The bird that shelters under its wings. This little temple with its four
square tiers of laterite, crowned by a brick sanctuary, might serve for
a model in miniature of some of its giant neighbors, and is almost as
perfect as perfect as the day it was built...
Prasat Baksei
Chamkrong is located 150 meters (492 feel) north of Phnom Bakheng and 80
meters (262 feet) from the road leading to the south gate of Angkor
Thom. A visit to Baksei Chamkrong can be combined with a stop at the
south gate of Angkor Thom. Enter and leave the temple from the east
entrance.
Tip: The
stairs to the Central Sanctuary are in poor condition but the
architecture and decoration of this temple can be viewed by walking
around it (in a clockwise direction). Those who persist in climbing to
the Central Sanctuary should use the north stairway. It was built in
middle of the tenth century (947), perhaps begun by Harshavarman I and
completed by Rajendravarman II, dedicated to Siva (Hindu) may have been a
funerary temple for the parents of the king with following transitional
between Bakheng and Koh ker
BACKGROUND According
to legend, the king fled during an attack on Angkor and was saved from
being caught by the enemy when a large bird swooped down and spread its
wings to shelter the king. The name of the temple derives from this
legend.
Baksei Chamkrong was the first temple-mountain at Angkor
built entirely of durable materials brick, laterite and sandstone. Even
though it is small the balanced proportions and scale of this monument
are noteworthy. Inscriptions on the columns of the door and the arches
give the date of the temple and mention a golden image of Siva.
LAYOUT Baksei
Chamkrong is a simple plan with a single tower on top of a square
tiered base with four levels of diminishing size (27 meters, 89 feet, a
side at the base) built of laterite (1-4). The height from the ground to
the top of the Central Sanctuary (7) is 13 meters (43 feet). Three
levels of the base are undecorated but the top one has horizontal
molding around it and serves as a base for the Central sanctuary. A
steep staircase on each side of the base leads to the top. A brick wall
(5) with an entry tower (6) and sandstone steps enclosed the temple.
Although it has almost all disappeared vestiges are visible on the east
side of the temple.
CENTRAL SANCTUARY (7) The
square central tower is built of brick and stands on a sandstone base.
It has one door opening to the east with three false doors on the other
sides. As is typical of tenth-century Khmer architecture, the columns
and lintels are made of sandstone. A vertical panel in the center of
each false door contains motifs of foliage on stems. The interior of the
tower has a sunken floor and a vault with a corbel arch.
The
finely worked decoction on the sandstone columns and horizontal beams
above the doors imitates woodcarving. An outline divinity can be seen in
the bricks at the corners of the tower. A three-headed elephant on the
east lintel is finely carved.
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