Buddha is in a mediating state indicated by his hand gesture (mudra). This statue is an interesting combination of Hinduism and Buddhism. The seven-headed serpent on whom Buddha is seated is the king of nagas known as Seshanaga (a.k.a Adishesha) whom Vishnu often uses as a bed. The sculpture confirms the belief that Buddha is one of the avatars (manifestations) of Vishnu.

Central tower

Center tower on the uppermost terrace of the Angkor Wat temple

The image shows a view of the central tower as seen from the uppermost terrace (i.e., Bakan). This imposing structure is exactly in the middle of the uppermost terrace. The height of the tower is 700 feet from the ground.

Experts believe that King Suryavarman II was buried under this tower. However, excavations under this tower and elsewhere have not discovered a body or significant funerary objects, except for a rectangular stone object, possibly a part of the sarcophagus, and some objects that might have helped a body to be placed in a fetal position. If the grave existed, it was most likely plundered or moved to another location when the temple was converted into a Buddhist monument.

– Angkor Wat Bas-Reliefs, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei
– Phnom Kulen, Tonlé Sap, Cambodia
– Bali, Prambanan, Prambanan Bas-Reliefs, Borobudur, Indonesia

Banteay Srei Temple

Known for its exceptional beauty, intricate carvings, and fine workmanship, Banteay Srei is a gem among hundreds of temples that dot the Cambodian landscape. Located 16 miles northeast of Siem Reap, it is relatively a small temple complex containing multiple single-story structures. Unlike many other temples in Cambodia, it is not built like a temple-mountain.Dedicated to Shiva, the Banteay Srei Temple has some of the stunningly beautiful bas-reliefs that depict gods, demigods and scenarios based on the episodes from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. The bas-reliefs, most of which adorn the pediments, are deeply cut and finely carved. Even after 1000 years, most of the sculptures and bas-reliefs have retained their original sharpness.

A Masterpiece of Khmer Temple Art

Known for its exceptional beauty, intricate carvings, and fine workmanship, Banteay Srei is a gem among hundreds of temples that dot the Cambodian landscape. It is a smaller temple complex containing multiple single-story structures. Unlike many other temples in Cambodia, it is not built like a temple-mountain.

The Banteay Srei Temple has some stunningly beautiful bas-reliefs that depict gods, demigods, and scenes based on the episodes narrated in the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. The bas-reliefs are deeply cut and finely carved. Even after 1000 years, the carvings have retained their original sharpness.

Unlike most of the other Cambodian temples, Banteay Srei was built predominantly using red sandstone. Because of the color and texture of the sandstone, its carvings appear pleasant and colorful.

Banteay Srei is about 16 miles northeast of Siem Reap and is on the way to the Phnom Kulen mountain range. Many tourists who visit Angkor Wat often miss Banteay Srei because it is not in the Siem Reap region, home to many well-known Hindu/Buddhist temples. You can accomplish the Phnom Kulen and Banteay Srei visits in a single-day trip.

A Bit of History

Banteay Srei is unique in that it is commissioned not by a king (like many other famous temples in the region) but by the courtiers of a king. Yagnavaraha and Vishnukumara were the courtiers who built this temple on the land granted to them by King Rajendravarman. According to an inscription, Yagnavaraha is the grandson of King Harshavarman and the teacher of the future king Jayavarman V. He was known to be a great scholar, philosopher, and philanthropist who fought for justice.

The building of this temple started in 967 CE. The name Banteay Srei is recent, which in Khmer means Citadel of Women or Citadel of Beauty. The name could be referring to the beautiful carvings of women (apsaras and devatas) on the bas-reliefs.

The original name of Banteay Srei was Tribhuvanamaheshwara, which refers to Shiva as the Lord of the Earth, Heaven, and Hell. Note: In Sanskrit, Tribhuvana means three worlds or realms consisting of earth, heaven and hell, and Maheshwara means great god.

The town surrounding the temple used to be known as Isvarapura, which in Sanskrit means Isvara’s town. Isvara is another name for Shiva. After the temple was built, Isvarapura became a town having residents supporting the temple.

Temple Complex

A view of the Banteay Srei temple from the outer enclosure — A view of the Banteay Srei Temple from the outer enclosure

As mentioned, the Banteay Srei Temple was surrounded by a town. The entrance to the temple is through the town gopura (gate), located on the east side. The town gate opens into a long causeway, which leads to the main entrance to the temple.

