Angkor was constructed out of sandstone that may have been quarried
many miles away - possibly at Phnom Kulen - and transported to the
construction site by the river. It is estimated that as much stone was
used in building Angkor Wat as was used in the great pyramid of Khafre in
Egypt.
Angkor Wat (the name means 'The Pagoda of the City') was a funerary
monument, which explains its orientation to the west in contrast to the
sanctuaries dedicated to the deities, which are oriented to the east.
A vast army of slaves, builders and craftsmen
were used to quarry the stone, transport it, haul it into place and add
the numerous statues and carvings which decorated every part of the
complex.
Access to the third or upper level of the wat used to be restricted to
the king and the high priest.
If time permits, one should visit Angkor wat at least twice, once in
the morning to admire the bas-reliefs when the light is bright and clear
and once in the evening when the towers become increasingly golden as the
sun sets at the horizon. Sometimes, in the twilight, bats leave the
monument in large numbers, presenting the spectator with a spectacular
view as if columns of smoke rise and are dispersed in the wind.
Leave Siem Reap northwards along Komai or Charles De Gaule road and
continue for about 7 kilometres.
In the year 544 of the Buddhist era, year of the Monkey, Nhek Vong and
Neang Teav, a couple of plebeian ancestry, with divine merits, acceded to
throne of the kingdom. The king took the name Preah Bat Samdech Tevavong
Aschar, which means Magnificent Monarch of Divine Descent. He reigned from
the royal palace of Mohanokor or Grand City. Because of the great merits
and power of its sovereigns, the country lived in peace and no enemies
dared attack the kingdom.
When the royal couple remained childless, the king ordered the queen to
observe the Buddhist precepts to obtain a child. After 7 days of
observance, the queen dreamed that Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of the Gods,
descended from the heaven, touched her
abdomen
and offered her a garland of flowers.
The
king consulted a diviner to explain the dream.
-
"The queen will receive a son of such might that he will conquer all his
enemies," the diviner predicted. Soon thereafter, the queen became pregnant and nine months later,
a son of astonishing beauty was born - who in his previous life was the son
of Lord Indra himself. Lord Indra had sent him to be reincarnated as a human being to
"protect the Buddhist religion and take care of the kingdom in glory,
prosperity and peace."
The
king gave his son the name Ketomealea or Shining Garland of Flowers. When
Ketomealea reached the age of six, Lord Indra sent the Deity Meatoley with his
golden chariot Pichayon to earth to bring Ketomealea to the heaven of the
thirty-three Gods on top of the sacred mountain Sumeru.
King
Teavong-Aschar and the queen were very worried about the disappearance of their
son the
next morning. They immediately summoned a diviner to perform magic
calculations. The diviner prophesied:
-
"To obtain your august son back, the only requirement is that the
people, the mandarins, the Brahmans in the entire country observe the
Buddhist precepts during seven days. Thereupon you will find the august
child back in the palace."
The king ordered the
entire Cambodian people to observe all Buddhist
precepts during seven days to obtain the return of his son. The entire Cambodian
population abided by these instructions of the king.
Lord
Indra
instructed Ketomealea in the ten royal duties and bathed him seven times
per day in the magic water in a perfumed pond in his garden during seven
days. He then called upon Brahman diviners to chant magic spells and
sprinkle blissful water ensuring
Ketomealea a life of more than 100 years.
After
these rituals, Lord Indra sent Ketomealea to survey his celestial palaces with
the chariot Pichayon and admire them in all their beauty. When Ketomealea
had admired the fantastic palaces, Lord Indra probed for Ketomealea's
liking of all this splendour.
-
"Did you like these palaces ?"
-
"Your palaces are marvellous," Ketomealea replied.
- "I will give you the Kingdom of Cambodia to rule with
wisdom," Lord Indra, the supreme sovereign of Gods, promised
Ketomealea.
"If one of the palaces you have seen is to your liking, I will have
one built of the same beauty in Cambodia. I will immediately send an
architect to build you one," He continued as they were returning
the horses of the chariot to the stables.
Ketomealea
feared Indra's wrath if he asked for a palace as beautiful as one of Lord Indra's.
-
"I would like a palace as beautiful as your stables," the young
prince replied, impressed even by the magnificence of the divine stables.
Lord
Indra then called Pisnouka, the celestial artist and architect. Pisnouka was the
son of the celestial Apsara Tip-Choda-Chan, "Devine daughter of the
Moon" and of the aged Lim Seng. His mother had sent him in heaven to
a God who was master in fine arts and architecture for study.
-
"You are from human descent, therefore you cannot stay in heaven
forever," Lord Indra told Pisnouka. "I will send you to Cambodia,
where you will build a palace for my son, as beautiful as my stables.
When you complete its construction, I will descend from heaven to
preside over the coronation ceremony of my son to enthrone him."
Meatoley
brought Ketomealea back to Cambodia. King Tevavong
Aschar
and the queen were delighted with the return of their son, seven days
after his disappearance. They praised the merits of the population who
had followed the Buddhist precepts during seven days.
Pisnouka
started the construction of the palace of Angkor Wat and when he
completed it, he painted all bas-reliefs in appropriate colours so that
the palace resembled the stables of the palace of Lord Indra.
Ketomealea
was very satisfied with
Pisnouka's
skills and requested him to build many others, equally decorated with
superb bas-reliefs.
Lord
Indra, the Supreme Sovereign came down from heaven in the company of numerous other Deities for the
coronation ceremony of his son and gave him the name Arittha Polapea
Hano, Mighty Destructor of Enemies. It was also then that Lord Indra
gave the name Kampuchea to our beloved Khmer country and that is how it
still is called today.
This is
the legend about how Angkor Wat was built. Pisnouka built many other temples for Ketomealea.
Angkor temples
The temple was build according Brahman techniques to represent the
entire universe. The central tower represents the sacred mount Sumeru,
situated at the centre of the universe. The 5 towers make the symbolism consistent
with the 5 peaks of mount Sumeru. The outer wall represents the end of the
world and the surrounding moat represents the surrounding ocean.
