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ANGKOR

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 14 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ANGKOR , an assemblage of ruins in See also:

Cambodia, the relic of the See also:ancient Khmer See also:civilization. They are situated in forests to the See also:north of the See also:Great See also:Lake (Tonle-See also:Sap), the most conspicuous See also:ANGLE of the remains being the See also:town of Angkor-Thom and the See also:temple of Angkor-Vat, both of which See also:lie on the right See also:bank of the See also:river Siem-Reap, a tributary of Tonle-Sap. Other remains of the same See also:form and See also:character lie scattered about the vicinity on both See also:banks of the river, which is crossed by an ancient See also:stone See also:bridge. Angkor-Thom lies about a See also:quarter of a mile from the river. According to Aymonier it was begun about A. D. 86o, in the reign of the Khmer See also:sovereign Jayavarman III., and finished towards A.D. 900. It consists of a rectangular enclosure, nearly 2 M. in each direction, surrounded .by a See also:wall from 20 to 30 ft. in height. Within the enclosure, which is entered by five monumental See also:gates, are the remains of palaces and temples, overgrown by the See also:forest. The See also:chief of these are: (1) The vestiges of the royal See also:palace, which stood within an enclosure containing also the pyramidal religious structure known as the Phimeanakas. To the See also:east of this enclosure there extends a See also:terrace decorated with magnificent reliefs.

(2) The temple of Bayon, a square enclosure formed by galleries with colonnades, within which is another and more elaborate See also:

system of galleries, rectangular in arrangement and enclosing a cruciform structure, at the centre of which rises a huge See also:tower with a circular See also:base. Fifty towers, decorated with quadruple faces of Brahma, are built at intervals upon the galleries, the whole temple ranking as perhaps the most remarkable of the Khmer remains. Angkor-Vat, the best preserved example of Khmer See also:architecture, lies less than a mile to the See also:south of the royal See also:city, within a rectangular See also:park surrounded by a See also:moat, the See also:outer perimeter of which See also:measures 6o6o yds. On the See also:west See also:side of the park a paved See also:causeway, leading over the moat and under a magnificent See also:portico, extends for a distance of a quarter of a mile to the chief entrance of the See also:main See also:building. The temple was originally devoted to the See also:worship of Brahma, but afterwards to that of See also:Buddha; its construction is assigned by Aymonier to the first See also:half of the 12th See also:century A.D. It consists of three stages, connected by numerous exterior staircases and decreasing in dimensions as they rise, culminating in the See also:sanctuary, a great central tower pyramidal in form. Towers also surmount the angles of the terraces of the two upper stages. Three galleries with vaulting supported on columns See also:lead from the three western portals to the second See also:stage. They are connected by a transverse See also:gallery, thus forming four square basins. Khmer decoration, profuse but harmonious, consists chiefly in the See also:representation of gods, men and animals, which are displayed on every See also:flat See also:surface. Combats and legendary episodes are often depicted; floral decoration is reserved chiefly for See also:borders, See also:mouldings and capitals. See also:Sandstone of various See also:colours was the chief material employed by the Khmers; See also:limonite was also used.

The stone was cut into huge blocks which are fitted together with great accuracy without the use of See also:

cement. See E. Aymonier, Le Cambodge (3 vols., 1900–1904) ; Doudart de Lagree, Voyage d'exploration en Indo-Chine (1872–1873); A. H. Mouhot, Travels in Indo-See also:China, Cambodia and See also:Laos (2 vets., 1864) ; Fournereau and Porcher, See also:Les Ravines d'Angkor (189o) ; L. Delaporte, Voyage an Cambodge: l'architecture Khmer (188o); J. Moura, Le Royaume de Cambodge (2 vols., 1883).

End of Article: ANGKOR

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