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Preah Khan ( Khmer : ប្រាសាទព្រះខ័ន ; "Royal Sword") is a temple at Angkor , Cambodia , built in the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII to honor his father. It is located northeast of Angkor Thom and just west of the Jayatataka baray , with which it was associated. It was the centre of a substantial organisation, with almost 100,000 officials and servants. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples and numerous later additions. Like the nearby Ta Prohm , Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins.

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60-423: Preah Khan was built on the site of Jayavarman VII 's victory over the invading Chams in 1191 . Unusually the modern name, meaning "holy sword", is derived from the meaning of the original— Nagara Jayasri (holy city of victory). The site may previously have been occupied by the royal palaces of Yasovarman II and Tribhuvanadityavarman . The temple's foundation stela has provided considerable information about

120-493: A cow with gilded horns. The institution combined the roles of city, temple and Buddhist university: there were 97,840 attendants and servants, including 1000 dancers and 1000 teachers. Preah Khan experienced a slow decline because the Khmer royalty stopped supporting it around the 15th century. As support from the royal family dwindled, it became difficult to maintain and use the complex. Despite this decline, certain sections of

180-450: A Buddhist. He then built the Bayon as a monument to Buddhism. Jayavarman VII is generally considered the most powerful of the Khmer monarchs by historians. His government built many projects including hospitals, highways, rest houses, and temples. With Buddhism as his motivation, King Jayavarman VII is credited with introducing a welfare state that served the physical and spiritual needs of

240-902: A fountain with four surrounding ponds set on an island in that artificial lake. The Preah Khan inscription states that the King erected Buddha stone images, the Jayabuddhamahanatha , in twenty-three towns in different parts of his empire. Among those towns were Lavodayapura (modern Lopburi ), Svarnapura, Sambukapattana, Srijayarajapuri (modern Ratchaburi ), Srijayasimhapuri (modern Kanchanaburi ), and Srijayavajrapuri (modern Phetburi ), believed to have been situated more. In 1186, Jayavarman dedicated Ta Prohm ("Ancestor Brahma") to his mother. An inscription indicates that this massive temple at one time had 80,000 people assigned to its upkeep, including 18 high priests and 615 female dancers. Angkor Thom ("Grand Angkor" or "Angkor of Dham(ma)")

300-523: A glorified maintenance program. We're not prepared to falsify history". It has therefore limited itself primarily to stabilisation work on the fourth eastern gopura , the House of Fire and the Hall of Dancers . The outer wall of Preah Khan is of laterite , and bears 72 garudas holding nagas, at 50 m intervals. Surrounded by a moat , it measures 800 by 700 m and encloses an area of 56 hectares (140 acres). To

360-720: A great inspiration to him, particularly in his strong devotion to Buddhism . Though he had many sons, we know the names of only four, Suryakumara (mentioned in Ta Prohm), Virakumara (mentioned in Preah Khan), Srindrakumara (mentioned in Banteay Chhmar), and Tamalinda (later became a bhikku ). He also fathered Sikhara Mahadevi , chief consorts of Pho Khun Pha Mueang , that appeared in Stele of Wat Sri choom Script of Sukhothai Historical Park . A fictionalised account of

420-567: A large compound wall of size 700 m × 300 m (2,300 ft × 980 ft), made of laterite stones . The entry is from the east facing gopura, which is in a cruciform embellished with Lokesvara images. The temple is a treasure house of sculptures in the architectural styles of the Bayon and also of the Angkor Wat . The complex is on a single level. The external enclosure with four concentric walls, has four gopuras similar to

480-527: A rebellion of the vassal Kingdom of Malyang ( Battambang ). He was greatly helped by the military skill of refugee Prince Sri Vidyanandana , who also played a part in the subsequent sacking and conquest of Champa (1190–1191). His conquest of Champa made it a dependency of the Khmer Empire for thirty years. Jayavarman expanded Khmer control of the Mekong Valley northward to Vientiane and to

