The Journal of the Indo Nordic author’s Collective

The-indianTwins-of-Angkor-wat
Are the Cambodian temples of the Hindu family?
Dr. UDAY DOKRAS
B.Sc., B.A. (Managerial Economics), LL.B., Nagpur Uni. India
Certificat' en Droit, Queens University, Canada,
MBA (CALSTATE,USA)
PhD Stockholm University, SWEDEN
Consultant –HR and Admin.
“It is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen,
particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration
and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of.”
António da Madelena, a Portuguese monk and one of the first Western visitors to Angkor Wat, to
describe the world’s largest Hindu temple complex. And rightly so, for the incredible detailing
and magnificent scale of Cambodia’s most iconic monument is the ultimate expression of Khmer
architectural genius.

In the late sixteenth century a mythical encounter was reported during an elephant hunt in the
dense north of the Tonle Sap, or Great Lake of central Cambodia. King Satha of Cambodia and
his retainers were beating a path through the undergrowth when they were halted by stone giants
and a massive wall. The King, the fable reported, ordered six thousand men to clear away the
forest overgrowth around the wall, thereby exposing the city of Angkor--"lost" for over a
century.Subsequent reports from Portuguese missionaries described its five gateways, with
bridges flanked by stone figures leading across a moat. There were idols covered in gold,
inscriptions, fountains, canals, and a "temple with five towers, called Angor." For four centuries,
this huge complex has inspired awe among visitors from all over the world, but only now are its
origins and history becoming clear.
This book begins with the development of the prehistoric communities of the area and draws on
the author's recent excavations to portray the rich and expansive chiefdoms that existed at the
dawn of civilization. It covers the origins of early states, up to the establishment, zenith, and
decline of this extraordinary civilization, whose most impressive achievement was the co70,000
people. This book begins with the development of the prehistoric communities of the area and
draws on the author's recent excavations to portray the rich and expansive chiefdoms that existed
at the dawn of civilization. It covers the origins of early states, up to the establishment, zenith,
and decline of this extraordinary civilization, whose most impressive achievement was the
construction of the gilded temple mausoleum of Angkor Wat in the twelfth century, allegedly by
70,000 people.

The Civilization of Angkor-Charles Higham, University of California Press, 2004

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Angkor wat is shrouded in mystery- however much one may deny that. As archaeologist and
anthropologist Charles Higham explains, “Curiously, there are no direct references to it in the
epigraphic record, so we do not know its original name and controversy remains over its function
and aspects of its symbolic status.” Originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, the complex
was later converted to Buddhist use (the word “wat” typically refers to Buddhist monasteries),
and continues to be a site of religious pilgrimage today. Symbolically, west is the direction of
death, which once led a large number of scholars to conclude that Angkor Wat must have existed
primarily as a tomb. This idea was supported by the fact that the magnificent bas-reliefs of the
temple were designed to be viewed in an anticlockwise direction, a practice that has precedents
in ancient Hindu funerary rites. Vishnu, however, is also frequently associated with the west, and
it is now commonly accepted that Angkor Wat most likely served both as a temple and as a
mausoleum for Suryavarman II.

Wall detail of apsara figures, Angkor Wat © Felix Hug / Lonely Planet

Celestial nymphs

Angkor Wat is famous for having more than 3000 beguiling apsaras (heavenly nymphs) carved
into its walls. Each of them is unique, and there are 37 different hairstyles for budding stylists to
check out. Many of these exquisite apsaras were damaged during efforts to clean the temples
with chemicals during the 1980s, but they are being restored by the teams with the German
Apsara Conservation Project. Bat urine and droppings also degrade the restored carvings over
time. These 1,200 square meters of carved bas reliefs at Angkor Wat, representing eight different
Hindu stories. Perhaps the most important narrative represented at Angkor Wat is the Churning
of the Ocean of Milk , which depicts a story about the beginning of time and the creation of the
universe. It is also a story about the victory of good over evil. In the story, devas (gods) are
fighting the asuras (demons) in order reclaim order and power for the gods who have lost it. In
order to reclaim peace and order, the elixir of life (amrita) needs to be released from the earth;
however, the only way for the elixir to be released is for the gods and demons to first work
together. To this end, both sides are aware that once the amrita is released there will be a battle to
attain it.

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The level of detail

Visitors to Angkor Wat are struck by its imposing grandeur and, at close quarters, its fascinating
decorative flourishes. Stretching around the outside of the central temple complex is an 800m-
long series of intricate and astonishing bas-reliefs – carvings depicting historical events and
stories from Hindu mythology.

Henri Mouhot’s etching from 1804

Eleanor Mannikka explains in her book Angkor Wat: Time, Space and Kingship that the spatial
dimensions of Angkor Wat parallel the lengths of the four ages (Yuga) of classical Hindu
thought. Thus the visitor to Angkor Wat who walks the causeway to the main entrance and
through the courtyards to the final main tower, which once contained a statue of Vishnu, is
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metaphorically travelling back to the first age of the creation of the universe.

Like the other temple-mountains of Angkor, Angkor Wat also replicates the spatial universe in
miniature. The central tower is Mount Meru, with its surrounding smaller peaks, bounded in turn

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by continents (the lower courtyards) and the oceans (the moat). The seven-
headed naga (mythical serpent) becomes a symbolic rainbow bridge for humankind to reach the
abode of the gods.While Suryavarman II may have planned Angkor Wat as his funerary temple
or mausoleum, he was never buried there as he died in battle during a failed expedition to subdue
the Dai Viet (Vietnamese).

How was Angkor Wat built?

The sandstone blocks from which Angkor Wat was built were quarried from the holy mountain
of Phnom Kulen, more than 50km away, and floated down the Siem Reap River on rafts. The
logistics of such an operation are mind-blowing, consuming the labour of thousands. According
to inscriptions, the construction of Angkor Wat involved 300,000 workers and 6000 elephants. It
was not fully completed.

Moat
The outermost boundary of a Khmer temple was often surrounded by a moat, a body of water
symbolic of the Cosmic Sea (blue highlights above).This is the Moat. Angkor Wat is surrounded
by a 190m-wide moat, which forms a giant rectangle measuring 1.5km by 1.3km. From the west,
a sandstone causeway crosses the moat. For Hindus, the Cosmic Sea is the source of creative
energy and life, the starting point for the journey toward salvation.The temple visitor begins his
journey by crossing the sea on causeways lined with serpents, beasts similarly intimately
associated with both Hindu and Khmer myths of creation (we explore the serpent in detail in our
guidebook to Angkor).

Outer wall- Enclosure Walls as Sacred Mountain Ranges

Angkor Thom was the capital and walled city built in the late 12th to early 13th century by
Jayavarman VII, the greatest of the Khmer rulers. Within its boundaries are enclosed
temples such as Bayon and Ta Prohm.
From the quite intact and vast environs of Angkor Wat to the tree coiled ruins of Ta Phrom
is a simple journey in terms of miles. But a much more intense one in terms of atmosphere
and mood. Huge trees have the late 12th century temple built by Jayavarman VII, who was
a Mahayana Buddhist, in their octopus like grip. It is a combat once again here — between
the gigantic roots and the crumbling stones. The ruins look eerie yet picturesque which is
why they are the scenic locales for films. For Indians this temple with its many apsaras and
branches torn-asunder walls, has a special significance: The Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI)has helped restore the temple, and conserve it.
Continuing on his way to the center of the temple, the visitor passes through a series of massive
enclosure walls; these walls recreate sacred mountain ranges, symbolic of obstacles that must be
overcome on the path to enlightenment (green highlights in Fig. 1below ). Monumental tower
gateways, called gopurams, grant the visitor passage through the walls, each successive one
revealing a more sacred area, farther removed from the outside world.

The combination of concentric enclosure walls with large gateways was derived directly from
South Indian Hindu architectural precedent. Enclosure walls make their first appearance very
early in the Khmer building tradition — at the late 9th century pre-Angkor site of Roluos in the
temples of Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei — and are a constant feature in all subsequent temples.

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The rectangular outer wall, which measures 1025m by 800m, has a gate on each side, but the
main entrance, a 235m-wide porch richly decorated with carvings and sculptures, is on the
western side. There is a statue of Vishnu, 3.25m in height and hewn from a single block of
sandstone, located in the right-hand tower. Vishnu’s eight arms hold a mace, a spear, a disc, a
conch and other items. You may also see locks of hair lying about. These are offerings both from
young people preparing to get married and from pilgrims giving thanks for their good fortune.

Bas reliefs
Bas reliefs of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, hundreds of metres long
and adorned by hundreds of delicately carved devas, asuras and apsaras that
are so varied in their poses, expressions and attire. Thus, while Angkor Wat’s
architecture is distinctly Khmer, its inspiration is essentially Indian.