The Banteay Srei Temple complex has three rectangular concentric enclosures built on the east-west axis. The main temple structures are in the innermost enclosure. The innermost and the middle enclosures are close to each other and are surrounded by brick walls. Separating the outer and middle enclosures is a moat.

The entrance to the temple complex is on the east side and is through a gopura built with an ornate door an exquisitely carved pediment above it. The door opens into the causeway, which leads to the eastern entrance to the outer enclosure.

Gate and Causeway

Entrance to the Banteay Srei Temple complex located near Siem Reap, Cambodia — Entrance to the temple complex

Indra riding Airavata carved on the pediment of the gopura located at the entrance of Banteay Srei — Entrance to the temple complex

The gate at the eastern entrance to the temple

Causeway from the entrance to the middle enclosure of the Banteay Srei temple — Causeway from the entrance to the middle enclosure

The gopura (gate) is mostly made of red sandstone. The door frame and the pediment are beautifully carved. The bas-relief on the pediment depicts Indra riding his vehicle three-headed elephant called Airavata. At each end of the pediment is Makara, a mythical sea creature, spewing multi-headed naga, a mythical serpent.

According to an inscription, this gate used to be the entrance to Isvarapura. It is believed that a wooden wall existed surrounding Isvarapura.

The causeway that leads to the outer enclosure is about 67 meters long. There are 32 boundary marking stones lined along the path.

Outer Enclosure

The outer enclosure measures 110 x 95 sq m, and a laterite wall encloses it. The original construction had the gopuras in the middle of the east and west walls. Only the west gopura exists now, and part of the east gopura is lying on the ground where the original gopura once stood.

The image on the left shows this structure. It is the east-facing pediment of this gopura, and the west-facing pediment is on display at a museum in France.

As you can see from the image, the bas-relief on this pediment depicts Ravana abducting Sita, a well-known episode in Ramayana in which Ravana, a rakshasa and the King of Lanka, kidnaps Sita, Rama’s wife.

Gopura on the west side of the outer enclosure of the Banteay Srei temple. — Gopura on the west side of the outer enclosure

The image shows the west gopura with an ornate pediment. The beautifully carved bas-relief on the pediment depicts Shiva and his consort Parvati (a.k.a Uma) seated on his vehicle Nandi, the bull.

Under Nandi is Kaala, the time demon often associated with Shiva, who, according to Hindu mythology, is the timekeeper of the universe and controls the time cycles by creation, preservation, and destruction.

Surrounding the bas-relief is the decorative carving of Makara, a mythical sea creature, disgorging yakshas from its heads on the left and right ends.

Note: Yakshas in Hindu mythology are the demigods who protect natural treasures, such as water and forests.

Middle Enclosure

The middle enclosure measures 38 x 42 sq m and has gopuras on the east and west sides connected by a brick wall, some portions of which have collapsed. The causeway mentioned before leads to this enclosure, and the moat filled with water on either side of this causeway surrounds this enclosure.

The gopuras on the middle enclosure are ornate with exquisitely carved artwork of creative patterns and narrative bas-reliefs.

East Gopura

The image shows the east-facing view of the eastern wall with a gopura in the middle. As you can see, it is an elaborate structure with three doorways and extending it on either side is the brick wall that surrounds this enclosure.

Gopura on the east side of the middle enclosure of the Banteay Srei temple — Gopura on the east side

The approach to the middle enclosure is through a causeway, i.e., the mud path in front of the gopura. A small part of the moat can be seen in the image on either side of this causeway. A narrow terrace surrounds the wall on its outer side, separating the moat and the wall.

Just like the other gopuras in the temple, the east gopura has two facades: east facing and west facing. The façade shown in the image is the former. The middle door of this gopura is flanked on either side by a false window and a door. The two identical structures visible behind the gopura are the libraries situated inside the inner enclosure. The structures within the middle and inner enclosures harmoniously blend with the surroundings.

The image shows the pediment above the middle door. In the center of this highly ornate pediment is a triangular area with a beautifully carved bas-relief depicting Kaala, a time monster associated with Shiva as he is the timekeeper of the universe, and an unidentified deity above Kaala.