540-415: A smaller size, was built as a Buddhist monastic complex on the site of a 10th-century temple built by Rajendravarman . Some small inscriptions attest to the building of this temple by Jayavarman VII and the royal architect, Kavindrarimathana. Jayavarman VII had come to power at the age of 55 after defeating Chams who had invaded Angkor and subjected it to devastation. His "prodigious activity" resulted in

600-531: A sovereign. King Suryavarman (Sun Shield) II , builder of the great Angkor Wat , died in 1150. He was succeeded by Dharanindravarman II , who ruled until 1160. Due to the absence of Jayavarman VII, Yashovarman II succeeded the throne, who was himself overthrown by Tribhuvanadityavarman (Protegee of the Sun of three worlds), assumed to be a usurper. In 1177, the Chams, led by Jaya Indravarman IV , invaded and Angkor

660-597: A spiritual pain, and thus more piercing." This declaration must be read in light of the undeniable fact that the numerous monuments erected by Jayavarman must have required the labor of thousands of workers, and that Jayavarman's reign was marked by the centralization of the state and the herding of people into ever greater population centers. Historians have identified many facets in Jayavarman's intensive building program. In one phase, he focused on useful constructions, such as his famous 102 hospitals , rest houses along

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720-489: A sufficient state of preservation and presenting some special interest in their architecture or decoration. Since 1991, the site has been maintained by the World Monuments Fund . It has continued the cautious approach to restoration, believing that to go further would involve too much guesswork, and prefers to respect the ruined nature of the temple. One of its former employees has said, "We're basically running

780-549: Is a two-storeyed structure with round columns. No other examples of this form survive at Angkor, although there are traces of similar buildings at Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei. Freeman and Jacques speculate that this may have been a granary . Occupying the rest of the third enclosure are ponds (now dry) in each corner, and satellite temples to the north, south and west. While the main temple was Buddhist, these three are dedicated to Shiva , previous kings and queens, and Vishnu respectively. They are notable chiefly for their pediments: on

840-405: Is divided into four parts by a cruciform gallery , each part almost filled by these later irregular additions. The walls of this gallery, and the interior of the central sanctuary, are covered with holes for the fixing of bronze plates which would originally have covered them and the outside of the sanctuary—1500 tonnes was used to decorate the whole temple. At the centre of the temple, in place of

900-610: Is mentioned in the Sdok Kak Thom . This stele describes the arrival of Jayavarman II to the area, "When they arrived at the eastern district, the king bestowed an estate and a village called Kuti upon the family of the royal chaplain." This royal chaplain was the Brahman scholar Sivakaivalya, his chief priest for the Devaraja cult. The Khmer Empire lasted from 802 to 1431, initially under Hindu religious beliefs up to

960-524: Is not known. However, it is established that the temple is a contemporary of the Angkor Wat as many similarities have been identified between the two, and also with Phimai temple in Thailand . It is reported to be the first temple built by Jayavarman VII in 1181 AD, opposite to the Srah Srang reservoir . In the 13th century, most of the temples built by Jayavarman were vandalised. However, some of

1020-540: The Khmer Empire extended from Tonle Sap to the Kulen hills covering a vast area of 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi). The temple is approached from the east gopura of Ta Prohm along a 600 metres (2,000 ft) path. This path leads to the west gate entrance gopura of Banteay Kdei. It is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Angkor Thom . The name Banteay Kdei originates from an earlier name, Kuti, which

1080-720: The Khmer people. In 1177 and again in 1178, the Cham invaded the Khmer Empire. In 1177, Champa King Jaya Indravarman IV launched a surprise attack on the Khmer capital by sailing a fleet up the Mekong River, across Lake Tonlé Sap , and then up the Siem Reap River , a tributary of the Tonle Sap. The invaders pillaged the Khmer capital of Yasodharapura and put king Tribhuvanadityavarman to death. Also in 1178, when he

