Preliminary report of the excavation at Banteay Kdei temple, 2010

Journal of Southeast Asian Archaeology, 2022

Monarchs at the end of the Angkor period attempted to change the structure of the state for the coming "age of trade" by introducing Theravada Buddhism to supplant Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism. This paper aims to clarify the intentions behind the construction of Theravada Buddhist monasteries and the urban concept of Angkor Thom, the royal capital of Angkor. By considering the construction period of Theravada Buddhist monasteries, built from the end of the 13 th to 16 th centuries, Angkor Thom was redeveloped as a Theravada Buddhist city. Therefore, this paper presents a typological classification of the numerous Theravada Buddhist monasteries constructed in Angkor Thom, and examines the construction dates for each classification-from platform moldings and sema stones of the remains belonging to each classification. In addition, since the rough chronology of the Theravada Buddhist monasteries in Angkor Thom correspond to the three periods covering the end of the 13 th century to the 16 th century in a certain degree, the gradual transformation of the royal capital of Angkor Thom to Theravada Buddhism are suggested.

1990

conducted survey and excavation of sites in the vicinity of the town of Phimai in northeast Thailand. Phimai formerly served as a regional Khmer sacred, administrative, and commerical center from about A.D. 1000 to 1300. Archaeological and historical evidence indicated that Phimai might have been an important center before its integration into the Khmer state. The approach taken in the research was regional, investigating the development of Phimai as a major center by focusing upon the towns that formed alternative or minor centers and upon the villages and farms that constituted the hinterland for Phimai and supported its development. The primary focus of the investigations was on the fortified or moated sites, sites surrounded with earth walls and moats, first identified on aerial photographs by Peter Williams-Hunt (1950). The goals of the research included the location, mapping, and dating of the moated sites in the Phimai region and determination of the function, date of construction, and present condition of the earthworks at these sites. Two hypotheses were proposed for testing: (1) the concentration of population into these moated sites was associated with the practice of intensive wet rice agriculture, and (2) these sites were centers for long-distance exchange. In a previous paper, Welch (1983) presented preliminary results based primarily on in-the-field analysis of the data. A later paper (Welch 1984) provided a more thorough analysis of the site survey data and their implications in terms of settlement, subsistence, and political organization during the late prehistoric period in the Phimai region. The present paper furnishes detailed information on the excavations conducted at two sites, Ban Tamyae and Non Ban Kham. In particular, this paper

Architectural research, 2011

This study notices that all religions in Central Asia from the fourth century through seventh century C.E. provided considerable hands in keeping a uniform unity through a process of assimilation, although art and architecture were greatly stimulated by the creative genius of the many people. The study thus intends to argue that the common ideas of rituals and primitive forms of religious shrines lead the square-based layout of Buddhist shrines the unity and universality in the architectural products of particular regions or epochs: i.e. the "square-based plan" in Buddhist temples of Central Asia was a significant prototype in the synthesis with pre-Buddhist architectural models and Buddhist universal ideas. Thus, this thesis notes that they did not lose the universal principles of the Buddhist shrine plans due to ritual functions, and even there have been never differences from pre-Buddhist building models remarked by the periods and the venues in which they were produced, although there had been continuous evolutions and adaptive transformations in the local tastes of religious architecture. Accordingly, this study discusses how such plans in Buddhist architecture had been consistently produced within that regional style also representative of the local idioms of architecture, and how they were adopted in the sites, founded on the composition of ritual functions. The foreign architectural cultures were selectively chosen getting along with local building types of each site according to each taste for architecture as a result.

Gyeongju Institute of Cultural and Heritage Research , South Korea , 2024

The ancient Mahavihara site of Nalanda has garnered the attention of researchers for the past two centuries, beginning in the early decades of the 19th century. The work on the knowledge traditions of Nalanda is outstanding, providing in-depth insights into the practices during its existence. The archaeological discoveries are the most important sources for understanding the architectural and morphological details of the institution building of Nalanda. In the last two decades, excavations have revealed considerable evidence of temple remains. The authenticity and integrity of the evidence exposed during early excavations are further attested by archival documents preserved in photo albums and cartographic collections of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). There are authentic material sources, especially drawings from old fieldwork conducted between the 1860s and 1930s are available. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some volumes of albums were traced in the Archaeological Site Museum Nalanda. These collections of archival photographs contain pictures of the excavation works carried out during the early phase. The recent excavations around the Sarai Mound area revealed a cluster of votive stupas attached to the magnificent temple enshrining a standing image of Buddha made in stucco, perhaps one of the tallest statues of the time. In the last two decades, some temples were exposed at the backside of the main Temple site 3, attributed to the 4th structural phase and some votive stupa structures. Analysis of these findings, together with the archival drawings, photographs, and recent excavations, provides great insight into the core material aspect, specifically for the temple remains of Nalanda.

East Asia, but also because it can shed light on cultural processes. Excavations in Korean soil at the end of the 20th century led to a reconsideration of Korean archeology and revealed various unexpected discoveries on the Korean peninsula. From Paleolithic hand axes to Silla tombs, from bronze daggers to dolmens, new archaeological finds reflect the breadth of Korean archaeology. Korean and a number of foreign archaeologists have prepared studies summarizing and evaluating these findings. Korean archaeological interpretations are based on ancient documents, some traditions, and some anthropological insights. Most publications on Korean archeology are in Korean, followed by Japanese. However, there are very few books and articles translated into English. The article describes the general archeology of Korea, material culture samples, settlements, grave monuments and other findings found in different periods. It should also be noted that in the present study was used the original version sourses in Korean.

