Misplaced Pages

#201798

20-404: Most of the road is overgrown by the jungle and is only visible today on aerial photographs. Few of dharmasala or houses with fire, the rest house chapels or hospital chapels survive (only the chapels remain as they were the only buildings built of sandstone or laterite , and all wooden constructions rotted away long ago). The only part of the road which is still driveable is at the entrance to

40-464: A dharmaçala was recorded as 14–15 m in length and 4–5 m in width. In modern times, the dharmashala have evolved towards wooden structures simply referred to as sala . Dharmashalas have been a part of the Indian philanthropic tradition since olden days and orthodox traveller still prefers to stay in a dharmashala rather than in a hotel. The Preah Khan stele dated to 1191 CE (see Cœdès 1941) and

60-511: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about transport in Cambodia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Dharmasala A Dharmasala or a house of fire , or house with fire , is the name given to a place where people, especially pilgrims, can rest on a journey . It is a type of building found in Angkorian complexes constructed during

80-683: Is a commune ( khum ) in Thma Puok District in Banteay Meanchey province in northwest Cambodia . It is located 63 km north of provincial capital Sisophon and about 20 km east of the Thai border. The commune of Banteay Chhmar contains 14 villages. The massive temple of Banteay Chhmar, along with its satellite shrines and reservoir ( baray ), comprises one of the most important and least understood archaeological complexes from Cambodia's Angkor period. Like Angkor Thom ,

100-521: Is one of two sites outside Angkor with the enigmatic face-towers. Besides that, its outer gallery is carved with bas-reliefs depicting military engagements and daily life scenes very similar to the well-known ones in Bayon . The complex is oriented to the east, where there's a dried baray (about 1.6 by 0.8 km), which had a temple on an artificial island ( mebon ) in its centre. There are three enclosures, as typical. The external one, largely ruined,

120-423: The Bayon . To this day, many Angkorian sites have been identified as houses of fire, in places such as Prohm Kel, Prasat Phtu, Teap Chei, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm, Kuk Top Thom and Prasat Kuk. Debate exists as to the exact use of the houses of fire. Scholars theorize that the houses with fire functioned as a "rest house with fire" for travellers or even chapels for travellers believed to be the house of fire, housing

140-532: The National Museum, Phnom Penh , relates how Prince Srindrakumara was protected on two occasions by four companions in arms, once against Rahu, and once on a military campaign against Champa. Their four statues, with one of the prince, was placed in the central chapel. Another bas-relief states Yasovarman II was attacked by Rahu , but "saved by a young prince." The complex resembles Angkor Thom and other structures attributed to Jayavarman VII. It

160-459: The sacred fire . An inscription at Preah Khan tells of 121 such rest houses lining the highways into Angkor . The Chinese traveller Zhou Daguan expressed his admiration for these rest houses when he visited Angkor in 1296 CE. Another theory is that the House of Fire had a religious function as the repository the sacred flame used in sacred ceremonies. In 1902, Lunet de Lajonquière rediscovered

180-539: The decorative use of the Lokesvara motif. The stele describes a series of 121 vahni-griha found along three roads and in specific Angkorian temple enclosures. The decorative use of the Lokesvara motif, which represents the Buddha of compassion, is associated with the switch to Buddhism as state religion for Jayavarman VII and his successor Indravarman II (1220-1270 CE). In the late 13th century, one hundred years after

200-509: The four corners of the third enclosure wall, mirroring the stelae that occupied the four corner-shrines ( Prasat Chrung ) of the king's capital at Angkor Thom. Because of its remote location and its proximity to the Thai border, the complex has been subjected to severe looting, especially in the 1990s. In 1998, 2000 and 2002 the temple was listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of the top one hundred most endangered sites in

220-451: The king on the route between Kampot and Udong. In 1903, French archeologist A. Foucher recognised that these structures served first and foremost religious purposes and were not simply ‘resthouses’, pointing out that stone is a material intended for the gods and not for human habitation. The first and only publication specifically addressing the ruins on the model of Prasat Teap Chei was conducted by Finot (1925) who provided descriptions of

SECTION 10

#1732791276202

240-430: The regularly-spaced temples along the northwest and east roads. The dharmasalas are normally found to the north of the routes. Of all the characteristics, it is the regular spacing between temples that provides the justification for applying the specific term ‘resthouse’ that was initially presented by Louis Finot . Groslier suggested that an average day's travel in ancient Cambodia was 25 kilometers, thus determining

260-536: The reign of Jayavarman VII, Zhou Dagan mentioned the presence of samnak , or rest stops, which he compared to the post houses more common in China. Though the massive houses of fire fell into disrepair with the collapse of the Khmer Empire , the use of specific sala for travelers remained: in the 19th century, Henri Mouhot commented on the frequency of royal stations spaced approximately 20 kilometers apart for

280-522: The reign of late 12th-century monarch Jayavarman VII and still found in Preah Khan , Ta Prohm and Banteay Chhmar . The Sanskrit name of the dharmasala can only translate as the house of fire . A House of Fire has thick brick or stone walls, a tower at the west end and south-facing windows. Building orientation follows the position of the road rather than the typical east–west cardinal alignment of Angkorian architecture. The average size of

300-422: The size, decoration, orientation, and spacing of the dharmaçalas, a term that suggests both a religious and secular role. Claude Jacques recently supported the use of theses structures as fire shrine as it more accurately represents the inscription and possibly points to its role in housing a ‘sacred fire’, images of which are depicted being carried in processions on the walls of Angkor Wat , Banteay Chhmar and

320-614: The spacing between these structures. Initial measurements between the 11 known fire shrines on the Northwest and East roads were first recorded by Finot (1925) resulting in distances between 1.6 and 108 km. Discovery of the remaining fire shrines along the Northwest road in 2008 results in an average distance of 16.11 kilometers, which would suggest night stops as well has half-day breaks. Banteay Chhmar Banteay Chhmar ( Khmer : បន្ទាយឆ្មារ pronounced [ɓɑːn.tiəj.cʰmaː] , lit.   ' The Mini Fortress ' )

340-418: The temple of Banteay Chhmar was constructed during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the late 12th or early 13th century. One of the temple's shrines once held an image of Srindrakumararajaputra (the crown prince), a son of Jayavarman VII who died before him. The temple doors record Yasovarman I 's failed invasion of Champa . The long Old Khmer inscription found at the site (K.227), and now on display in

360-633: The town of Phimai (state route 2163). The road has been proven to exist in the 12th and 13th century, but it is quite certain that it existed earlier. Most of the buildings along the road date from the reign of King Jayavarman VII . The road used the Ta Muen Thom pass over the Dângrêk Mountains , and the first major stop was the Phanom Rung temple. This article related to the history of Cambodia or its predecessor states

380-400: The world. For example, in 1998 a group of soldiers stole a 30-metre section of the southern wall. The bas-reliefs of Banteay Chhmar once displayed eight exceptional Avalokiteśvaras in the west gallery, but now only two remain. In January 1999 looters dismantled sections of the western gallery wall containing these bas-reliefs. They were intercepted by Thai police and 117 sandstone pieces of

400-433: Was 1.9 by 1.7 km and surrounded by a moat. The middle enclosure, provided with a moat too, is 850 by 800 m. It contains the main temple, surrounded by a gallery with reliefs 250 by 200 m which constitutes the third inner enclosure. Besides the main temple and the mebon there are other eight secondary temples. Four stelae detailing Jayavarman VII's genealogy were placed (though they remain unfinished) at each of

#201798