MODULE 4: SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARCHITECTURE

I. CAMBODIAN ARCHITECTURE
INFLUENCES
∙ Geographical Influences
A land of plains and great rivers and is bordered by:
Thailand - west and northwest
Laos - northeast
Vietnam - east and southeast
Gulf of Thailand - southwest
∙ Geological influences
Characterized by a low-lying central alluvial plain that is surrounded by uplands and low
mountains. Timber was the principal building material in the delta area together with laterite,
sandstone and terra-cotta brick in the hinterland ∙ Climatic Influences
May to October - the strong prevailing winds of the southwest monsoon bring heavy
rains and high humidity November to March - the lighter and drier winds of the
northeast monsoon bring variable cloudiness, infrequent precipitation, and lower
humidity.
∙ Religious Influences
Most ethnic Khmer are Theravada Buddhists and was officially recognized as
the state religion of Cambodia. ∙ Buddhism – 96.40% (largest)
∙ Islam – 2.10%
∙ Christian (mostly Protestant) – 1.30%
∙ Others – 0.30%
∙ Social Influences
The impact of years of war and civil unrest has resulted in 25% of the households are
headed by women. The Khmer Rouge depopulated many of Cambodia’s towns and
forced people into rural area and also destroyed the educational system. Re-urbanization
began to take place in the early 1980’s.
∙ Historical Influences
∙ Prehistory – stable and organized societies; adopted religious and political ideas from
India
nd th
∙ Furnanese Period (2 to 6 Century AD) – consisted of many small states;
funan as a major sea port ∙ Chenla Period (7th to 8th Century AD) – another
state existed and conquered Funan
∙ Khmer Period / Angkorian Era (9 th to 14th Century AD) – Theravada Buddhism was
introduced
th th
∙ Dark Ages of Khmer Kingdom (14 to 19 Century AD) – experienced great
decline; and lost control of peripheries
∙ French Colonial Period (19th to 20th Century AD) – World War to also occured
∙ Khmer Rouge (20th Century AD) – Pol Pot leader of Khmer Rouge attempted at
agriculture reform which lead to famine, disease and death
∙ Year Zero (Khmer Rouge) – drastic revolution; basic freedom is curtailed and religion is
banned
th
∙ Uneasy Peace (20 AD) – Monarchy was restored
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ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
▪ CHARACTER
o Influence by Khmer architectural styles
o Focused on creating temples
o Carved-stones designs
▪ MATERIALS
o Bricks
o Sandstones
o Laterite
o Wood
▪ STRUCTURES
o Central Sanctuary – home of temple’s primary deity represented by statue
o Prang – richly carved tall finger-like spire
o Enclosure – concentric series of walls with central sanctuary in the midde
o Gallery – passageway running along the wall of an enclosure
o Gopura – entrance building / passage
o Hall of Dancers – rectangular elongated building divided into four courtyards by galleries
o House of Fire or Dharmasala – name given to a type of buildings
found only in temples constructed during the reign of Jayavarman
VII
o Library – functions broadly as religious shrines rather; strictly as
repositories of manuscripts o Srah and Baray – reservoirs created by
excavation and embankment
o Temple Mountain – architectural representation of Mount Meru,
home of the Gods in Hindu Mythology
▪ ELEMENTS
o Bas Reliefs – figures cut into stone walls projecting from a background
o Blind Door or window – facing the east; other sides featured only fake or blind doors
o Colonatte – narrow decorative columns (round, rectangular or octagonal in shape)
o Corbelling – used of corbel arch in order to construct rooms, passageways and opening
o Lintel, Pediment, Tympanum – Horizontal beam connecting two vertical columns
o Stairs – Notoriously Steep
▪ MOTIFS
o Apsaras and Devatas – divine nymphs, celestial dancing girls, female deities
o Dvarapala – human or demonic temple guardians armed with lances and clubs
o Gajasimha and Reachisey – mythical animal with the body of a lion
and the head of an elephant.
o Garuda – divine being that is part man and part bird
o Indra – sky-god reigned supreme but no religious statues and served
 only as a decorative motif
o Kala – ferocious monsters symbolic of time in its all-devouring aspects
o Krishna – scenes of the life of Krishna, a mythical hero and avatar
o Linga – phallic post or cylinder symbolic of the God Shiva
o Makara – mythical sea monsters with the body of a serpent, trunk of an elephant and
head of either a lion, crocodile or a dragon
o Naga – mythical serpents with multiple heads, always uneven in numbers
o Naga bridge – causeways of true bridges line by stones balustraded shapes as nagas
o Quincunx – spatial arrangements of five elements, four at corners and one at the center
o Shiva – worshipped in the form of lingam
o Vishnu – anthropomorphic representations