The rest of this triangular area is filled with foliage. Enclosing this area is an exquisitely carved artwork of symmetrical patterns.

Gaja Lakshmi

The west-facing pediment depicts Gaja Lakshmi – one of the eight avatars of Lakshmi- seated on a lotus flower flanked by two gajas (elephants ) performing abhisheka (showering with water and food) and riding Uluka the Owl. Uluka is often associated with Lakshmi, but not always as her vahana (vehicle).

Lakshmi is Vishnu’s wife and goddess of wealth in Hindu mythology. She is known as Ashtalakshmi because of her eight avatars (manifestations), each symbolizing an aspect of wealth. The Gaja Lakshmi avatar symbolizes wealth through strength. According to a myth, Gaja Lakshmi is a by-product of Samudra Manthana (Churning of the Ocean of Milk).

Note: Angkor Wat has a bas-relief depicting the story of the Samudra Manthana carved on the eastern gallery located at the lower level of the temple.

West Gopura

Vali - Sugriva fight depicted on the west side gopura of the middle enclosure of the Banteay Srei Temple, Cambodia — Vali – Sugriva fight depicted on the west gopura

Kala (time demon) depicted on the lintel of the west side gopura of the middle enclosure — Vali – Sugriva fight depicted on the west gopura

Gopura on the west side of the middle enclosure

The pediment depicts the fight between the brothers Vali and Sugriva and Rama is trying to help Sugriva. This popular theme from Hindu epic Ramayana is portrayed in many Hindu temples in India and Southeast Asia.

Surrounding Walls

Walls of inner and middle enclosures of the Banteay Srei temple

The inner and middle enclosures are much closer than the outer and middle enclosures. Both the inner and outer enclosures are surrounded by brick walls. As seen in the image below, a narrow empty space separates the enclosures.

Inner Enclosure

This is where the main temple structures are located. The enclosure measures 24 x 24 sq m with a brick wall surrounding it. Built inside this enclosure are the main temple structures, including two libraries and three sanctuary towers. Attached to the middle sanctuary tower is mantapa, a covered hall with an entrance facing east and side entrances facing north and south.

Structures in the innermost enclosure - A view from the northeast side of the Banteay Srei Temple, located in Siem Reap, Cambodia — Structures in the innermost enclosure – A view from the northeast side

The image shows the view of the innermost enclosure from the northeast side. The rightmost structure is the north library and next to it is the east gopura. The structure that has two kneeling dwarapalakas (guardians of the door) in front is the mantapa. The tips of the three sanctuary towers are seen at the far end of the image.

Structures in the inner enclosure as seen from the southwest side of the Banteay Srei Temple — Structures in the innermost enclosure – A view from the southwest side

The image above shows the view of the innermost enclosure from the southwest side. The leftmost structure is the south library and next to it is the east gopura. The view shows the west-facing facades of these structures. The three sanctuary towers are in the front.

Structures in the inner enclosure as seen from the northwest side of the Banteay Srei Temple — Structures in the innermost enclosure – A view from the northwest side

The image shows the view of the innermost enclosure from the northwest side. The rightmost structure is the north library and next to it is the east gopura. The view shows the west-facing facades of these structures. The three sanctuary towers are in the front.

Gopuras

The image shows the east-facing facade of the east gopura. The door frame and the pediment of this gopura are beautifully decorated.

Banteay Srei: Gopura and entrance to the inner enclosure of the Banteay Srei Temple in Cambodia — Gopura and entrance to the inner enclosure

Banteay Srei: Shiva Tandava Nritya (Shiva's Cosmic Dance) carved into the pediment of the east gopura at the inner enclosure of the Banteay Srei Temple in Cambodia. — Shiva Tandava Nritya (Shiva’s Cosmic Dance)

Banteay Srei: Nandi in front of the east gopura at the inner enclosure of the Banteay Srei Temple in Cambodia — Shiva Tandava Nritya (Shiva’s Cosmic Dance)

The pediment depicts the scene Shiva Tandava Nritya, i.e., Shiva performing his cosmic dance of creation, preservation, and destruction.

The lintel depicts Indra, the dikpala (guardian) of the east direction, riding his vehicle Airavata, a three-headed elephant. Each Airavata head is shown as a monster-like figure attached to the elephant head. As you can see from the image below, Indra, whose head is missing, is holding the elephant trunk with the right hand, and the monster head with the left hand. The other two Airavata heads are at the ends.