1140-486: The Mahayana Buddhist frontons and lintels are still seen in good condition. It is also the view of some archaeologists that the temple was built by Jayavarman II in honour of his religious teacher. The temple, which for several centuries after the Khmer reign ended, remained neglected and covered with vegetation. It was exposed after clearing the surrounding overgrowth of vegetation in 1920–1922. This work

1200-528: The Ta Prohm temple, and all are in some degree of preserved status. At the four corners, the gopuras have a fascia of Lokesvara (Buddhist deity, Avalokitesvara) mounted over Garuda images (it is also mentioned that the smiling faces are of King Jayavarman II, similar to those seen in the Beyan temple ). The east facing gopura, in particular, has well-preserved garuda images on its corners. Two hundred meters from

1260-573: The "balustered false windows with lowered blinds and devatas with headdresses in the form of small flaming discs set in a triangle." The vaults built in sandstone and laterite have collapsed at several locations of the gallery. The inner enclosures contain library building to its north and south and also a central sanctuary. The inner enclosure of the main temple is built on a 36 m × 30 m (118 ft × 98 ft) layout plan. This enclosure has four corner towers abutted by small gopuras. Galleries running along an axis link these towers to

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1320-465: The Banteay Kdei temple. During these investigations, a cache of fragments of 274 Buddhist statues made in sandstone, along with a few metal art pieces, were unearthed, in 2001. Plans to build a storage room to house the statues was also planned. The sacred temple complex is cloistered and packed in a space of 65 m × 50 m (213 ft × 164 ft) with three enclosures within

1380-439: The Khmer empire cannot be read in the manner of European patterns of kingship, inheritance, or nationhood. The sons of a Khmer king did not necessarily inherit their father's thrones; Jayavarman VII himself had many sons, such as Suryakumara and Virakumara (the suffix kumara usually is translated as "prince", one of the king's sons), and Srindrakumaraputra, the crown prince who died before his father, but only Indravarman II inherited

1440-459: The alga Trentepohlia was found only in samples taken from external, pink-stained stone at Preah Khan. Jayavarman VII Jayavarman VII ( Khmer : ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧ ), known posthumously as Mahaparamasaugata ( មហាបរមសៅគាត , c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire . He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani . He was the first king devoted to Buddhism , as only one prior Khmer king had been

1500-414: The banks of the pond facing the Sun. It is set amidst large trees and has turquoise blue waters all the year round. The approaching steps to the water edge are flanked by two stone statues of lions with ornamented Nāga - balustrades . The pond was reserved for use by the king and his wives. A stone base seen at an island in the centre of the pond once housed a wooden temple where the king did meditation. At

1560-450: The centre and two flanking pavilions. Between the southern two towers were two celebrated silk-cotton trees , of which Glaize wrote, "resting on the vault itself of the gallery, [they] frame its openings and brace the stones in substitute for pillars in a caprice of nature that is as fantastic as it is perilous." One of the trees is now dead, although the roots have been left in place. The trees may need to be removed to prevent their damaging

1620-473: The corners of the cornices . Buddha images on the columns were changed into hermits under Jayavarman VIII. Between the second enclosure wall (85 by 76 m or 279 by 249 ft) and the first enclosure wall (62 by 55 m or 203 by 180 ft) on the eastern side is a row of later additions which impede access and hide some of the original decoration. The first enclosure is, as Glaize said, similarly, "choked with more or less ruined buildings". The enclosure

1680-564: The east by a cloister. This Buddhist monastic complex is currently dilapidated due to faulty construction and poor quality of sandstone used in its buildings, and is now undergoing renovation. Banteay Kdei had been occupied by monks at various intervals over the centuries until the 1960s. The Banteay Kdei, one of the many Angkor temples , is located in the Angkor Archaeological Park of 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi) area. The ancient city of Angkor during

