The Khmer civilization, today embodied by the
temples
and ruins of Angkor, flourished from 802-1431
A.D.
From the great citadel of Angkor, one of
mankind's
most astonishing and enduring architectural
achievements, the kings of the Khmer empire
ruled over
a vast domain that reached from what is now
southern
Vietnam to Yunnan, China and from Vietnam
westward to
the Bay of Bengal. The original city was built
around
the Phnom Bakeng, a temple on a hill
symbolizing the
mountain that stands in the center of the world
according to Hindu cosmology. Successive kings
enlarged the city, building other temples devoted
to
various Hindu deities and large reservoirs used
for
irrigation, which also symbolized the ocean
surrounding the holy central mountain.
Architecture reached its peak during the Angkor
Wat
style, certainly best revealed in the grand
Visnuite
temple after which this style is named. However,
during this period of architectural innovation,
sculpture instead aesthetically returned back to
an
earlier era, specifically the first half of the 10th
century. The sculptural archaism of this period
may
have been influenced by the politics. Thus, the
renewed grandeur of Angkor Wat sculpture
reflected the
power of the king. It is also possible that
sculptors
looked longingly back at the motifs and styles of
previous periods that had fallen into disuse.
The historical figure, Buddha Gautama
Sakyamuni is the
Buddha of compassion who, having achieved the
highest
evolutionary perfection, turns suffering into
happiness for all living beings. Born around 560
B.C.
somewhere between the hills of south Nepal and
the
Rapti river, his father was a Raja who ruled over
the
northeastern province of India, the district
including
the holy Ganges River. The young prince was
married to
Yashoda when he was about 17 years old and
together
they had a son named Rahula. At the age of 29,
he left
his life of luxury, as he felt compelled to purify
his
body and make it an instrument of the mind by
ridding
himself of earthly impulses and temptations.
This sculpture depicts the Buddha Vajrasattva,
the
Buddha of Purification. In this form, the Adi
Buddha
is the manifestation of the energy of all the
Buddhas,
thus reflecting the influence of monotheism on
this
ancient religion. He is depicted seated in the
Vajraparyanka posture holding the two attributes
characteristic of this form, the vajra, or
thunderbolt, in his right hand and the ghanta, or
bell, in his left. He wears his hair in a high
conical bun, the form of which is highly
suggestive of
a lotus blossom. A diadem encircles his bun and
frames his forehead. Jewerly adorns his ears,
arms,
and neck, reflecting his royal origins. The
sophisticated artistry of the work suggests that it
would have been placed in an important temple
or
palace, where reverant followers whould have
once
payed their respects to the Buddha.