A damaged statue of Nandi is in front of the gopura.

Mysterious Libraries

Built like mini shrines, the libraries are the unique elements of the Khmer temple architecture. Although their exact purpose is still a mystery, the likely intention of building them was to use them as repositories of manuscripts. It is worth noting that there is no concept of libraries in the architectures of Hindu temples in India.

The Hindu religious texts, which include four Vedas, two epics and 18 Puranas, are large and numerous. The manuscripts of these texts were likely brought from India and were considered precious and sacred. The libraries were likely built to preserve them in a safe place and were designed like shrines to allow people to worship them. However, there is no evidence that the libraries were ever used as repositories of manuscripts.

Located near the entrance of the inner enclosure, the two identically designed library structures, one on the north and the other on the south, are equidistant from the center. In other words, they are like the mirror images of each other.

They are aligned along the east-west direction with ornate facades facing east and west, each of which has a beautifully decorated door, lintel and pediment. The facade facing west has the doorway to enter the building, whereas on the east side, there is just a false door built only for decorative purposes.

The bas-reliefs on the pediments depict stories from the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

South Library

The south library is dedicated to Shiva. Both the east and west facades depict stories about Shiva.

East Facade

The east-facing pediment depicts an episode from Ramayana in which Ravana with his 20 hands tries to lift Mount Kailash, the heavenly abode of Shiva and his consort Parvati (a.k.a Uma) as Shiva sits calmly with his consort Parvati on his lap.

East facing facade of the south library situated in the inner enclosure of Banteay Srei Temple in Cambodia. — East facing facade of the south library

Ravana Shaking Mount Kailash

According to the story, Ravana was enraged by Shivas’ vehicle Nandi who did not let Ravana’s plane (Pushpak Vimana) to pass over Shiva’s abode. When Ravana tries to lift Mount Kailash, Shiva holds it down, which enrages Ravana further and he starts shaking the mountain.

West Facade

The west-facing pediment depicts a story from Shiva Purana in which Kama (a.k.a Kamadeva), the god of love and carnal desire, strikes Shiva with Kamabana (Kama’s arrows) to arouse passion and desire in Shiva, who is in the state of meditation.

According to the story, after the death of his wife Sati, Shiva goes into a state of meditation to grieve her death. This results in a great imbalance in the world. Meanwhile, Sati is reborn as Parvati, and all the gods want Shiva to marry Parvati. Sensing this need, Indra sends Kama to arouse passion and desire in Shiva for him to be interested in Parvati.

West-facing south library facade

North Library

The north library is dedicated to Vishnu. Both the east and west facades depict stories about Krishna, who is one of the avatars (manifestation) of Vishnu. The library is built on a raised platform with two levels.

East Facade

The doorway of the facade has a beautifully decorated false door flanked by pilasters. Because this facade is facing east, Indra, who is the dikpala (guardian) of the east, is the theme of the carvings on both the lintel and pediment.

Check the list of Ashta Dikpalas, the eight guardians of directions.

The bas-relief on the lintel depicts Indra riding his vehicle Airavata, a three-headed elephant. As you can see from the image, Indra is in the middle sitting above an elephant head. At each end of the lintel, there is an elephant with a human-like figure sitting on it.

As you can see from the image, there are three pediments. The innermost is the narrowest and is in the front, and the outermost is the widest and is on the back. Each pediment is enclosed by a finely carved creeper which is resting on an intricately decorated pillar.

East facing facade of the north library situated in the inner enclosure of Banteay Srei Temple in Cambodia. — East facing facade of the north library

Carved into the lowermost pediment is a narrative bas-relief depicting a well-known episode in Mahabharata, Burning of the Khandava Forest. Here is the story in brief:

Burning of the Khandava Forest

According to the story, the fire god Agni wanted to burn the Kandhava Forest because of a stomach ailment. Disguised as a brahmin, he went to Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, and requested that he was hungry and needed to be satiated. Because Arjuna could not refuse a request from a brahmin, he agreed to Agni’s request. Agni then revealed himself and said to Krishna he was hungry, and the only way he could satiate his hunger was to help him consume the Khandava Forest by letting him burn it. Arjuna reluctantly agreed to help him.