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A section of the outer wall at Angkor Wat © Tushar Dayal / CC BY 2.0

Avenue
The avenue is 475m long and 9.5m wide and lined with naga balustrades, leading from the main
entrance to the central temple, passing between two graceful libraries and then two pools, the
northern one a popular spot from which to watch the sun rise.

Central complex
The central temple complex consists of three storeys, each made of laterite, which enclose a
square surrounded by intricately interlinked galleries. The Gallery of a Thousand Buddhas
(Preah Poan) used to house hundreds of Buddha images before the war, but many of these were
removed or stolen, leaving just the handful we see today.

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Towers
The corners of the second and third storeys are marked by towers, each topped with symbolic
lotus-bud towers. Rising 31m above the third level and 55m above the ground is the central
tower, which gives the whole grand ensemble its sublime unity. Five Sanctuary Towers as Mount
Meru
At the center of the temple stand sanctuaries with tower superstructures (red highlights above
picture ).
 The mountain residence of the gods. Under Hindu cosmology, the gods have always been
associated with mountains. The sanctuary’s form, dominated by its large tower, recreates the
appearance of the gods’ mountaintop residence, Mount Meru. The mountaintop residence of
the gods carried particular symbolic resonance for the Khmer people.
 God’s cave. The sanctuary proper, located directly under the tower, is where an image of
the deity resides (see exhibit at right). Its dark interior is designed to represent the cave into
which god descends from his mountain home and becomes accessible to human beings.
 The sacred intersection. At the Hindu temple’s sanctuary, the worlds of the divine and
living connect: the god’s vertical axis (mountaintop to cave) intersects with the visitor’s
horizontal axis (temple entrance to cave). The entire universe emanates from this
intersection, as unity with god is the goal of earthly existence. In Hinduism, god is believed
to temporarily physically inhabit his representation in the sanctuary; the Hindu temple is
arranged to enable the direct devotee-to-deity interaction that necessarily follows. Unlike
other faiths, there is no religious intermediary and no abstraction; god is manifest before the
devotee’s eyes, a profound encounter.

It is here, among the peaks of Mount Meru, that the visitor’s symbolic journey ends in nirvana:
the pairs of opposites characteristic of worldly existence (e.g., good versus bad, right versus
wrong) fuse into a single infinite everythingness beyond space and time.

Upper level
The stairs to the upper level are immensely steep, because reaching the kingdom of the gods was
no easy task. Also known as Bakan Sanctuary, the upper level of Angkor Wat is open to a
limited number per day with a queuing system.

There is very little direct historical evidence of Angkor Wat complex in Kampuchea having any
links with Southern India. The links, however, are part of a larger cultural flora and fauna as
will be discussed below. There is evidence that Angkor Wat, the intriguing temple complex of
Cambodia was inspired by Mahabalipuram sculptures. When one compares the sculptures of
Angkor Wat and the ancient temples of Mahabalipuram, one can find a number of similarities.
The ancient, Indian traders sailed to the South-East Asian countries from the seaport of
Mahabalipuram- interacting socially and commercially with people of many countries in Indo-
China and south East Asia. Khmer King Suryavarman II who was a descendant of the Tamil
Kings Cholas, the rulers of Tamil Nadu is supposed to be responsible for building this huge
complex in the 12th century. Tamil-Brahmi Inscription and sacred prayers in Sanskrit on the
walls of these unique temples are still the “writing on the wall” literally to bear testimony to this.

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From the historical perspective, it is widely acknowledged by everyone that the Angkor Wat
temple is uniquely Cambodian heritage.”Khmer king Suryavarman II began construction on
Angkor Wat shortly after ascending to the throne in 1113. Although the names of any architects
or designers are lost to history, it is likely that Suryavarman’s chief priest and spiritual advisor
Divakarapandita was highly influential in the temple’s construction”. AD Classics: Angkor Wat
Hindu temple architecture is governed by ‘Vaastu Shastra’ written in Sanskrit. Hindu temples are
consecrated by following Vedic rituals, which are basically Indo-Aryan in its core. There is
nothing Dravidian or South Indian about Vaastu Shastra and Vedic rituals.

The principles of Vaastu Shastra allows some variation in the architectural styles. So there are
various regional styles of Hindu temples. Angkor Wat is an example of Khmer architecture,
which is different from the Southern Indian temple architecture. This aspect has been already
acknowledged by UNESCO experts,

“Khmer architecture evolved largely from that of the Indian sub-continent, from which it soon
became clearly distinct as it developed its own special characteristics, some independently
evolved and others acquired from neighboring cultural traditions. The result was a new artistic
horizon in oriental art and architecture”. From UNESCO site, Angkor

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The old name Kambojadesa (Kampuchea) is itself is derived from Sanskrit.According to

Encyclopedia Britannica, “the ancient Kingdom of Cambodia is known as
Kambujadesa”. Kambuja-desa | ancient kingdom, Cambodia. There is a Khmer legend, - Hindu
prince of unknown origins, Kambu Swayambhuva, married a Naga princess named Mera. The
combination Kambu and Mera became Khmer. In Sanskrit the descendants of Kambu became
Kambu’ja’ (meaning born of Kambu), their country became Kambujadesa. Kambojadesa
Khmer and South Indian Temple Architecture Styles have many glaring differences, obvious
even to a casual tourist. Just compare the South Indian on the left and Khmer on the right.

1. Angkor Wat has five central towers in ‘quincunx’ pattern that symbolises the five
peaks of Meru Mountain, unlike the single pyramid shaped tower in South Indian
temples.
2. South Indian temples have characteristic gate towers (gopurams), not found in Khmer
temples (see the photo above).
3. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a water-filled moat, without a central water tank, while
South Indian temples have central water tank.
4. The most glaring difference being Angkor Wat has mountain like towers (gopuram)
representing Hindu mythological Meru Mountain. Unlike the pyramid shaped towers
(gopuram) of South India.

Tamil Influences: There's Tamil brahmi scripture in Anghor wat . There's history of a Tamil
king who went to East Asian countries for trading and to be correct in cholan period . He ruled
Cambodia under a Cambodian king . There's a similar building knowledge and influence it
mixed with another culture and their knowledge of building . ofourse Tamil can't take the full
credits for the temple. But its influence undeniable. Tower looks different but the way if building
it's the same technology unlike pyramid. Carved or moulded it maybe melting . Who knows but
the truth we know is just after the cholan's in the Cambodia the anghorwat was built. That's the

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same period as the most of the south Indian temples built which is similar to that . It could have
been built by khemer people but the technology came from south India and mixed with local or
other technology of building. There's still words of old Tamil And culture.In conclusion, Angkor
Wat was built by Jayavarman-II, a Khmer king, a fact that is well attested by history. There is
nothing to suggest otherwise. Hindu temple architecture including that of Angkor Wat is
governed by ‘Vaastu Shastra’ written in Sanskrit text, and consecrated according to Vedic
rituals, which are basically Indo-Aryan in its character.

Angkor Wat follows the same principles of Indo-Aryan temple architecture but it has uniquely
Khmer style, unrelated to Southern India. There are several glaring differences between South
Indian and Angkor Wat architecture, obvious even to a casual tourist.For more on tamil
Influences read our books-4
1. Hindu temples of Bharat Cambodia and Indonesia
2. Ancient Maritime Trade of the Tamilians & Kalingans
3. DEVRAJA Parts I,II & III

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The gates with or without gopurams or towers just denotes entries or opening , which also
denotes 9 opening in a human body. The above picture shows 4 openings in the external
compound, 4 on the inner compound and 1 entry to the central body . ( garbhagraha )

Water around the temple for defence . There are quite of few temple in india in such style
especially south india ( For eg. Ananthapura Lake Temple). More over water around the
temple is more of an convenience, if you see none of the other khmer or angkor dynasity
temples has water around it.During Raja raja and rajendra chola period their rule were from
Srilanka to Malayasia and their influence even further. Just in Tamilnadu there are 4 types
of different types of temple architecture.

Vaastu shastra itself is from pranava veda a Tamil text which is sources of all 4 vedas which is
mentioned in bhavadam and few upanishads and veda vyasa himself has mentioned in his works
. Ofcourse angkor wat can be said built by Jayavarman-II but by the influence of cholas Cause
the khmers were shaivites and cholas were both shaivites and vaishnavites. Though theTamil
rulers did not build Angkor Wat. it was built under Tamil (Chola) rule.

