DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27192#0427
378
FURTHER INDIA.
Book VIII.
giants on sculptured pedestals, the serpent terminating at the
entrance end by a lofty Naga figure io to 12 ft. high, with
from five to seven heads. A similar feature terminates the
balustrades of bridges across rivers or streams, an example of
which, the Spean Taon, is shown on Plate XLIV., Fig. 2. In the
latter case the bridge is carried on great stone piers corbelled
out at the top, the banks being widened out so as to give an equal
passage to the torrent as that enjoyed before the bridge was
built. Across the moats which surround the outer enclosure
of the temples, the bridge is carried on circular or compound
piers, sometimes carrying side walls enriched with Naga figure
sculpture.
In front of the temples and also in parts of the enclosure are
tanks of water known as sras, with stone borders and steps
round. These provide for the services of the temple ; there are
some cases in which these sras are of enormous dimensions,
forming reservoirs to supply water for agricultural and other
purposes.1
The principal approach to the temples is, as a rule, from the
east, unless, as in the case of Angkor Vat, where there is some
special reason for the change, the main road from the capital
Angkor Thom being on the west side of the former, which has
accordingly a western entrance. The entrance gateways to the
several enclosures are called gopuras2 and are cruciform on plan,
owing to projecting wings thrown out on all four sides: the side
wings being of greater length than the others, in some cases, as
at Angkor Vat, having a second entrance on each side. Over
the centre of the gopura is a tower which in the entrance gate-
way of Angkor Thom is carved on each side with Brahma heads.
The gopura is repeated for the entrance of each enclosure, always
being in the centre of the east and west fronts, but on the north
and south fronts nearer to the west end, where the main entrance
is on the eastern side, and to the east end if on the western side ;
the reason being to provide additional space for other structures
within the enclosures on the entrance side, the axis of the
sanctuary and of the gopura being always the same.
In the pyramidal temples and in those of the third class, where
each terrace or enclosure rises from 15 to 20 ft., the staircases
are very steep—in some cases the rise of the steps being three
times the width of the tread. The steps are enclosed between
projecting spurs or ramps of stone, which are richly moulded and
carved, and the width of each flight is of less dimension as it
rises, so as to give the appearance of greater height. In some
of the large temples—in addition to the towers over the central
1 De Lajonquiere, ‘ Inventaire arche-
ologique,’ tome i. introd. pp. 43ft
2 Loc. cit. introd. pp. 3offg.
FURTHER INDIA.
Book VIII.
giants on sculptured pedestals, the serpent terminating at the
entrance end by a lofty Naga figure io to 12 ft. high, with
from five to seven heads. A similar feature terminates the
balustrades of bridges across rivers or streams, an example of
which, the Spean Taon, is shown on Plate XLIV., Fig. 2. In the
latter case the bridge is carried on great stone piers corbelled
out at the top, the banks being widened out so as to give an equal
passage to the torrent as that enjoyed before the bridge was
built. Across the moats which surround the outer enclosure
of the temples, the bridge is carried on circular or compound
piers, sometimes carrying side walls enriched with Naga figure
sculpture.
In front of the temples and also in parts of the enclosure are
tanks of water known as sras, with stone borders and steps
round. These provide for the services of the temple ; there are
some cases in which these sras are of enormous dimensions,
forming reservoirs to supply water for agricultural and other
purposes.1
The principal approach to the temples is, as a rule, from the
east, unless, as in the case of Angkor Vat, where there is some
special reason for the change, the main road from the capital
Angkor Thom being on the west side of the former, which has
accordingly a western entrance. The entrance gateways to the
several enclosures are called gopuras2 and are cruciform on plan,
owing to projecting wings thrown out on all four sides: the side
wings being of greater length than the others, in some cases, as
at Angkor Vat, having a second entrance on each side. Over
the centre of the gopura is a tower which in the entrance gate-
way of Angkor Thom is carved on each side with Brahma heads.
The gopura is repeated for the entrance of each enclosure, always
being in the centre of the east and west fronts, but on the north
and south fronts nearer to the west end, where the main entrance
is on the eastern side, and to the east end if on the western side ;
the reason being to provide additional space for other structures
within the enclosures on the entrance side, the axis of the
sanctuary and of the gopura being always the same.
In the pyramidal temples and in those of the third class, where
each terrace or enclosure rises from 15 to 20 ft., the staircases
are very steep—in some cases the rise of the steps being three
times the width of the tread. The steps are enclosed between
projecting spurs or ramps of stone, which are richly moulded and
carved, and the width of each flight is of less dimension as it
rises, so as to give the appearance of greater height. In some
of the large temples—in addition to the towers over the central
1 De Lajonquiere, ‘ Inventaire arche-
ologique,’ tome i. introd. pp. 43ft
2 Loc. cit. introd. pp. 3offg.