1740-473: The east of Preah Khan is a landing stage on the edge of the Jayatataka baray , which measures 3.5 by 0.9 km (2 by 1 mi). This also allowed access to the temple of Neak Pean in the centre of the baray. Once dried up, the Jayatataka baray is now filled with water again, as at the end of each rainy season, all excess water in the area is diverted into it. As usual Preah Khan is oriented toward

1800-411: The east, so this was the main entrance, but there are others at each of the cardinal points. Each entrance has a causeway over the moat with nāga -carrying devas and asuras similar to those at Angkor Thom ; Glaize considered this an indication that the city element of Preah Khan was more significant than those of Ta Prohm or Banteay Kdei . Halfway along the path leading to the third enclosure, on

1860-408: The end of the 12th century and later under Buddhist religious practices . It was a time when temples of grandeur came to be built and reached a crescendo during the reign of Suryavarman II until 1145/1150, and later in the 12th–13th centuries, under Jayavarman VII. Many Buddhist temples were built, including the Banteay Kdei, from middle of the 12th century to early 13th century. Though Jayavarman VII

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1920-521: The fact that most of the other statues have been destroyed or stolen. The third enclosure has a gopura which has a cruciform plan. It has pillars which are crossed by vaults. There are three passages in this enclosure, two on either side are independent, with laterite walls. The niches here have small figurines, and large apsara devatas in single poses or in pairs of dancing poses. Large Buddha images, in an internal courtyard of this enclosure, have been defaced by vandals. A paved access from here leads to

1980-460: The history and administration of the site: the main image, of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in the form of the king's father, was dedicated in 1191 (the king's mother had earlier been commemorated in the same way at Ta Prohm ). 430 other deities also had shrines on the site, each of which received an allotment of food, clothing, perfume and even mosquito nets ; the wealth and treasure of this ruin includes gold, silver, gems , 112,300 pearls and

2040-435: The inner row of pillars supporting the roof. The pillars are also tied to the wall by a tie beam using a "mortise–and–tenon join" patterned on wooden structures. Other features noted are of the four central pillars in the western pavilion which have been strengthened with temporary supports of laterite stone block pillars. Carvings of Buddha are seen on all these pillars but mostly defaced. The temporary support system provided to

2100-471: The life of Jayavarman VII forms the basis of one thread of Geoff Ryman 's 2006 novel The King's Last Song . Banteay Kdei Banteay Kdei ( Khmer : ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយក្តី ; Prasat Banteay Kdei , lit.   ' A Citadel of Chambers ' ), also known as "Citadel of Monks' cells", is a Buddhist temple in Angkor , Cambodia . It is located southeast of Ta Prohm and east of Angkor Thom . Built in

2160-419: The lily filled lake, watching sunset reflections in the lake is quite an experience. The water from the lake is now used for rice cultivation by farmers of the area. Some specific architectural features which evolved with the Bayon style are clearly discerned in this temple. The roof is supported on free-standing pillars in the eastern and western pavilions in the third enclosure, built in a cruciform plan with

2220-463: The main sanctuary. The towers at the north-east and south-east are linked with the second gallery where a Buddha statue in a sitting posture is seen, in the backdrop of an open sky line. The sanctum which is 2.75 m (9.0 ft) square enclosure has some traces of statues of deities. This entire enclosure, however, is not built in Bayon style and hence conjectured to be of an earlier period. Remnants of wooden ceiling are also seen here. The entrance to

2280-416: The main shrine, which comprises two galleried enclosures. At the entrance to these enclosures, from the eastern end, is the "Hall of Dancers", which has four open courtyards and the pillars have fine carvings of apsaras. The second enclosure, which is part of the main temple, measures 58 m × 50 m (190 ft × 164 ft). It has a gopura on its eastern side and also subsidiary gopura on

2340-409: The mid-12th to early 13th centuries AD during the reign of Jayavarman VII (who was posthumously given the title "Maha paramasangata pada" ), it is in the Bayon architectural style, similar in plan to Ta Prohm and Preah Khan , but less complex and smaller. Its structures are contained within two successive enclosure walls, and consist of two concentric galleries from which emerge towers, preceded to

