Preah Palilay
The Buddhist temple Preah Palilay ( Angkor Thom , Cambodia ) is an atmospheric little sandstone temple from the first half of the 12th century, maybe from the 13th to the 14th century.
investment
Preah Palilay is located in an idyllic, wooded area north of the “Royal Palace” and west of Tep Pranam , in the north-western quarter of Angkor Thom . An unusually steep Prasat stands on a six-meter-high, three-tiered base, which until 2008 was covered by several picturesque trees : an almost chimney-shaped temple tower. The base of this tower measures five by five meters; four entrances with small vestibules open in the main directions, four stairs lead down.
The 50 by 50 m large temple area is surrounded by a laterite wall, which has a three-gate sandstone gate tower in the east, a so-called gopura . A 33 m long causeway leads from the gate tower directly to a 30 m long and over 8 m wide, two-tier, cross-shaped terrace .
Architectural jewelry
The architectural jewelry of Preah Palilay is important for two reasons: firstly, it corresponds in style and quality to that of Angkor Wat , secondly, there are well-preserved sculptures here showing scenes from the life of the Buddha . The contradictions of these statements can hardly be resolved: stylistic parallels to Angkor Wat suggest that it originated in the early 12th century; the Buddhist theme points to an emergence in the reign of Jayavarman VII (around 1181-1220); in the reign of Jayavarman VIII, however, Buddhist sculptures were usually destroyed or chiseled (around 1243-1295). The dating of the temple is therefore problematic.
The terrace is well preserved and shows very harmonious naga - balustrades - seven-headed, crowned serpentine creatures. In the gable triangles of the gate tower there are attractive reliefs , on the outside right z. B. a Buddha who preaches to the animals in the forest of Parilyyaka (hence the name of the temple), and a Buddha who soothes the elephant Nalagiri, on the inside in the middle a Buddha who blesses children. In contrast to comparable buildings in the Angkor area , the temple tower probably had an exterior cladding that had since fallen down; the remains of the relief are of great beauty. Under the rubble in the interior of the tower, parts of two statues are visible, perhaps Buddha statues, at least still venerated by believers today.
Information base
literature
- Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques: Ancient Angkor . River Books, Bangkok 1999, ISBN 974-8225-27-5 .
- Luca Invernizzi Tettoni and Thierry Zéphir: Angkor. A tour of the monuments . Archipelago Press, Singapore 2004, ISBN 981-4068-73-X .
- Marilia Albanese: The Treasures of Angkor . White Star Publishers, Vercelli 2006, ISBN 88-544-0117-X .
- Johann Reinhart Zieger: Angkor and the Khmer temples in Cambodia . Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai 2006, ISBN 974-9575-60-1 .
Web links
- Article Preah Palilay (English) by Maurice Glaize on www.theangkorguide.com, as of June 30, 2010.
- Brief description of Angkor (World Heritage List No. 668, English) on whc.unesco.org, as of June 30, 2010.
Coordinates: 13 ° 26 '44.4 " N , 103 ° 51' 21.6" E