The Khmer civilization, today embodied by the
temples
and ruins of Angkor, one of mankind's most
astonishing
and enduring architectural achievements,
flourished
from 802-1431 A.D. From the great citadel of
Angkor,
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.
The Bayon style of Khmer art flourished under
the rule
of a wise and powerful monarch, Jayavarman VII.
The
sculpture became more life-like, reflecting more
of a
human ideal of beauty than the monumental art
of the
previous Brahmanic periods. Bayon works
combined a
tempered realism with an intense
expressiveness. The
famous “Angkor smile,” as epitomized by the
sweet
visage of this bronze Buddha, dates to this
period.
The Bayon period was characterized by its
allegiance
to the Sakyamuni, a temporary religious trend
that
would only last until the resurgence of
Brahmanic
sects shortly after the passing of Jayavarman VII.
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.
Here, the Buddha rests upon a stylized lotus
throne,
or padmapitha, a symbol of his divine birth and
total
purity, posing in the Bhumisparsa mudra, or
“gesture
of touching the earth.” This mudra portrays the
Buddha
taking the earth as witness; it is a gesture of
unshakable faith and resolution. The large
conical
bump on top of his head, known as an ushnisa,
symbolizes his overwhelming wisdom. His
earlobes droop
downwards, having been pulled by the heavy
earrings he
wore in his youth, reflecting his wealthy origins.
However, he left this life of luxury behind and is
shown here wearing only simple monastic robes.
More
than a gorgeous work of art, this sculpture is a
memorial to perhaps the most flourishing
creative
period in the great history of Angkor.
