Prasat Mueang Tam
The Prasat Mueang Tam ( Thai : ปราสาท เมือง ต่ำ , also short: Muang Tam ; roughly: "Palace of the Lower City") is a Khmer temple district in present-day Thailand , about 50 kilometers southeast of the provincial capital Buri Ram .
geography
The temple district is located in the district ( Amphoe ) Prakhon Chai of the province Buri Ram , about 6 kilometers southeast of the Khao Phanom Rung Historical Park .
The temple precinct
The temple area is surrounded by a square wall, which is broken through in the four cardinal directions by gateways ( gopuram ) . The east gate is designed as the main entrance. Inside the temple there are four L-shaped water basins symmetrically in the corners, to which steps lead down. These basins are surrounded by a low sandstone wall, shaped like the body of five-headed nagas . The pilgrims can enter the steps to the water through artfully designed gates at the front of the basin.
In the middle of the outer courtyard is the central sanctuary, which in turn is surrounded by an inwardly open gallery. The inner sanctuary can be entered through four smaller gopuram. The eastern Gopuram is flanked inside by two "Bannalai" (roughly: libraries). The central sanctuary is a symmetrical quincunx arrangement of brick prangs , which is supposed to symbolize Mount Meru with its five mountain peaks.
Outside the temple
Directly north of the temple area is a large, rectangular water reservoir ( baray ) , with the dimensions 1150 x 400 m. Like the temple, it is oriented in a west-east direction (more precisely: from south-south-west to east-south-east). Another, smaller reservoir is across from the northwest corner of the great Baray.
Excavations prove that the so-called Dharmasala route (in Thai: เส้นทาง อริย ธรรม - sen thang ariyatham) passed here. The Dharmasala Route is an ancient road laid by the Khmer in the 12th and 13th centuries, which pilgrims and traders could use to travel from Angkor Wat directly to Phimai . However, it was not dead straight, but connected 17 of the most important Khmer temples in present-day Cambodia and present-day Thailand. The road no longer exists today, but its existence can be determined by so-called rest houses (dharmasala) that were built along the road, as well as by bridge ruins.
history
Due to the architectural design and the design of the lintels , the creation of Prasat Muang Tam can be dated to the 11th century. There are art styles of the so-called "Khleang period", which lasted from about 968 to 1049, a time in which the Khmer kings Jayavarman V , Udayadityavarman I , Jayaviravarman and Suryavarman I ruled, as well as the following “ Baphuon Period”, which lasted from about 1050 to 1080 in the reigns of Udayadityavarman II and Harshavarman III. prevailed.
Attractions
In addition to the impressive overall system, the many lintels are of great artistic quality. However, the originals of the most valuable works of art are now in the Phimai National Museum, and similar replicas were used in the original positions so that they could be confused. Scenes from Hindu mythology as well as depictions of flowers and foliage are shown. Typical are multiple images of the "Kala", also called Kirtimukha (Thai: กิ ร์ ติ มุ ขะ , Sanskrit: "Face of Glory"), a lion-headed demon from Hindu mythology who ate himself in his wild hunger until only his head remained. Lush vegetation grows out of the kala’s tooth-valued mouth, often sloping down over doors and pillars.
Individual evidence
- ↑ "The Dharmasala Route from Angkor to Phimai" (in English)
literature
- Smitthi Siribhadra: Palaces Of The Gods . River Books, Bangkok 1992, ISBN 0-500-97450-0 .
Web links
- "Sundial, calendar and Khmer temples" , page about the Prasat Mueang Tam (in English)
Coordinates: 14 ° 29 ′ 46.4 " N , 102 ° 58 ′ 56.2" E