Suryavarman II built the Angkor Wat. Like many other expeditions, Rajendra Chola decimated
Sri Vijaya empire (modern day Indonesia) at the request of Sailendra . Sri Vijaya was a mightly
empire controlling the Strait of Malacca (present day Chinese nightmare, Lol!). They started
monopolizing the trade route which Cholas and the surrounding kingdoms found difficult to
trade. Though Cholas were friendly with Srivijaya during the Raja Raja chola rule, relationship
deteriorated when they started controlling the trade route impacting Chola trade with China.

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The decimation of Sri Vijaya and the successful expedition and conquest of Malaysia, Indonesia,
Thailand, Burma, some parts of Cambodia and Vietnam earned Rajendra Chola the title
‘Gadaram vendran (one who conquered Gadaram)’ and also made all the kings his vassals. Like
most other far off expeditions, Cholas did not rule the areas directly, rather installed vassals and
collected tributes. This continued for the next 150 or so years though it slowly went down.

It was during the reign of Kulothunga I (Rajendra Chola’s son) that Suryavarman II ascended the
throne in Cambodia. He too maintained friendly relations and had lot of trade relationships. The
South east Asia was abundant with Tamils reining control in trade and polity by and large.
Though all the kingdoms were Saivists (followed God Shiva), the Khmer king Suryavarman II
however, followed Vishnu.

The architecture of Angkor Wat is therefore heavily influenced by and resembles the South
Indian Temple architecture. Like all temples in South India, Angkor Wat also was built to
function as a garrison. The temples are all built like a city in themselves. They provided shelter
and protection for the people during emergencies like war or calamities. That is the reason they
have layered defense structures (wall inside wall inside wall with water and other obstacles in
between) similar to forts. However, Angkor Wat was built as a city in itself to celebrate the
victory of Suryavarman II over the expeditions. This is also characteristic of the chola empire
(Rajendra chola II built Gangai konda cholapuram to celebrate his victory over the Ganges
country). It is a fusion of Chola and Khmer architecture.

Before the Cholas, the Pallavas were quite influential in the South east Asia. Towards the end of
12th century, it was transformed into a Buddhist temple. See our paper on

Building Materials of the Hindu Temples Part II

GRANITES and other ROCKS

With rare watercolors from Mahabalipuram Temples 4

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1. Sailors named this Shore Temple as Seven Pagodas due to its tall structure

It is said that the sculpture in Mahabalipuram and that of Angkor Wat in Cambodia have
striking resemblance. The marvel of the sculptures within the temple complex is that with just a
chisel & a hammer, workers of that time carved not only beautiful statues and more but also tried
to narrate the stories of Gods & Goddess. This temple was constructed by the most famous rulers
of this region, Pallavas around 600-700 A.D. Theyused Mahabalipuram as a trading sea port and

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this temple also acted as the landmark for navigation. This is also the reason that artisans from
many foreign lands worked on building of this temple and other monuments in Mahabalipuram.
Their cultural influence is quite evident here like the carvings of lion & dragon which is
characteristic of Chinese & other South-East Asian countries. It is one of the oldest stone temples
in South India.

When seen from a distance it resembles the Dharamraja rath (Chariot). The shore temple is a
collection of seven temples or seven pagodas as popularly known. Out of these seven temples
five temples are still visible while two temples are submereged in the water. The tip of one such
temple can be seen inside the water during a ferry ride which is available near to the beach area.
According to the legends and history books, Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram was called
‘Kadalmalai’ meaning the land of sea and mountain. Later it got its popular name
Mahabalipuram after the the kind-hearted asura king Mahabali. However, when the Pallavas
started ruling the place, the name was changed again and kept after the name of one the first
powerful kings from this dynasty namely Narasimhavarman-I who was also known as Mamallan.
Here are the interesting facts about Mahabalipuram and the must visit places when in this coastal
town:

In the case of Angkor also, the five stone towers are intended to mimic the five mountain ranges
of Mt. Meru—the mythical home of the gods, for both Hindus and Buddhists. The temple
mountain as an architectural design was invented in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asian architects
quite literally envisioned temples dedicated to Hindu gods on earth as a representation of Mt.
Meru. The galleries and the empty spaces that they created between one another and the moat are
envisioned as the mountain ranges and oceans that surround Mt. Meru. Mt. Meru is not only
home to the gods, it is also considered an axis-mundi. An axis-mundi is a cosmic or world axis
that connects heaven and earth. In designing Angkor Wat in this way, King Suryavarman II and
his architects intended for the temple to serve as the supreme abode for Vishnu. Similarly, the
symbolism of Angkor Wat serving as an axis mundi was intended to demonstrate the Angkor
Kingdom’s and the king’s central place in the universe. In addition to envisioning Angkor Wat as
Mt. Meru on earth, the temple’s architects, of whom we know nothing, also ingeniously designed
the temple so that embedded in the temple’s construction is a map of the cosmos (mandala) as
well as a historical record of the temple’s patron.

Angkor Wat as a Mandala

According to ancient Sanskrit and Khmer texts, religious monuments and specifically temples
must be organized in such a way that they are in harmony with the universe, meaning that the
temple should be planned according to the rising sun and moon, in addition to symbolizing the
recurrent time sequences of the days, months and years. The central axis of these temples should
also be aligned with the planets, thus connecting the structure to the cosmos so that temples
become spiritual, political, cosmological, astronomical and geo-physical centers. They are, in
other words, intended to represent microcosms of the universe and are organized as mandalas. In
our paper

The spread of Hindu Culture and Religion

we have harnessed the knowledge that Tamilians and their trade reached Cambodia amongst
other countries. Hence it would not be difficult to assume that the Temple architects of Chola

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kings also participated in the construction of the Angkor complex. In The Indian twin of Angkor
Wat Cambodia, world's largest religious monument - it is mentioned that the temple at
Mahabalipuram resembles the Angkor temple. 5

The temple at Mahabalipuram

1. Sailors named this Shore Temple as Seven Pagodas due to its tall s tructure

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2. A miniature shrine with the Bhu Varaha (Vishnu) image in a well type enclosure of the Shore
Temple/3. Durga on a lion with small carved shrine in the Shore Temple

4. Sivalinga with Shiva, Uma and their son Skanda in the Shore Temple complex
5. Pancha Rathas (Pandava Rathas) which is popular for its rock-cut architecture

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6. Architectural feature on the Arjuna Ratha in the Pancha Rathas complex

7. Carvings on the Bhima Ratha, Pancha Rathas

8. Olakkannesvara Temple above the Mahishasuramardhini Cave Temple and view of the
lighthouse from there

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9. Krishna Cave Temple is a testimony to the ancient art of Vishwakarma Sthapathis (wooden
sculpture)
10. Pictorial description of the descent of the Ganges and Arjuna's Penance, Krishna Cave
Temple

11. Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill in the Krishna Cave Temple

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12. Re-incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Varaha (boar) lifting Bhudevi, the mother earth from the sea,
Varaha Cave Temple

Another temple that is said to resemble Angkor Wat is the Sree Padmanabhaswamy
Temple
Origin of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple:

A
rare old aerial view of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple RIGHT) Angkor is at left
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Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Of all the Hindu temples in India, the wealthiest by far is the
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. According to Guinness World Records, this temple replaced
the Tirupati Temple (also in India) as the richest Hindu temple in the world in 2011 due to the
discovery of secret cellars containing a vast treasure of gold, silver and precious stones.It is also
said to resemble Angkor and also is a temple built for Vishnu.

One of the Holiest Abodes of Vishnu

The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram, which is situated in the
south-western Indian state of Kerala. The principal deity worshiped at this temple is Vishnu.
According to one source, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the
108 Divya Desams in India. These 108 temples are mentioned by the Hindu Azhvars (saints)
between the 6th and 9th centuries AD as the holiest abodes of Vishnu. Therefore, the Sree
Padmanabhaswamy Temple has been occupying an important place in the Hindu religion for a
very long time.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram on LEFT Angkor at right

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Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple during ‘Lakshadeepam’

There is a blurring of lines between fact and myth, between faith and reason, but it remains an
enigma to the believer and non-believer alike, offering a protective carapace to the faithful.

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Who constructed the temple and when?

Answers to both cannot be retrieved from the mists of time. References in old chronicles,
allusions in a few important Sanskrit, Tamil and Malayalam verse narratives, as well as popular
legends, have together created a distinct and unmistakable chronicle of its antiquity. Anything
connected to the temple was regarded in high esteem and was seen as a symbol of divinity. The
Lord’s was the last word!

Sage Vilwanangalam and Divakara Muni

Legends have woven dramatic and interesting tales about how it all came into being. Among the
lores associated, two stories run on parallel lines and are related to two saintly and devout figures
from different eras — Sage Vilwamangalam and Divakara Muni — the former a Namboothiri by
birth, and the latter a Tulu Brahmin from the northern end of Kerala. What they shared in
common was their intense devotion to Lord Krishna.