2400-519: The move with animals and oxcarts, hunters, women cooking, female traders selling to Chinese merchants, and celebrations of common foot soldiers. The reliefs also depict a naval battle on the great lake, the Tonle Sap. Jayavarman VII's bust has been a favorite of Khmer households and a masterpiece of the National Museum for many years. The recent discovery of portions of the rest of his statue confirmed speculations about his spiritual aura as

2460-413: The north side, is a House of Fire (or Dharmasala ) similar to Ta Prohm's. The remainder of the fourth enclosure, now forested, was originally occupied by the city; as this was built of perishable materials it has not survived. The third enclosure wall is 200 by 175 metres (656 by 574 ft). In front of the third gopura is a cruciform terrace. The gopura itself is on a large scale, with three towers in

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2520-553: The northern temple, Vishnu reclining to the west and the Hindu trinity of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma to the east; on the western temple, Krishna raising Mount Govardhana to the west. Connecting the Hall of Dancers and the wall of the second enclosure is a courtyard containing two libraries . The second eastern gopura projects into this courtyard; it is one of the few Angkorian gopuras with significant internal decoration, with garudas on

2580-494: The original statue of Lokesvara , is a stupa built several centuries after the temple's initial construction. Microbial biofilms have been found degrading sandstone at Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, and the Bayon and West Prasat in Angkor. The dehydration and radiation resistant filamentous cyanobacteria can produce organic acids that degrade the stone. A dark filamentous fungus was found in internal and external Preah Khan samples, while

2640-400: The restoration of Cambodia from its ruins. He was chiefly the architect of the rebuilt capital at Angkor Thom and was called a "Great Builder". He was responsible for building many temples, which apart from Banteay Kdei, included the central temple of the Bayon, Prah Khan, Ta Prohm and many others, and also many rest houses for pilgrims. The reasons for building this temple at its present site

2700-400: The roads, and reservoirs. Thereafter, he built a pair of temples in honor of his parents: Ta Prohm in honor of his mother and Preah Khan in honor of his father. Finally, he constructed his own "temple-mountain" at Bayon and developed the city of Angkor Thom around it. He also built Neak Pean ("Coiled Serpent"), one of the smallest but most beautiful temples in the Angkor complex,

2760-573: The roof built on free standing pillars is indicative of problems of design seen in the temples built during this period. Laser scans and imaging of the Banteay Kdei and Angkor Wat Western Causeway were performed within a project launched in March 2004 by the University of California and Sophia University of Tokyo, in partnership with the nonprofit CyArk . The obtained information has facilitated restoration and reconstruction of these structures, which

2820-411: The sanctum is flanked by dvarapalas surrounded by apsaras. Srah Srang or "The royal bathing pool" or "pool of ablutions" to the east of Banteay Kdei, which was dug to dimensions of 700 metres (2,300 ft)x300 metres (980 ft) during the reign of Rajendraverman in the 10th century, was beautified by Jayavarman VII with well laid out steps of laterite stones with external margin of sandstone, on

2880-422: The site continued to be used for religious or cultural activities. The temple is still largely unrestored: the initial clearing was from 1927 to 1932, and partial anastylosis was carried out in 1939. Since then free-standing statues have been removed for safe-keeping, and there has been further consolidation and restoration work. Throughout, the conservators have attempted to balance restoration and maintenance of

2940-462: The south, down the Kra Isthmus . Over the 37 years of his reign, Jayavarman embarked on a grand program of construction that included both public works and monuments. As a Mahayana Buddhist, his declared aim was to alleviate the suffering of his people. One inscription tells us, "He suffered from the warts of his subjects more than from his own; the pain that affected men's bodies was for him

