The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. XLIV, Part 1-2, 1956 - Khamkoo

14 John Black
the worship oE the god-king is dedicated to Siva who was represented
in the temple under the form of a linga or phallic emblem. 'l'he
contention is that during his lifetime the king was exalted to the
rank of the go1l Siva, one of the great Hindu Triad.
The sanctuary tower was a red en ted square rp1•asat with doors,
preceded by porches on all sides. Its tower, erowned by a coronation
stone in lotus, was a terraced pyramid intended to symbolise Mount
Meru the abode of the gods and centre of the universe in Hindu
cosmology. It iH possible to calculate from the base, still remaining,
and the proportions of the coronation stone that the height must
have been abont 20 metres. This tower in its sett.ing almost on
the edge of a clifl' 600 metres above sea level must have presented
an imposing sight. Indeell, no better position could have been chosen
in the whole of the Indo-China peninsula as the Olympus of the
Khmer. The antechamber of the sanctnar·y is almost intact bnt the
massive sandstone blocks of the pmsnt lie strewn aronncl the
courtyard. What remains of the prasat about 3 metres above tho
esplanade is a revelation in quality and the amount of work that
must haYe been involved in its construction. 'l'he blocks of sandstone
appear to have been ground almost face to face, so dose and accurate
is the fit. gach block of stone on the section still standing weighs
no less than five tons and several were. dowelled in 24· pl[).ces, the
hole's being nsed for liWng ami to key or dowel in position, Nothing
short of a majoe natural d isaslcr conld possibly have led to the
collapse of this almost solid structnre. Snell is the reason given.for
the shattering of tl.te sanctuary towel', although it is difficult to
imagine how the antechamber which is structurally connected with
the tower, not to mention. tho snt•rounding buildings, remained
intact nuder such circumstances. It has boon said that the fall
of the Jll'asat has much to do with the ruined st(~te of the second
9onrt. Thet•e is no evidence to support this contention. Very
little of the ornamentation which graced the sanctuary tower can
now be seen, 'l'he. fall either destt·oyed the light decoration or
much, if uot all, is buried below the rnin. One displaced lintel
was among the many blocks thrown off, depicting Vishnu on the
Naga cou,ch, whose hooded head was the,p;od's canopy.