The Playful Krishna

It is said that Krishna assumed the form of a human child and was his playful self in the
hermitage, often a nuisance during their prayers. When this became a routine, the normally patient
sages scolded and punished the prankster. The child vanished, reminding them they would have to
travel long and hard to see him again at Ananthankadu.
Journey to Ananthankadu
The repentant mendicants are said to have been on a difficult journey of self-realization and
discovery, and it is believed that they reached the spot where the present temple stands,
presumably the densely wooded Ananthankadu. Both versions make mention of a pariah woman
who was instrumental in helping the mendicants identify the place.

‘Ananthashayanam’

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The vision of the child returned, manifesting as Sree Padmanabha, or Mahavishnu, the Preserver.
Unable to internalize this extremely huge form, he pleaded that the vision shrink to just three
times the size of his ‘yogadand’ or staff which would mean 18 feet in length.
When the transformation took place, the presence of the God made the sage perform three
circumambulations and make an offering of raw mango (the only thing available on the spot) in a
coconut shell. And to this day every ritual offering to the deity consists of the salted raw mango in
the original coconut shell (now covered with gold) used by the hermit.

Presence of a Pariah Woman

The third legend has a leitmotif that combines a human story with an element of the miraculous.
A pariah woman working near the woods saw a lovely infant, protected by a hooded serpent. She
immediately alerted the villagers who reported it to the ruler. Court astrologers confirmed the
presence of divinity and a temple was built at this spot, where the ruler of the land subsequently
built the present edifice.

What does it mean?

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The Virupaksha temple (originally called Lokesvara temple) at Pattadakal in Karnataka

(Dineshkannambadi/Wikimedia Commons)

Subhash Kak’s- 2016 brillient Articles reproduced below 6

Śāstric ( holy hindy) texts describing the plan of the Hindu temple allude to its astronomical
basis, and in this, Indian sacred geometry is not different from the sacred geometry of other
ancient cultures. If astronomical alignments characterise ancient temples of megalithic Europe,
Egyptians, Maya, Aztecs, Javanese and Cambodians, they also characterise Indian temples. For
example, the garbhagriha of certain temples is illuminated by the setting sun only on a specific
day of the year, or the temple may deviate from the canonical east-west axis and be aligned with
a naksatra that has astrological significance for the patron or for the chosen deity of the temple.
A part of the astronomical knowledge coded in the temple layout and form is canonical or
traditional, while the rest relates to the times when the temple was erected. The astronomy of the
temple provides clues relevant not only to the architecture but also the time when it was built.

The Agnicayana altar, the centre of the great ritual of the Vedic times that forms a major portion
of the narrative of the Yajurveda, is generally seen as the prototype of the Hindu temple and of
Vāstu. The altar is first built of 1,000 bricks in five layers (that symbolically represent the five
divisions of the year, the five physical elements, as well as five senses) to specific designs. The
Agnicayana ritual is based upon the Vedic division of the universe into three parts, earth,
atmosphere, and sky (Figure 1), which are assigned numbers 21, 78, and 261, respectively; these
numbers add up to 360, which is a symbolic representation of the year. These triples are seen in
all reality, and they enlarge to five elements and five senses in a further emanation.

The householder had three altars of circular (earth), half-moon (atmosphere), and square (sky) at
his home (Figure 2), which are like the head, the heart, and the body of the cosmic purusa. In the

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Agnicayana ritual, the atmosphere and the sky altars are built afresh in a great ceremony to the
east. The numerical mapping is maintained by placement of 21 pebbles around the earth altar,
sets of 13 pebbles around each of the 6 dhisnya (atmosphere for 13×6=78) altars, and 261
pebbles around the great new sky altar called the Uttara-vedi. The Uttara-vedi is equivalent to the
actual temple structure. Vāstu is the remainder that belongs to Rudra, and Vāstupurusa, the
temple platform, is where the gods reside, facing the central square, the Brahmasthāna. Given the
recursive nature of Vedic cosmology, we know that the Uttara-vedi also symbolised the patron in
whose name the ritual is being performed, as well as purusa and the cosmos.

The underlying basis of the Vedic representation and ceremony are the notions
of bandhu (equivalence or binding between the outer and the inner), yajña (transformation),
and paroksa (paradox). To represent two more layers of reality beyond the purely objective, a
sixth layer of bricks that includes the hollow svayamātrnnā brick with an image of the
golden purusa inside is made, some gold chips scattered and the fire placed, which constitutes
the seventh layer (ŚB 10.1.3.7). The five layers are taken to be equivalent to the Soma, the
Rājasūya, the Vājapeya, the Aśvamedha and the Agnisava rites. The two layers beyond denote
completion, since seven is a measure of the whole. The meaning of this is that the ceremonies of
the great altar subsume all ritual.

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According to ŚB 7.4.1, within the hollow brick in the navel of the Uttara-vedi, a lotus-leaf is
placed upon which is then placed a gold rukma (a disk, with 21 hangings), which symbolises the
sun. The golden purusa (representing Prajāpati as well as the Yajamāna himself) is laid on the
back with the head towards the east on top the rukma.

On the sides of the golden purusa are two offering spoons, like two arms. Upon this image is
placed the already-mentioned svayamātrnnā (self-perforated) brick. In total, there are three such
bricks, in the centre of the first, the third, and the fifth layers. There are seven more bricks placed
to the east of the svayamātrnnā brick in the fifth layer. Next is a wooden mortar, and on top of
the mortar is placed the ukhā, the firepan which becomes the focus of the fire ceremony. The
“sixth layer is the heavenly world, and the seventh layer is immortality” (ŚB 8.7.4.17-18).

That the worship of Śiva, Visnu, and Śakti emerged from Agnicayana is described at length by
Viśvambharanātha Tripāthī in his Agnicayana, which was published by Sampurnand Sanskrit
University in Varanasi in 1990. The temple is not merely the buildings, the deity, but also the
complex of the yajña, pūjā, or ceremonies performed there so that in totality it represents both
the being as well as the becoming. The becoming, or the transformation, requires the use of a
special vocabulary related to inner processes. Briefly, Rudra is one of the names of Agni.
According to Vājasaneyi S. 16.2, Agni has two forms, the auspicious Śiva and the fierce Rudra.
During the building of the altar, Agni appears in its raudra manner, and to propitiate it, the
Śatarudriya homa is performed. This propitiation of Agni-Rudra is also done literally by a stream
of water that drops out of an earthen pot hung over the linga. In one of the constructions of
Nāciketa Agni, 21 golden bricks are placed one top of another to form the linga (Taittirīya Br.
3.1.1.6).

In the Vaisnava tradition, the visualised golden purusa is Visnu-Nārāyana, who emerges from
the navel of the lotus on the Uttara-vedi that represents the waters, and for this reason is also
called Padmanābha. The golden disk upon the lotus is then the sudarśana cakra of Visnu.
In the building of the Uttara-vedi, seven special krttikā bricks (named ambā, dulā, nitatni,
abhrayantī, medhayantī, varsayantī, cupunīkā) together with asādhā, which is the eighth, are
employed. The firepan (ukhā), which symbolises Śakti, the womb of all creation, is taken to
constitute the ninth. Nine represents completion (as well as renewal, as in the very meaning of

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the Sanskrit word for nine, nava, or “new”) and symbolises the power of the Goddess. In later
representation, which continues this early conception, the nine triangles of the Śri-Cakra
represent Prakrti (as a three-fold recursive expansion of the triples of earth, atmosphere, and the
sky).

The ritual is a sacred theatre that describes dualities to help one transcend them. Rather than the
indirect reference to two golden birds of the Rgveda, ŚB 10.5.2.9- 11 says directly that there are
two individuals within the body: the one in the right eye is Indra (representing articulated force)
and the one in the left eye is Indrānī (Indra’s consort representative of Prakrti). “These two
persons in the eyes descend to the cavity of the heart and enter into union with each other, and
when they reach the end of their union, the individual sleeps.”
But our objective here is not on the connections between Agnicayana and the traditional Śaiva,
Vaisnava, or Śākta systems. Rather, we wish to focus on the narrow question of the layout of the
Agnicayana structures and relate it to the specifics of the dimensions of the axis and the
perimeter of the classical Hindu temple. I have described the astronomy underlying Vedic ritual
earlier in several books and papers and it will not be further mentioned here. 1

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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The Śatapatha Br. informs us that the altar is to represent the mystery of time. Its dimensions are
to represent earth. “As large as the altar is, so large is the earth” (ŚB 3.7.2.1) indicates that it
symbolically represents objective knowledge. The Śatapatha Śāndilya says:

— Prajāpati is the year, and the bricks are the joints, the days and nights. The altar is the earth,
the Agnicayana the air, and the mahad uktham the sky. The altar is the mind, the Agnicayana the
air, and the mahad uktham the speech (ŚB 10.1.2.2-3).
— The Year, doubtless, is the same as Death. Prajapati said: “You do not lay down all my forms,
making me either too small or too large. That is why you are not immortal... Lay down 360
enclosing stones, 360+36 yajusmati (special) bricks, and 10,800 lokamprnā (ordinary) bricks
and you will be laying down all my forms, and you will become immortal.” (ŚB 10.4.3.8) The
10,800 count represents the number of muhurtas (48-minute interval) in a year.