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▪ EXAMPLES:
o Angkor Wat
▪ Complex temply erected by Suryavarman II
▪ The biggest religious architecture in the world
▪ Initially conceive as a temple mountain, symbolizing ‘meru’
o Phnom Bakheng
▪ Constructed on a natural hill; first temple of Angkor
▪ Build by Yasovarman I
o Prasat Kravan
▪ Constructed by high court officials
▪ Unusual for its row of five brick towers and brick bas-relief within
o Phimeanakas
▪ A single pyramid of Laterite
o Ta Keo
▪ First major temple made of sandstone with each of the five
towers laid out in cruciform patterns
▪ Dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva
▪ Most massive temple of its period
o Preah Khan
▪ A labyrinth of pavilions, halls, chapels
▪ Built by the Buddhist Jayavarman VII in memory of his father
o Bayon
▪ Sweeping bas-relief murals to immortalize victorious battle
and common Khmer life (childbirth, gambling, the
marketplace, etc)
o The Royal Palace
▪ Complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence of
the King of Cambodia o Throne Hall
▪ Sacred seat of Judgement where the officials carry out their duties
o Moonlight Pavilion
▪ Open-air pavilion that serves as stage for Khmer classical dance
o Silver Pagoda
▪ A compound that features a royal temple; it main building
houses many national treasures
o Khemarin Palace
▪ Called Palace of the Khmer King
▪ Residence by the King of Cambodia
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Figure 1 Map of Cambodia

Figure 2 Cambodian Architecture Construction Materials

 Figure 3 Phnum Prang, Angkor Wat

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Figure 4 Cruciform Gallery at Angkor Wat

 Figure 5 Gopura at Banteay Srei

Figure 6 Library at Angkor Wat

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Figure 7 Bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat

 Figure 8 Steep Stairs at Angkor Wat

Figure 9 Asparas and Devatas

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Figure 10 Dvarapala at Preah Khan Temple

Figure 11 Garuda bears Vishnu on his shoulder

Figure 12 Indra at Banteay Srei

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Figure 13 Kala at Banteay Srei

Figure 14 Linga at Preah Khan

Figure 15 Naga

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Figure 16 Naga Bridge

Figure 17 Quincunx

Figure 18 Phnom Bakheng

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Figure 19 Prasat Kravan

Figure 20 Phimeanakas

Figure 21 Ta Keo

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 Figure 22 Angkor Wat

Figure 23 Preah Khan

Figure 24 Bayon

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 Figure 25 The Royal Palace

Figure 26 Throne Hall

Figure 27 Moonlight Pavilion

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Figure 28 Silver Pagoda

Figure 29 Khemarin Palace

REFERENCES
∙ Amistad, Arwin (2013). Slidehare. Khmer Architecture [Powerpoint
Presentation]. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/arwin777/khmer-architecture
∙ Astudillo, Jemimah (2019). Scribd. Cambodian Architecture. Retrieved from
https://www.scribd.com/document/419595128/cambodian-architecture
∙ Chandler, David (2020). Britannica. Cambodia. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cambodia ∙ Linh, Thuy. Best Price Travel.
Cambodia Architecture. https://www.bestpricetravel.com/travel-guide/cambodia
architecture-synonymous-with-khmer-architecture-164.html
∙ Credit all pictures to its respective owners
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