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Royal Palace
While the specific chronology is hypothetical, as the
first Phimeanakas could be attributable to Rajendravarman's
successor Jayavarman V, the symbolism remains remarkable.
The present form of Phimeanakas temple is due to Suryavarman
I, who waged war against the reigning monarch to seize the
throne at Angkor Thom around 1011A.D.
The Royal Palace was remodeled and enclosed by a high wall.
Two basic areas were distinguished within the temple grounds
by another wall of which only traces remain today. The "public"
area included the Phimeanakas and two water reservoirs known
today as Srah Srei and Srah Bros. The reservoirs were to
be remodeled under the reign of Jayavarman VII or his successors.
The famous vow of fidelity required of Suryavarman's civil
servants was probably pronounced in the vicinity of the
Royal Palace, as the text of the vow is engraved in a number
of places here, notably on the doorjambs of the eastern
Entrance Gate. Various instruments used to defend the Palace
against attack, such as three-pointed metal spikes, have
been uncovered here, indicating that the enclosure wall
also served as a protective fortress.
Major construction was undertaken at Angkor Thom's Royal
Palace under the reigns of Jayavarman VII and his immediate
successors. Bas-reliefs depicting aquatic scenes were added,
for example, to the lower steps of Srah Srei. |
Palace pyramid
Chamber at the top
Pool |
Royal Terraces
Most remarkable, however, are additions made to the Palace
enclosure front. First, a long terrace was built along the
wall and extending beyond both its southern and northern
ends. Opposite the Royal Terraces stand a two rows of six
towers each, known today as Prasat Suor Proat. |
View of Royal Terrace |
Elephant Terrace
The tall supporting wall of this terrace is sculpted with
a variety of images such as an elephant procession or garudas
with raised arms seemingly supporting the terrace at its
corners . The north wall of the stairs have reliefs which
are rich both in their subject matter and in theor sculpural
treatment. The example shown here represents a kind of polo,
a game unknown today. |
Detail of Elephant Terrace |
Leper King Terrace
The terrace itself represents Mount Meru, the central
mountain of the Buddhist cosmos, in a most unusual manner,
suggesting the mountain's funerary associations. The terrace
is composed of two successive walls. Earth was packed between
the two, such that the outer wall literally hid the inner
one. That the visitor can now see the inner wall, meant
to not be seen, is entirely due to 20th-century conservation
work. The layered rows of sculpted images decorating both
walls correspond to the different levels of Meru inhabited
by fabulous creatures.
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Statue of the so called "leper king" when it
was still on location |
| These rows of fanulous
creatures, regularly interrupted by the singular figure of
a divinity holding a baton, attribute of Yama the God of Death
and Justice, or of one of his assessors , are identical on
the two walls - with the notable exception that the inner
figures bear relatively terrifying expressions. It is this
detail in expression which has led scholars to believe that,
together, the two walls represent the whole of Meru: its upper
levels rising to a peak in the skies are the outer wall; the
lower levels represented on the inner wall descend to the
unfathomable depths of the serpent world. |
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