The special yajusmati bricks are placed 98 in the first layer, 41 in the second, 71 in the third, 47
in the fourth, and 138 in the fifth layer. These add up to 395; the earth filling between the bricks
is taken to be the 396th brick. The sum of the bricks in the fourth and fifth layers together with
one space filling is 186 (half the tithes in the solar year), the number of bricks in the third and the
fourth layers equals one third the number of days in the lunar year, and so on.
Clearly, the objective is to represent the fact of the 360 divisions of the year (the additional 36
days represent the intercalary month) as well as other astronomical facts. The bandhu-
relationship of the outer with the inner cosmos of the individual required an accurate
representation of the outer so that a correspondingly accurate measure of the inner would become
possible.

To understand how 10,800 lokamprnā bricks can fit the Uttara-vedi altar when the total number
of bricks in the construction of the five-layered altar of 7½ square purusa altar is only 1,000, note
that the ritual concludes at the end of the 95-year progressive enlargements of the altar by one
square purusa per year. When we reach the altar of area 101½ square purusa at the end, the
number of bricks it will require is:
1,000 × 2/15 × 203/2 = 13,533

Since not all the bricks are of the same size, it leaves room to place more than 3,000 smaller,
suitably marked bricks on the fifth layer (ŚB 10.2.1.9-11). When the size of the altar was
smaller, chanted meters could have substituted for the missing bricks.
Some of the ritual directly presents astronomical information as in the arrangement shown below
which is described in the Śatapatha as representing the motion of the sun around the earth (the
nākasads, ŚB 8.6.1). It is striking that this arrangement sees (accurately) the two halves of the
year as being unequal by the use of 29 special bricks in the fifth layer of the altar.

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Figure 3: The representation of the sky in the fifth layer

In the Agnicayana ritual, the ritual was performed in a special area where first the three fires of
the yajamāna are established in the west in an area called Prācinavamsa, “Old Hall”, or Patnisālā,
“Wife’s Hall”, whose dimensions are in the canonical ratio of 1:2.

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Figure 4: The ritual ground

The Prācinavamsa (also called Prāgvamsa) has dimensions of 20×10 (Figure Four). Three steps
(three purusa) from it to the east (ŚB 3.5.1.1) is the Mahāvedi, which is an isosceles trapezoid of
spine 36 and the two sides of 30 and 24 units. The perimeter of the Mahāvedi is 126.25 whereas
that of the Prācinavamsa, taken separately, is 60. But the Prācinavamsa and the Mahāvedi are
two components of the larger sacred ground and, therefore, they should be taken together. This
unitary representation, in my view, is the plan of the prototype temple.

To see the significance of the plan, we now draw the Agniksetra within a rectangular area. It is
appropriate here to be guided by the proportions that are clearly spelt out, such as that of 1:2 for
the Prācinavamsa, as also by numbers that are in terms of the metre numbers, which are used in a
parallel representation of the altar. Amongst the metres, gāyatri (24) is the head, usnih (28) the
neck, anustubh (32) the thighs, brhati (36) the ribs, pankti (40) the wings, tristubh (44) the chest,
and jagati the hips; virāj (30) is invoked in the description of the Mahāvedi.

I think for accord with the measures which are multiples of six, the left area was increased by an
additional 1 purusas to the west to become 24×30 as in Figure Five, which is described as an
appropriate proportion for a house in later texts such as Varāhamihira’s Brhat Samhitā (53.4)
indicating that it is an old tradition. The Prācinavamsa’s share to the perimeter is 24+30+24=78,
which is the atmosphere number. This is also in accord with the notion that the Prācinavamsa is
tripled in size in the completion of the Mahāvedi, going from 10×20 to 30×60.

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Figure 5: The temple plan

This is the basic temple plan, and it has the overall dimensions 60×30, with a perimeter of 180. The
overall temple proportion of 1:2 is attested in later texts such as the Brhat Samhitā and Śilpa
Prakāsa.

In the Mahāvedi, first an area to make the six dhisnya hearths under the Sadas, the shed or the
tent, is marked at six purusa from the left (ŚB 3.6.1.3). To further east is Havirdhāna, the cart
shed, and still further east, the Uttara-vedi, the great altar, in a square shape. One is enjoined to
make the altar with each side the size of the yoke (ŚB 3.5.1.34), which is 86 a¡gulas (120 angulas
= 1 purusa), or in a measure of 10 feet. Eggeling explains that there is disagreement regarding
the location and size since there is another option “between four other measurements, viz. he
may make it either one third of the area of the large altar, or of unlimited size, or of the size of
the yoke or of tem of the sacrificer’s feet”. (Eggeling, Vol II, page 119)
I believe this ambiguity is deliberate since the location of the Uttara vedi would depend on its
size, which is going to vary from 7½ square purusa to 101½ square purusa. In its basic
placement, one would expect the determining factor to be the symmetry with the Sadas of six
purusa width. This means that the Uttara-vedi will be built 54 purusas from the west, or six
purusas from the east.

Thus, the great square altar at the extreme east end of the Mahāvedi is marked off at a point
which is 54 units away from the west end.
As the Agnicayana altars are made progressive larger by one square purusa each year in a 95-
year sequence, symmetry requirements imply that the centre of the Uttara-vedi will come closer
to the west. Therefore, in advanced constructions, the measure of 54 purusa separating the centre
of the Uttara-vedi from the western edge will not hold. A few examples of the shapes of the
Uttara-vedi are given in Figure Six.

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Kurmacit

Syenacit

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Kankacit

Caturascit
Figure Six: Four examples of Uttara-vedi: Kurmacit, Śyenacit, Kankacit, Caturscit

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Three of these represent time as turtle, eagle, and kite; in the later Caturascit, the representation
is square, in the shape of the Vāstupurusa mandala, and it is easy to see how that could be the
prototype for the traditional temple plan. The Vāstupurusa is usually of 64 (or 81) squares in
which the outer squares symbolise the 28 (or augmented 32) naksatras. The eight directions of
space are presided over by eight planets and eight divinities of the naksatras; these squares,
therefore, preside over the daily and the annual motions of the sun and the moon. Within the
Vāstupurusa mandala, 12 more assignments are made in the case of the 81-square plan for a total
of 45 divinities. Utpala’s commentary on the Brhat Samhita 53.75 speaks of how the building
should not face the corners of the square (of the cardinal directions) and how the direction
chosen is related to the remainder when the perimeter is divided by eight, indicating the
importance given to the perimeter.

The Axis And The Perimeter

The Agniksetra or the later temple plan of the Vedic ritual represents two significant numbers,
180 and 54, which, when doubled, correspond to astronomical knowledge related to the 360 days
of the year (attested in the Rgveda) and the ubiquitous number 108, which shows up as the
number of beads in the rosary (japamālā), the number of dance movements (karanas) of the
Nātya Śāstra, the names of the God and the Goddess, the number of pithas, the number of dhāms,
the number of arhats, and so on.
This number 108 has traditionally been derived from the auspicious number nine when written as
1 + 8, from where it also become the auspicious number 18 of the number of Purānas, or the
chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. The number 108 is further seen as being auspicious since it is
27×4 where 27 is the number of naksatras.
Some have pointed to its noteworthy number theoretic properties such as the symmetry in its
representation as the product of the square of two with the cube of three. The number 1,008, also
considered auspicious, is viewed as the enlargement of 108 with the interposition of a zero, but
this argumentation is incorrect since 10,008 is not an auspicious number. In truth, the
auspiciousness of 1,008 is related to the fact that the Kalpa has 1,008 mahāyugas, and thus this
number symbolises completion of time.
In my Astronomical Code of the Rgveda, I argued that the correct interpretation of 108 is the
distance to the sun and the moon from the earth in sun and moon diameters. This number codes a
fundamental measure related to our physical universe. Figure Seven presents these proportions.

