Banteay Chhmar
Banteay Chhmar
បន្ទាយឆ្មារ | |
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UTC+07 |
Banteay Chhmar (
The massive temple of Banteay Chhmar, along with its satellite shrines and reservoir (baray), comprises one of the most important and least understood archaeological complexes from Cambodia's Angkor period.
History
Like Angkor Thom, the temple of Banteay Chhmar was constructed during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the late 12th or early 13th century. One of the temple's shrines once held an image of Srindrakumararajaputra (the crown prince), a son of Jayavarman VII who died before him.[1]: 131–132 The temple doors record Yasovarman I's failed invasion of Champa.[2]: 54
The long
Another
: 163The site
The complex resembles
The complex is oriented to the east, where there's a dried baray (about 1.6 by 0.8 km), which had a temple on an artificial island (mebon) in its centre. There are three enclosures, as typical. The external one, largely ruined, was 1.9 by 1.7 km and surrounded by a moat. The middle enclosure, provided with a moat too, is 850 by 800 m. It contains the main temple, surrounded by a gallery with reliefs 250 by 200 m which constitutes the third inner enclosure.[5]
Besides the main temple and the mebon there are other eight secondary temples. Four stelae detailing Jayavarman VII's genealogy were placed (though they remain unfinished) at each of the four corners of the third enclosure wall, mirroring the stelae that occupied the four corner-shrines (Prasat Chrung) of the king's capital at Angkor Thom.
Modern threats
Because of its remote location and its proximity to the Thai border, the complex has been subjected to severe looting, especially in the 1990s.[6]: 385–386 In 1998, 2000 and 2002 the temple was listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of the top one hundred most endangered sites in the world.[7]
For example, in 1998 a group of soldiers stole a 30-metre section of the southern wall.[8] The bas-reliefs of Banteay Chhmar once displayed eight exceptional Avalokiteśvaras in the west gallery, but now only two remain. In January 1999 looters dismantled sections of the western gallery wall containing these bas-reliefs. They were intercepted by Thai police and 117 sandstone pieces of the wall were recovered. They are now on display in the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh.
Villages
- Kouk Samraong(គោកសំរោង)
- Koet(កើត)
- Kbal Tonsaong(ក្បាលទន្សោង)
- Banteay Chhmar Cheung(បន្ទាយឆ្មារជើង)
- Bangtey Chmar Khang Lech(បន្ទាយឆ្មារលិច)
- Kbal Krabei(ក្បាលក្របី)
- Banteay Chhmar Tboung(បន្ទាយឆ្មារត្បូង)
- Trapeim Thlok
- Thma Daekkeh(ថ្មដែកកេះ)
- Thlok(ថ្លុក)
- Kouk Samraong Lech(គោកសំរោងលិច)
- Srah Chrey(ស្រះជ្រៃ)
- Prey Changha(ព្រៃចង្ហារ)
- Prasat Tbeng(ប្រាសាទត្បែង)
- Dang Rek(ដងរែក)
World Heritage Status
This site was added to the
References
- ISBN 9781842125847
- ISBN 9789747534993
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
- ISBN 978-9971-69-405-0.
- ^ Banteay Chhmar on CISARK site Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9786167339443
- ^ World Monuments Watch 1996-2008
- ISBN 978-0-7864-1933-3.
- ^ - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Bibliography
- Freeman, Michael (1998). A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos. Weatherhill. ISBN 978-0-8348-0450-0.
External links
- Banteay Chhmar project summary at Global Heritage Fund
- Explore Banteay Chhmar on Global Heritage Network
- The fundamental 1937 article "Banteay Chhmar: Marvelous Khmer City in Cambodia" by George Groslier
- Banteay Chhmar on Angkorguide.net Archived 2016-06-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Visit Banteay Chhmar
- Banteay Chhmar, Photographic Documentation and Photo Gallery