Week VII: Part 2

ASIAN RELIGIONS AND ART: LATER HINDUISM BEYOND INDIA

Key Work:

  • Angkor Wat, Cambodia (Figs. VII.2a, 2b, 2c--Hand-out)


    HISTORY:

    India

    Cambodia (Kampuchea)
    TERMS:

    TIME LINE: (1st half of the 12th century)

    NOTES: What about Hinduism allows it to become popular outside of India? When does that happen? What kind of Hindu art is found in Kampuchea?

    ANGKOR WAT: Cult of the God-King

    Angkor means "the city", or "the capital", in the Khmer language of ancient Cambodia as well as contemporary Kampuchea. Geographically it denotes about 75 square miles of fertile plain between the Kulen Hills and the lake of Tonle Sap, where between the ninth and thirteenth centuries a dozen Khmer kings constructed successive capitals. These encompassed a sophisticated irrigation system that mastered the vagaries of monsoon rains and drought to grow rice enough for about a million inhabitants. The y also included a multitude of major building complexes in laterite, brick and sandstone, of which the gigantic temple that later became known as Angkor Wat is the largest and the most accomplished artistically.

    Altogether these creations of great conquerors and artisans embodied an integrated concept of the universe rooted in myth and deep religious belief, and hence a combination of physical and spiritual grandeur such as those found in Greece and Egypt, a mong the Mayas and Aztecs, and in the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe. The brilliance of Angkor began to fade in the thirteenth century and the site was abandoned until it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, Angkor be came a model of restoration; modern archaeology and physical science retrieved it from the jungle and preserved it until it was ravaged again by neglect and the perils of war in the 1970's. At this moment there is yet another international effort to save this unique monument.

    The well-conceived and graceful monuments of Angkor built during the eleventh and twelfth centuries testify to the great creative ability of the Khmer civilization which reached its zenith during that time. Built to the north and west of the great f lood plain of Kampuchea, the Khmer Kingdom endured a sequence of quick rise and fall, prosperity and chaos, followed by rapid changes in religious faith of the kings. Greatly influenced by Indian culture, the history of the Khmer kingdom had an early beg inning in the sixth century, and though there were more than thirty rulers in quick succession, three of them (Yasovarman I, 889-900; Suryavarman II, 1113-1150; and Jayavarman II, 1181-1219), among the twelve who ruled at Angkor, occupy an outstanding pos ition. They were worshippers of Siva, Vishnu and Buddha respectively, but their faith was not so much a devotion as a source of power. Through the newly designed cult of the devaraja (deva, god; raja, ruler), or god-king, the ruler derived his sanctity and power.

    The three emperors concentrated their building activity at Angkor (from the Sanskrit, nokor, meaning city) and each competed to out-do his predecessor. Suryavarman II constructed the Temple at Angkor Wat in the first half of the twelfth century to h ouse his mausoleum. He dedicated it to Vishnu whose exploits are portrayed in almost every sector of the temple. The complex was built to represent symbolically Mount Meru, traditionally regarded as Vishnu's abode.

    The plan of the temple is simple and approximates the World Mountain (Mt Meru) and embodies the ancient Khmer concept of the axis of the universe. There are three concentric, consecutive galleries which rise toward the center and are separated by pa ved courtyards. The highest gallery is at the center and is capped by a large central tower. All together there are nine towers. The area covered by the temple is 5,000 feet by 4,000 feet and is surrounded by moats which are 623 feet wide. The causewa y over the moat is paved in hard sandstone and leads directly to the central portico. The inner wall of the temple measures 3,363 feet by 2,625 feet while the entrance building is 1148 feet long. Angkor Wat stands out as a masterpiece of Khmer art, both in massiveness and ornamental detail.

    The Temple at Angkor Wat shows clearly that the artists possessed a sound knowledge of stereometry, without which the creation of a perfect step pyramid would not have been possible. The rise of the terraces is so well calculated that they all appea r to be of equal height, without obscuring the view of the other terraces. A perfect harmony of proportion is also displayed in the balance between vertical and horizontal planes.

    Almost the entire surface of the Temple is chiselled with a variety of decorations, of which the bas-reliefs of Vaishaivite Indian myths and epics as well as historical triumphs and dancing figures are the best known. More than sixteen hundred apsar as (celestial nymphs) in different moods and expressions occur at every corner and along the walls of the temple, for example. Of those scenes dedicated specifically to Vishnu, "The Churning of the Sea of Milk" is one of the most celebrated.(Fig. 3) The re Vishnu, the great Hindu deity known as the Preserver who saves the universe from catastrophe, appears in his avatar (a saving manifestation) as a tortoise. Hoping to obtain the Dew of Immortality, the gods and demons (asuras) made a truce so they coul d churn the Sea of Milk using a serpent wound around the World Mountain. When the Mountain began to sink into the Sea, Vishnu, in the guise of a tortoise, sat beneath it to support it. The Sea gave forth delights, including the Dew, which Vishnu obtaine d for the gods alone by assuming the form of a desirable woman, Mohini, who seduced the asuras into abandoning the elixirs. The gods defeated the demons and Vishnu was credited with reconstituting the balance of good and evil. Carved in a style which is formal and heiratic, the silhouetted and repeated forms resemble the rhythmic and measured ritual dances performed by the court dancers of ancient Cambodia.

    These sculptural and architectural monuments of Khmer art were considered the embodiments, or continuations after death, of the kings and their world. The synthetic state cult of devaraja gave all power, both religious and secular, to the god-kings. Authority was concentrated in these leaders and the architecture erected by them echoes their high degree of dominance over the land. After the thirteenth century and the demise of the Khmer Kingdom, these buildings were repossessed by nature and fell into neglect.

    FROM: Linduff, K.M., "Angkor Wat: Cult of the God-King," in Art Past/Art Present, by D. Wilkins, B. Schultz and K. Linduff, New York, 2000, 4th ed.