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Figure 7: The earth, sun, moon system

The currently estimated mean diameter of the sun, Ds, is 1,392,000 km; the mean diameter of the
earth, De, is 12,742 km; and the diameter of the moon, Dm, is 3,476 km. The estimated average
distance between the earth and the sun is 149,600,000 km, so that
Average Distance to Sun/ Sun diameter ≈ 107.5
The distance between the earth and the moon varies considerably from the average perigee of
363,300 km to the average apogee of 405,500 km, for a mean of 384,400 km.
Average Distance to Moon/ Moon diameter ≈ 110.58
Diameter of Sun/ Earth diameter ≈ 109.24

It is, thus, correct for these distances to be approximated by the figure of 108. The origin of this
number in ancient India may be the discovery that a pole of a certain height removed to a
distance of 108 times its height has the same angular size as the sun or the moon. Therefore, the
knowledge of the astronomical significance of this number in ancient India is not to be taken as
anomalous. But since such a comparison made by the naked eye can only be correct to one or
two percent, it seemed logical to take the number to be the round number 108.
This interpretation of 108 cannot be taken to be a coincidence since we also have the numbers
261 and 78 explicitly associated with the atmosphere and the sky. Taken together, they add up to
339, which is approximately equal to 108×π, in accord with the notion that the sun, 108 units
away from the earth, will inscribe 339 disks from rising to setting. These numbers also show up

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in the very organisation of the Rgveda and other texts, as I have explained elsewhere, confirming
their centrality in Vedic cosmological thinking.
This measure is also at the basis of the estimated distance to the sun in ancient Siddhāntic
treatises. On the other hand, there is no evidence for the correct estimate of the size of the sun.

Discussion
The plan of the Hindu temple, as seen in its earliest form in the Agnicayana rite, is a
representation of the cosmos. Its axis, from the western gateway to the garbhagrha in the east,
represents the distance to the sun (or the moon), and its perimeter represents the duration of the
year in terms of the number 360. Specifically, the ratio 360/108 would characterise the standard
temple in the proportions related to perimeter and axis.
Some later temples deviate from this standard in a variety of ways; in some, the perimeter is not
the lunar year of 360 tithis (or civil year of as many days) but rather its count of 354 days. In
others, the representation of the axis and the perimeter is not in linear measure but rather
expressed symbolically. Eight such deviations from the prototype make the layout unique and
interesting and can tell us much about the cosmological ideas of its times.
The temple itself, in its three-dimensional form, codes several rhythms of the cosmos and
specific alignments related to the geography of the place and the bandhu of the deity and the
yajamāna. The architecture may also incorporate themes related to royal power if it was built at
the behest of a king.

But this does not mean that the relationship of the Hindu temple is to the physical cosmos alone.
The Vedic philosophy of bandhu takes the numbers 360 and 108 to be central to the inner
cosmos of the individual also. Therefore, walking 108 steps to the sanctum, or doing the 108
beads of the rosary, is also a symbolic journey from the body to the heart of consciousness,
which is the inner sun.2

Eleanor Mannikka also explains in her book Angkor Wat: Time, Space and Kingship that the
spatial dimensions of Angkor Wat parallel the lengths of the four ages (Yuga) of classical Hindu
thought.

A yuga (Sanskrit: युग, lit. 'age'), in Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism), is a large period of time, as
it relates to the past, present and future. It is mostly used to describe one of the four dharmic ages
- Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga or Kali Yuga -, or a cycle of the four ages, Chatur
Yuga.Depending on context, it can refer to one of the seasons, generations, reigns, kalpas (days
of Brahma), stages of creation (manifest, maintain, unmanifest), or 1,000 year periods.The
archaic form of the Sanskrit word "yuga" is "yug". Other forms are "yugam", "yugānāṃ" and
"yuge". In latin language, "juga", or "jug", is used from "jugum", meaning "yoke", used to
connect two oxen (e.g. cali-juga = kali-yuga). The word "yuga", as well as "yoga", is derived
from Sanskrit: युज्, romanized: yuj, lit. 'to join, or yoke', believed to be derived from proto-Indo-
European language yeug, 'to join or unite'[6].
There are a total of four yugas: Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga, each
having 1/4th less duration and dharma than the previous (Satya most, Kali least). The descending
yugas see a gradual decline of dharma, wisdom, knowledge, intellectual capability, lifespan,
emotional and physical strength.

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Within a yuga are Sandhis, or a starting Sandhya and ending Sandhyansa, both lasting 1/10th the
main part of the yuga. Most of the characteristic changes can occur in
these Sandhyas and Sandhyansas, especially if that change is from Kali Yuga to Satya Yuga (two
extremes).

 Satya Yuga (Krita Yuga, "the age of truth", or "hindu golden age"): the first and best yuga.
It is the age of truth and perfection. This yuga has no crime, and all humans are kind and
friendly. The Krita Yuga is so named because there is one religion, and all people are
saintly : therefore they are not required to perform religious ceremonies. Humans are long
living, powerfully built, honest, youthful, vigorous, erudite and virtuous. The Vedas are one.
All mankind can attain to supreme blessedness. There is no agriculture or mining, as the
earth yields those riches on its own. Weather is pleasant, and everyone is happy. There is no
religious sect. There is no disease, decrepitude, or fear of anything . Virtue reigns supreme.
Human stature is 21 cubits (33 ft, 6 inches). Average human lifespan is 400 years

 Treta Yuga: this is the second yuga in chronological order. "Treta" means the "third", there
are 3 quarter virtues or truth, and 1 quarter sin or untruth. In this age, virtue diminishes
slightly. At the beginning of the age, many emperors rise to dominance and conquer the
world. Wars become frequent and weather begins to change to extremities. People become
slightly diminished, compared to their predecessors. Agriculture, labour and mining become
existent.There are 3 quarter virtues and 1 quarter sin. Normal human stature is 14 cubits (22
ft, 4 inches). Average human lifespan is 300 years[

 Dvapara Yuga: this is the third yuga in order. "Dvapara" means "two"/"second, there are 2
quarter virtues or truth and 2 quarter sin or untruth. In this age, people become tainted with
qualities, and aren't as strong as their ancestors. Diseases become rampant. Humans are
discontent and fight each other. Vedas are divided into four parts. People still possess
characteristics of youth in old age. Average lifespan of humans is around a few centuries.
There are 1 half virtue and 1 half sin. Normal human stature is 7 cubits (11 ft, 2 inches).
Average human lifespan is 200 years[

 Kali Yuga: the final age. It is the age of darkness and ignorance. People stop
following dharma, and lack virtue. They become slaves to their passions and are barely as
powerful as their earliest ancestors in the Satya Yuga. Society falls into disuse, and people
become liars and hypocrites. Knowledge is lost, and scriptures are diminished. Humans eat
forbidden and dirty food. The environment is polluted, water and food become scarce.
Wealth is heavily diminished. Families become non-existent. There is 1 quarter virtue, and 3
quarter sins. Normal human stature is 3.5 cubits (5 ft, 3 inches). Average human lifespan is
100 years.

1.Thus the visitor to Angkor Wat who walks the causeway to the main entrance and through the
courtyards to the final main tower, which once contained a statue of Vishnu, is metaphorically
travelling back to the first age of the creation of the universe.
2. Like the other temple-mountains of Angkor, Angkor Wat also replicates the spatial universe in
miniature. The central tower is Mount Meru, with its surrounding smaller peaks, bounded in turn

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by continents (the lower courtyards) and the oceans (the moat). The seven-
headed naga (mythical serpent) becomes a symbolic rainbow bridge for humankind to reach the
abode of the gods.