The Kandhava Forest was also the home of Takshaka, the king of nagas (snakes), and Maya, the architect of the asuras. When Agni started the fire, Takshaka was not in the forest, but his family was inside. So, he begged his friend Indra, king of the devas (demigods) and heaven, to help them to escape the fire. Indra agreed and used his power to bring rain to the forest to douse the fire. Arjuna tried to stop the rain by creating a layer of arrows. Meanwhile, Krishna stayed on the other side of the forest and helped Arjuna stop the rain.

While this battle was going on, Takshaka’s wife swallowed her son Ashvasena and tried to fly out of the forest. Realizing that she was trying to escape with her son, Arjuna cut her head off with his arrows but could not prevent Ashvasena from escaping the forest.

Maya also escaped the forest and then sought asylum from Arjuna. Eventually, Agni consumed the entire Khandava Forest and cured his stomach ailment.

Burning of the Khandava Forest - An episode from Mahabharata depicted on the east-facing north library pediment of Banteay Srei in Siem Reap, Cambodia — Burning of the Khandava Forest

This is one of the most beautiful and detailed bas-reliefs in the temple. On the top is Indra riding his vehicle Airavata and trying to bring down the rain on the forest. The layer underneath Indra depicts flowing water, giving an impression of rain coming down. On the left is Arjuna shooting arrows to stop the rain. Below the water, there are two layers of arrows, created by Arjuna, preventing the water from coming down. On the right is Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, holding his signature weapon, Sudarshana Chakra, helping Arjuna. Between Arjuna and Krishna is the forest with a chaotic scene of animals, Takshaka’s family, and Maya and other asuras trying to escape the fire.

Notice the two multi-headed nagas in the middle of the arrow layers. These are Takshaka’s wife and their son Ashvasena. As mentioned in the story, Ashvasena escaped Arjuna’s arrows through the brave action of his mother, who swallowed him to shield him from the barrage of arrows. Although she died in the ordeal, she enabled Ashvasena to escape the fire.

West Facade

The west pediment shows Krishna killing Kamsa, a popular theme portrayed in many Hindu temples in Cambodia and Indonesia (See Prambanan and Prambanan Bas-Reliefs).

Krishna killing Kamsa, a scene from Mahabharata depicted on the west-facing facade of the north library — Krishna killing Kamsa

Krishna killing Kamsa - An episode from Mahabharata depicted on the west-facing pediment of the north library — Krishna killing Kamsa

West-facing north library facade

Sanctuary Towers (Prasats)

Aligned along the north-south direction, the three sanctuary towers in the inner enclosure are close to each other and symbolically represent the Hindu Trinity, Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. The sanctuary towers are the most sacred buildings in the temple.

Each tower has an inner sanctum, i.e., a chamber with the deity. Because Banteay Srei is a Shiva temple, Shiva is considered the dominant god of the trinity. The middle tower is dedicated to Shiva, and to show his dominance, it is taller than the other two. Its inner sanctum likely had a Shivalinga or a statue of Shiva. For this reason, it is taller than the other two towers, which likely had statues of Vishnu and Brahma.

The south and north sanctuary towers have three outward facades, each of which has a door with multi-level pediments and a lintel. The entrance is only on the east side and the rest three facades have false doors. The central tower has only one outward facade, which is on the west side.

Central Sanctuary Tower

The central tower is home to a Shiva Linga inside the inner chamber. It is taller than the other two. There is a mantapa in front of it on the east side. The pediment on the west side depicts Varuna riding three hamsas (sacred swans), the north side depicts Kubera, the south side depicts Yama riding a buffalo and the east side depicts Indra riding Airavata.

Mantapa

The mantapa is a covered hall that leads to the central sanctuary tower and is attached to the east facade of the central sanctuary tower.

Mantapa attached to the central sanctuary tower of the Banteay Srei Temple in Cambodia — North wall of the mantapa

The images above show the north and south facing walls of the mantapa. As you can see, the design is similar but the carvings are different. The he doorway in middle and leading to the doorway is a stone staircase on both sides. Guarding the entrance are the two squatting dwarapalakas (guardians of the door), who have human bodies and monkey faces.

In the north wall image, the staircase on the right leads to the east-facing entrance of the north sanctuary tower and is guarded by the bird-faced dwarapalakas. Likewise in the south wall image, the staircase on the left leads to the east-facing entrance of the south sanctuary tower, guarded by lion-faced dwarapalakas.