3000-470: The structure. On the far side of the temple, the third western gopura has pediments of a chess game and the Battle of Lanka, and two guardian dvarapalas to the west. West of the third eastern gopura, on the main axis is a Hall of Dancers . The walls are decorated with apsaras ; Buddha images in niches above them were systematically destroyed during the reign Jayavarman VIII . North of the Hall of Dancers

3060-552: The throne. Jayavarman VII built 121 "houses with fire" rest houses built every fifteen kilometers along raised highways for travellers, and 102 hospitals. His was the " Buddhism of the Greater Vehicle ". However, Brahmans continued to play a "role at court", with Hrishikesa being made chief priest, with the title Jayamahapradhana. He married Princess Jayarajadevi and then, after her death, married her sister Indradevi . The two women are commonly thought to have been

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3120-418: The west entrance of this enclosure leads to a moat , which is decorated with statues of lions and naga-balustrades mounted on garudas. The moat itself has in its precincts the third enclosure which measures 320 m × 300 m (1,050 ft × 980 ft), also enclosed with laterite walls. The Buddha image at the entrance to the moat, near the second interior gate, is well preserved, considering

3180-444: The west. Entrance doors are at the northern and southern ends. The gopura is built like a gallery with one exterior wall and double row of pillars which open into a courtyard and which has mostly shored up walls with small openings at the bottom to allow air circulation. The niches here are decorated with images of apsaras, and a Buddha statue in the central hall has been defaced by vandals. Bayon style architectural features built-in are

3240-466: The wild condition in which the temple was discovered: one of them, Maurice Glaize , wrote that; The temple was previously overrun with a particularly voracious vegetation and quite ruined, presenting only chaos. Clearing works were undertaken with a constant respect for the large trees which give the composition a pleasing presentation without constituting any immediate danger. At the same time, some partial anastylosis has revived various buildings found in

3300-406: Was a new city centre, called in its day Indrapattha. At the centre of the new city stands one of his most massive achievements—the temple now called the Bayon , a multi-faceted, multi-towered temple that mixes Buddhist and Hindu iconography. Its outer walls have startling bas reliefs not only of warfare but the everyday life of the Khmer army and its followers. These reliefs show camp followers on

3360-646: Was carried out under the guidance of Henri Marchal (then Conservator of Angkor) and Ch. Battuer, by adopting a conservation principle which was known as "the principle of anastylosis, which was being employed very effectively by the Dutch authorities in Indonesia ". It was partially occupied by Buddhist monks till the 1960s. For ten years till March 2002, Sophia University Mission or the Sophia Mission of Japan carried out several Archaeological research at

3420-455: Was credited with building many temples, he was also accused of squandering money on extravagant temple building projects at the expense of society and other duties. He built Buddhist temples in which Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was the main deity. This temple built, conforming to the style of the Ta Prohm and Preah Khan temples in the vicinity during the same period by Jayavarman VII, but of

3480-424: Was in his mid 50s, Jayavarman came to historical prominence by leading a Khmer army that ousted the invaders, which included a naval battle depicted on the walls of the Bayon and Banteay Chmar . Returning to the capital, he found it in disorder. He put an end to the disputes between warring factions and in 1181 was crowned king himself. Early in his reign, he probably repelled another Cham attack and quelled

3540-456: Was sacked. Nonetheless, this date, not to mention the event itself, has been questioned by Michael Vickery , who doubts the reliability of the Chinese sources for this period. In 1181 Jayavarman VII became king after leading the Khmer forces against the Chams. Jayavarman VII then exacted vengeance against Champa in 1190, for the earlier raid in 1177. Jayavarman died around 1218. He

3600-581: Was succeeded by Indravarman II, who died by 1243. Indravarman was succeeded further by Jayavarman VIII , a Shivaite . He embarked on the destruction or defacement of Jayavarman VII's Buddhist works. The niches all along the top of the wall around the city contained images of the Buddha, and most of these were removed. This included the great statue of Buddha at Bayon, and the Buddha images in Angkor Thom, which were converted into linga . The history of

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