While Suryavarman II may have planned Angkor Wat as his funerary temple or mausoleum, he
was never buried there as he died in battle during a failed expedition to subdue the Dai Viet
(Vietnamese). It has long been known that the Angkor Wat temple astronomy is derived from
Puranic and Siddhantic ideas. The Vedic roots for the division of the solar year in Angkor Wat
run into two unequal halves. This division is across the equinoxes and that number has not
changed very much during the passage of time from the Brahmanas to the construction of the
Angkor Wat temple, so it is not surprising that it figures so prominently in the astronomy. It also
appears that the count of 189 days may have been obtained by doubling the measured period for
the spring season.
The astronomy of Angkor Wat has the lesson that the medieval and ancient Indian temple
complexes, which were also built with basic astronomical observations in mind, should be
examined for their astronomical bases. 4

Angkor Wat, the front side of the main complex (Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/Wikimedia
Commons)
The great Visnu temple of Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer Emperor Suryavarman II, who
reigned during AD 1113-50. This temple was one of the many temples built from AD 879-1191,
when the Khmer civilisation was at the height of its power. The Visnu temple has been called
one of humankind’s most impressive and enduring architectural achievements.
More than 20 years ago, Science carried a comprehensive analysis by Stencel, Gifford and
Morón (SGM) of the astronomy and cosmology underlying the design of this temple. The
authors concluded that it served as a practical observatory where the rising sun was aligned on
the equinox and solstice days with the western entrance of the temple, and they identified 22

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sighting lines for seasonally observing the risings of the sun and the moon. Using a survey by
Nafilyan and converting the figures to the Cambodian cubit or hat (0.435 m), SGM demonstrated
that certain measurements of the temple record calendric and cosmological time cycles.
In addition, SGM showed that the west-east axis represents the periods of the yugas. The width
of the moat is 439.78 hat; the distance from the first step of the western entrance gateway to
balustrade wall at the end of causeway is 867.03 hat; the distance from the first step of the
western entrance gateway to the first step of the central tower is 1,296.07 hat; and the distance
from the first step of bridge to the geographic center of the temple is 1,734.41 hat. These
correspond to the periods of 4,32,000, 864,000, 1,296,000, 1,728,000 years for the Kali,
Dvapara, Treta, and Krta yuga, respectively. SGM suggest that the very slight discrepancy in the
equations might be due to human error or erosion or sinking of the structure.
In the central tower, the topmost elevation has external axial dimensions of 189.00 hat east-west,
and 176.37 hat north-south, with the sum of 365.37. In the words of SGM, this is “perhaps the
most outstanding number” in the complex, “almost the exact length of the solar year.” But SGM
were not able to explain the inequality of the two halves, which is the problem that we take up in
this paper. We will show that these numbers are old Satapatha Brahmana numbers for the
asymmetric motion of the sun.

The Historical Background of Angkor Wat

The kings of the Khmer empire ruled over a vast domain that reached from what is now southern
Vietnam to Yunan, China and from Vietnam westward to the Bay of Bengal. The structures one
sees at Angkor today, more than 100 temples in all, are the surviving religious remains of a
grand social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and
houses - were all built of wood and are long since decayed and gone. As in most parts of India,
where wood was plentiful, only the gods had the right to live in houses of stone or brick; the
sovereigns and the common folk lived in pavilions and houses of wood.
Over the half-millenia of Khmer rule, the city of Angkor became a great pilgrimage destination
because of the notion of Devaraja, which has been explained by Lokesh Chandra as a coronation
icon. Jayavarman II (802-850) was the first to use this royal icon. According to Lokesh Chandra,
Devaraja means ‘King of the Gods’ and not ‘God-King’. He is Indra and refers to the highly
efficacious aindra mahabhiseka of the Rgvedic rajasuya tradition as elaborated in the
Aitareyabrahmana. It was not a simple but a great coronation, a mahabhiseka. It was of
extraordinary significance that Jayavarman II performed a Rgvedic rite, which lent him
charismatic authority.

The increasingly larger temples built by the Khmer kings continued to function as the locus of
the devotion to the Devaraja, and were at the same time earthly and symbolic representations of
mythical Mt Meru, the cosmological home of the Hindu gods and the axis of the world-system.
The symbol of the king’s divine authority was the sign (linga) of Siva within the temple’s inner
sanctuary, which represented both the axes of physical and the psychological worlds. The
worship of Siva and Visnu separately, and together as Harihara, had been popular for
considerable time in southeast Asia; Jayavarman’s chief innovation was to use ancient Vedic
mahabhiseka to define the symbol of government. To quote Lokesh Chandra further,

The icon used by Jayavarman II for his aindra mahabhiseka, his Devaraja = Indra (icon), became
the symbol of the Cambodian state, as the sacred and secular sovereignty denoted by

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Prajapatısvara/Brahma, as the continuity of the vital flow of the universal (jagat) into the stability
of the terrestrial kingdom (raja = rajya). As the founder of the new Kambuja state, he contributed
a national palladium under its Cambodian appellation kamraten jagat ta raja/rajya. Whenever the
capital was transferred by his successors, it was taken to the new nagara, for it had to be
constantly in the capital.

Angkor Wat is the supreme masterpiece of Khmer art. The descriptions of the temple fall far
short of communicating the great size, the perfect proportions and the astoundingly beautiful
sculpture that everywhere presents itself to the viewer.
As an aside, it should be mentioned that some European scholars tended to date Angkor Wat as
being after the fourteenth century. The principal reason was that some decorative motifs at
Angkor Wat show a striking resemblance to certain motifs of the Italian Renaissance. This
argument, which is similar to the one used in dating Indian mathematical texts vis-a-vis Greek
texts, has been proven to be wrong. In the words of Cœdes, “If there is some connexion between
the twelfth-century art of the Khmers, the direct heirs to the previous centuries, and the art of the
Renaissance, it must have been due to a reverse process, that is to the importation of oriental
objects into Europe.”

Astronomy of Altars and Temples

To understand the astronomical aspects of Angkor Wat, it is necessary to begin with the Indian
traditions of altar and temple design on which it is based. And since the Angkor Wat ritual
hearkened to the Vedic past, it stands to reason that its astronomy was also connected to the
Vedic astronomical tradition.

In a series of publications I have shown that the Vedic altars had an astronomical basis. In the
basic scheme, the circle represented the earth and the square represented the heavens or the deity.
But the altar or the temple, as a representation of the dynamism of the universe, required a
breaking of the symmetry of the square. As seen clearly in the agnicayana and other altar
constructions, this was done in a variety of ways. Although the main altar might be square or its
derivative, the overall sacred area was taken to be a departure from this shape. In particular, the
temples to the goddess were drawn on a rectangular plan. In the introduction to the Silpa
Prakasa, a ninth-twelfth century Orissan temple architecture text, Alice Boner writes, “[the Devı
temples] represent the creative expanding forces, and therefore could not be logically be
represented by a square, which is an eminently static form. While the immanent supreme
principle is represented by the number ONE, the first stir of creation initiates duality, which is
the number TWO, and is the producer of THREE and FOUR and all subsequent numbers upto
the infinite.” The dynamism is expressed by a doubling of the square to a rectangle or the ratio
1:2, where the garbhagrha is now built in the geometrical centre. For a three-dimensional
structure, the basic symmetry-breaking ratio is 1:2:4, which can be continued further to another
doubling.

The constructions of the Harappan period (2,600-1,900 BC) appear to be according to the same
principles. The dynamic ratio of 1:2:4 is the most commonly encountered size of rooms of
houses, in the overall plan of houses and the construction of large public buildings. This ratio is
also reflected in the overall plan of the large walled sector at Mohenjo Daro called the citadel
mound. It is even the most commonly encountered brick size.

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There is evidence of temple structures in the Harappan period in addition to iconography that
recalls the goddess. Structures dating to 2000 BC, built in the design of yantras, have been
unearthed in northern Afghanistan. There is ample evidence for a continuity in the religious and
artistic tradition of India from the Harappan times, if not earlier. These ideas and the
astronomical basis continued in the architecture of the temples of the classical age. Kramrisch
has argued that the number 25,920, the number of years in the precessional period of the earth, is
also reflected in the plan of the temple.

According to the art-historian Alice Boner,

[T]he temple must, in its space-directions, be established in relation to the motion of the
heavenly bodies. But in as much as it incorporates in a single synthesis the unequal courses of
the sun, the moon and the planets, it also symbolises all recurrent time sequences: the day, the
month, the year and the wider cycles marked by the recurrence of a complete cycle of eclipses,
when the sun and the moon are readjusted in their original positions, anew cycle of creation
begins.

It is clear then that the Hindu temple is a conception of the astronomical frame of the universe. In
this conception, it serves the same purpose as the Vedic altar, which served to express the
motions of the sun and the moon. The progressive complexity of the classical temple was
inevitable given an attempt to bring in the cycles of the planets and other ideas of the yugas into
the scheme.

A text like the Silpa Prakasa would be expected to express the principles of temple construction
of the times that led to the Angkor Wat temple. Given the prominence to the yuga periods in
Angkor Wat and a variety of other evidence, it is clear that there is a continuity between the
Vedic and Puranic astronomy and cosmology and the design of Angkor Wat.

Solar and lunar measurements

Some of the solar and lunar numbers that show up in the design of the Angkor Wat temple are
the number of naksatras, the number of months in the year, the days in the lunar month, the days
of the solar month, and so so. Lunar observations appear to have been made from the causeway.
SGM list 22 alignments in their paper, these could have been used to track not just the solar and
lunar motions but also planetary motions.

The division of the year into the two halves: 189 and 176.37 has puzzled SGM. But precisely the
same division is described in the Satapatha Brahmana. In layer 5 of the altar described in the
Satapatha, a division of the year into the two halves in the proportion 15:14 is given. This
proportion corresponds to the numbers 189 and 176.4, which are just the numbers used at
Angkor Wat.