South Sanctuary Tower

The east-facing facade of the south sanctuary tower facades

The images show the east and south facing facade of the south sanctuary tower. The bottom pediment of the east facing facade depicts Shiva and his consort Parvati (a.k.a Uma) sitting on his vehicle Nandi. The lintel shows Indra riding his vehicle Airavata, a three-headed elephant. The doorway is beautifully decorated. On both sides of the door, devatas are guarding the door and in the front two dwarapalakas (guardians of the door) guard the door. The entrance to this structure is on this facade and the facades on the other three sides have false doors.

The bottom pediment and the lintel of the south facing facade depicts Yama, the god of death and justice, riding his vehicle male buffalo. The doorway with a false door is beautifully decorated. On both sides of the door, devatas are guarding the door.

Carved into the pediment is Kaala (time monster) devouring an elephant, and there is an unidentified deity on top of Kaala. The lintel also depicts Kaala.

North Sanctuary Tower

The images above shows the east and north facing facades of the north sanctuary tower. The bottom-most scene on the pediment most likely depicts Bhima killing Jarasandha, the king of Magadha, by splitting his body into two. The lintel shows Indra riding his vehicle Airavata, a three-headed elephant. This is the only entrance to the sanctuary tower and the other three sides have false doors. It is guarded by two squatting dwarapalakas (guardians of the door) who have human bodies and faces of mythical bird Garuda who is Vishnu’s vehicle. The door frame is beautifully decorated and it is flanked on either side by devatas standing on top of hamsas (swans).

Unlike the east-facing facade, the north-facing facade has a false door, which is decorated with beautiful artwork. On both sides of the door, beautifully sculpted devatas are guarding the door. The bottom pediment depicts Kubera carried by yakshas and the lintel shows Bhima killing Jarasandha, the king of Magadha, by splitting his body into two.

West facing facade of the north sanctuary tower situated inside the innermost enclosure of the Banteay Srei Temple in Cambodia — West facing facade of the north sanctuary tower

The image above shows the west-facing facade of the north sanctuary tower. The bottom pediment depicts Varuna riding three hamsas (swans) and the lintel depicts Kubera carried by a yaksha (Kubera’s vehicle is a man or yaksha). The doorway is beautifully decorated. The door is a false door. On both sides of the door, devatas are guarding the door.

A Masterpiece of Hoysala Temple Art

A bit of history

Temple Complex

Entrance

Exquisite interior

Garbhagrihas

South – VenuGopala

West – Keshava

North – Janardhana

Ceiling carved with mesmerizing patterns

Magnificent exterior

Vishnu with Standard Iconography

Ashtabhuja Vishnu (Eight-Armed Vishnu)

Majestic Maha Vishnu seated on Adishesha

Lakshminarayana

Dashavatara – Ten Incarnations of Vishnu

Matsyavatara

Kurmavatara

Varahavatara and Narsimhavatara

Other incarnations of Vishnu

Other gods, goddesses and deities

Brahma and Sarasvati

Indra and Surya

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South Gate

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Angkor Wat – An Architectural Marvel

Archaeological site

History

Purpose

Angkor Wat, the heavenly city of Vishnu

Moat

Causeway

Outer enclosure

A spectacular view of the entrance from the top level

Reflective ponds

Magnificent temple complex built with symmetry and precision

Entrance to the temple complex

Galleries

Exquisite bas-reliefs

Libraries – Mysterious structures

Cruciform Cloister – An excellent example of symmetrical design

Middle terrace

Death of Vali – A poignant episode from Ramayana

Enchanting apsaras

Uppermost terrace

Bakan structure

Corner towers

Cruciform Cloister

Entrances to the Bakan

Galleries

Buddha statues

Central tower

Related Pages

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A Masterpiece of Khmer Temple Art

A Bit of History

Temple Complex

Gate and Causeway

Outer Enclosure

Middle Enclosure

East Gopura

Gaja Lakshmi

West Gopura

Surrounding Walls

Inner Enclosure

Gopuras

Mysterious Libraries

South Library

East Facade

Ravana Shaking Mount Kailash

West Facade

North Library

East Facade

Burning of the Khandava Forest

West Facade

Sanctuary Towers (Prasats)