The art and architecture of India - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain (Art Ebook)

412 CEYLON AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA
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parallel rows of the colossal figures of gods and
giants - the 'demons' of Chou Ta-kuan's description
- holding the coils of a great serpent, so
that they appear to be literally using the Meru -
the city of Angkor Thom itself - as the pestle
for their churning of the Sea of Milk [342].
Not only the four faces on each of the towers
of the Bayon [343], but also the head of the
Buddha image found in the ruins of the central
tower [344] are probably to be interpreted as
ideal portraits of the king as an incarnation of
the Bodhisattva Lokesvara. This Buddha statue,
like the central deities or lingas of Hindu
Devarajas, was the very palladium of Empire.
The multiplication of the masks of Lokesvara at
every point of the compass was intended to
indicate and magically to ensure the radiation of
the Devaraja's power to every corner of the
realm. There were not fifty Lokesvaras but one
deity everywhere manifested. The chapels of the
Bayon were all inscribed with dedications from
343. Angkor Thom, the Bayon, head of Lokesvara
342. Angkor Thom, Gate of Victory