Consider the physics behind the asymmetry in the sun’s orbit. The period from the autumnal
equinox to the vernal equinox is smaller than the opposite circuit. The interval between
successive perihelia, the anomalistic year, is 365.25964 days, which is 0.01845 days longer than
the tropical year on which our calendar is based. In 1,000 calendar years, the date of the
perihelion advances about 18 days. The perihelion was roughly on 18 December during the time
of the construction of Angkor Wat; and it was on 27 October during early second millennium

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BC, the most likely period of the composition of the Satapatha Brahmana. In all these cases, the
perihelion occurs during the autumn/winter period, and so by Kepler’s 2nd law we know that the
speed of the sun in its orbit around the earth is greater during the months of autumn and winter
than in spring and summer.

During the time of the Satapatha Brahmana, the apogee was about midway through the spring
season, which was then somewhat more than 94 days. The extra brick in the spring quadrant may
symbolically reflect the discovery that this quarter had more days in it, a discovery made at a
time when a satisfactory formula had not yet been developed for the progress of the sun on the
ecliptic.

It is possible that the period from the spring equinox to the fall equinox was taken to be about
189 days by doubling the period of the spring season; 176 days became the period of the reverse
circuit.

Why not assume that there was no more to these numbers than a division into the proportions
15:14 derived from some numerological considerations? First, we have the evidence from
the Satapatha Brahmana that expressly informs us that the count of days from the winter to the
summer solstice was different, and shorter, than the count in the reverse order. Second, the altar
design is explicitly about the sun’s circuit around the earth and so the proportion of 15:14 must
be converted into the appropriate count with respect to the length of the year. Furthermore, the
many astronomical alignments of the Angkor Wat impress on us the fairly elaborate system of
naked-eye observations that were the basis of the temple astronomy.

But since precisely the same numbers were used in Angkor Wat as were mentioned much earlier
in the Satapatha Brahmana, one would presume that these numbers were used as a part of
ancient sacred lore. We see the count between the solstices has been changing much faster than
the count between the equinoxes because the perigee has been, in the past two thousand years,
somewhere between the autumn and the winter months. Because of its relative constancy, the
count between the equinoxes became one of the primary ‘constants’ of Vedic/Puranic astronomy.
The equinoctial half-years are currently about 186 and 179, respectively, and were not much
different when Angkor Wat temple was constructed. Given that the length of the year was known
to considerable precision, there is no reason to assume that these counts were not known. But it
appears that a ‘normative’ division according to the ancient proportion was used.
As it was known that the solar year was about 365.25 days, the old proportion of 15:14 would
give the distribution 188.92 and 176.33, and that is very much the Angkor Wat numbers of 189
and 176.37 within human error. In other words, the choice of these ‘constants’ may have been
determined by the use of the ancient proportion of 15:14. 6

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Sectional Perspective of Angkor Wat and Indian temple at RIGHT Indian Temple

Comparison between Angkor Wat and an Indian Buddhist

temple at Paharpur

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Somapura Mahavihara in Paharpur, is among the best known Buddhist Viharas in the
Indian Subcontinent and is one of the most important archeological sites in the country.
Somapura Mahavihara, an ancient Buddhist monastry was built between 700-800 A.D
during the reign of a Buddhist empire According to the Bengali Vocabulatory, the name
Paharpur (Pahar = hill, pur = locality) means a locality of hill. World-famous Angkor
Wat temple of Cambodia was inspired by this Somapura Mahavihara Paharpur

1. Comparative Analysis of Paharpur Temple and Angkor Wat

2. Within the walls is a courtyard containing the remains of a traditional Buddhist stupa.
3. Each side of the monastery measures some 900 feet (270 metres) in length and is
composed of monks' cells;
4. Each worshipping point, excepting the southern one, has a staircase connection with the
monastery courtyard in front.
5. The monastery is square in plan, being 281m on each side. The structure holds more than
170 such cells and 92 altars of worship.
6. Two entrance provisions on the north and one in the east. Temple plan of Paharpur
7. The central shrine is a terraced structure springing from a cruciform ground plan and
expanding from a mid-pile of square configuration. The unflustered wall surfaces of the
lower two terraces are decorated with friezes containing terracotta plaques showing
different scenes. The courtyard around the central shrine is dotted with several units of
straggling structural ruins. Of them, Panchavede , a group of five votive stupas. Evidence
of other sacred objects and shrines is found throughout, including the Jaina chaturmukhar
structure, which displays the artistic and religious influences of the monastery's three
main residential groups: images of Jaina deities abound on its main walls, and Buddhist
terra-cotta artwork and sacred Hindu sculptures are found on its base walls.
8. During rain, the excavated place becomes a lake, completely placing the lower areas of
the underground room wall together with their unique rock and clay relieves, resulting in

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damage by the activity of salt and dangerous plants growth, while water increasing by
capillary activity impacts the higher areas.
9. Entrance in Paharpur is from north and east whereas in Angkor Wat it is from the west.
10. Sikhara of Angkor Wat ws terraced wheres in Paharpur it could have been terraced but it
is still unknown.
11. Paharpur was of brick and Angkor Wat was of stone.
12. Paharpur monastery is much older than those and more importantly Buddhism spread to
south-east asia via bengal, so is the architecture and its not the whole monastery, only it's
ruins.
13. The 3d image of assumed Paharpur compared with Angkor Wat could have been like
this- Paharpur complex is similar but much smaller in scale to Angkor Wat.The basic
idea is the same, massive central stupa surrounded by smaller and more and more
numerous stupas. Some other diffrences we get are –
Bas reliefs speak of Hindu God Vishnu in Angkor Wat and in Paharpur it speaks of more
or less Buddhist culture. Comparative Analysis
14. Angkor wat has a huge water moat for protection whereas Paharpur does not have it.

One of the few countries to have diplomatic relations with Cambodia in the 1980’s, India
accepted the south-east Asian nation’s request to restore Angkor Wat and signed a six-year
agreement regarding the same.Following this, it assigned funds and a team of ASI archaeologists
for the historic project.Dr. B Narasimhaiah, who has written a book documenting India’s
contribution (Angkor Vat: India’s Contribution in Conservation, published by the ASI, 1994),
headed the team for much of the time.When the Archeological Survey India team arrived in
Cambodia, they knew they faced a challenging task. The temple complex lay in ruins, with signs
of decay everywhere. Encroaching tentacles of wilderness had torn asunder the courtyards, moss
had turned the walls sooty black and a thick green blanket of water hyacinth carpeted the moat.
the Indian archeologists persevered with the help of Cambodian workers and in the presence of an
armed escort. Employing conservation techniques and material available at the time, they begun
the mammoth task that had been started by French conservators (who had fled in 1972 leaving
their work unfinished).Spending Rs 30 million over a period of seven years, the ASI team
completed the task in 1993. For the war-weary Cambodians, this restoration deeply endeared

India to them.

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As Cheng Phon, Cambodia’s then-minister of culture had dramatically said in 1988:“By restoring
Angkor Wat, the Indian team is in fact healing our souls.”

https://www.thebetterindia.com/146776/asi-angkor-wat-india-connection-cambodia-
history/Of Legends & Legacy: The Unique Link Between India & Cambodia’s Angkor
Wat!

REFERENCES

1.The Classical Hindu Temple: An Embodiment Of The Astronomical Knowledge Of The

Time,bySubhash Kak- 2016 https://swarajyamag.com/culture/the-classical-hindu-temple-an-
embodiment-of-the-astronomical-knowledge-of-the-time

2- https://swarajyamag.com/culture/the-hindu-temple-is-a-representation-of-the-cosmos-and-the-
mystery-of-time 2016

3. Eleanor Mannikka explains in her book Angkor Wat: Time, Space and Kingship Angkor Wat:
Ars Orientalis, Published By: The Smithsonian Institution

4.Read them on academia.edu,researchgate.net and scribd

5 https://in.musafir.com/Blog/the-indian-twin-of-angkor-wat-cambodia-worlds-largest-religious-
monument.aspx
6. How The Sublime Vishnu Temple At Angkor Wat Is An Expression Of Vedic Astronomy
Subhash Kak- 2016,https://swarajyamag.com/culture/how-the-sublime-vishnu-temple-at-angkor-
wat-is-an-expression-of-vedic-astronomyThis piece was first published as a paper titled ‘The
Solar Numbers in Angkor Wat’
The other two works brilliantly written by the author and quoted ad verbatim here are: The
Classical Hindu Temple: An Embodiment Of The Astronomical Knowledge Of The Time
The Hindu Temple Is A Representation Of The Cosmos And The Mystery Of Time

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