Celebration Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand Napier New Zealand 24 27 September 2005, 2005

From its early beginnings in the fifth century, the Brahmanic/Hindu tradition created a rich body of temples which spread across India and influenced temple building in Southeast Asia. The legacy of this ancient diasporic movement remains celebrated today in the admiration of Southeast Asian monuments such as Angkor Wat and Prambanan. However this architecture evolved over time through a process of long experimentation with philosophies, world-views, and methods. The architectural forms of such monuments have obvious Indian antecedents but the process of their development into distinctive indigenous forms remains difficult to ascertain. This is due both to the lack of textual accounts from the earliest Southeast Asian civilisations and because their architectural remains are fragmented or heavily eroded. This paper draws on a research project that pieces together fragments of evidence from diagrams and canonical descriptions to photogrammetry of temples in India and Southeast Asia. The intention of this is to establish the degree to which Southeast Asian temples are attributable to Brahmanic/Hindu lineage and influence. It will focus on the role of the early Southeast Asian temple site of Sambor Prei Kuk (lsanapura) in Cambodia. Comparing the relationships between cosmology, geometry and physical form in this earlier sites with both Indian and developed Southeast Asian models, it is intended that its generative role within Southeast Asian architectural historiography can be clarified and more fully celebrated.

Praga Samiksha, Vol.2, number 1, 2014

During our dismantling sandstone blocks from the southern tower of the western Top temple complex, some graffitis, marks and designs were found on the stones. This text just a draft and part of our understanding about the origin of the sandstone source of the temple that was constructed at least several time since the 9th century to the Post-Angkor period.

1973

Im site Chansen is located about 1 km northwest of the modem villag after which it is named, a tambon of Takhli District in the province of ~ akhon awan. It is in the southernmost part of the province, only 2 kIn from the point where it join the borders of Lopburi and Singburi. Present-day acces is not difficult. The tambon lies on Thailand's main north-south railroad line and is connected with the city of Lopburi and the akhli-Cbainat higbway by ao a11weather gravel road. In purely topographic terms, however, Chansen's location cannot be so easily described. Unlike most knowo pre-Khmer "cities" in central Thailand, it is oot close to either a river or one of the abrupt limestone hills that stud the edges of the country's central deltaic plain. There may once have been a canal running southward to meet a slough of the Chao Phya, whose main stream lies 15 km to the west; otherwise, Chansen' immediate neighborhood is quite featureless and deprived of obvious special advantages for communications or defense. But on the other hand, it was not a bad place to build a small city. The surrounding alluvial clay is adequately fertile, the climate i pleasant enough (and less drought-ridden than the area farther north), and the countryside is filled with plants and animals, wild and domestic, that the modern Thais find good to eat. Getting a living must have been comparati ely ea y then, as indeed it still is today. Considering these subsistence possibilities and the fact that the site is located about midway on the land route between the ancient population centers around , hen this paper was submitted, the co-authors were affiliated with the University Museum, University of Pennsylvania. George F. Dales is presently B member of the

Architectural history shows that there has been an inspiration for the architectural marvels in the civilizations like Greek, Roman, Egyptian monuments. Historically, the Greek architecture has followed the Aegeans and later on influenced Roman architecture, the Persian architecture has influenced Indian architecture creating a new category of architecture as Mughal architecture. More so, various styles were developed by taking inspiration from preceding ones from various parts of the world. However, 'Inspiration' in Architecture is not limited to the superficial characteristics but includes much larger arena of factors like the philosophy, theory, concept, spiritual understanding and also ways it is manifested in the architectural form. India and SouthEast Asia has always been a topic of discussion for its resemblance in architectural forms. The paper focuses on how; historically; the architecture of South East Asia has been developed, by taking inspiration from Indian Architecture. This inspiration is much beyond the regular features of the structure and has an impact on the overall thought process of the builders and their creations. An exemplary Angkor Wat temple from Cambodia, which is the largest religious structure in the world and a world heritage site; shows a strong influence of Indian architecture, culture and social systems, which is considered as a marvel constructed from 1112 to 1152 AD, during the Reign of Suryavaraman-II. This paper is an attempt to examine the Indian architectural philosophy which must have inspired the Khmers from Cambodia to construct such unique and perfect piece of Architecture.

CHAPTER I-Sacred Hindu Architecture- and the TOPOLOGY of Angkor p 4 CHAPTER II-Angkor Wat: A bridge to the past p 21 CHAPTER III-Fractals in Angkor p 43 CHAPTER IV- Shape of worship: The architectural philosophy behind the CHAPTER VI-Why is the ANGKOR Hindu temple of aerodynamic shape? P. 80 CHAPTER VII-THE GEOMETRY OF HINDU TEMPLE p 85 CHAPTER VIII Temple Construction p 110 CHAPTER IX-Agama Shastra and The Role in Temple Construction in India Today p 130 ANNEXURE-Temples in and near NAGPUR. Detailed Original Photographs by the author Dr Uday Dokras as a supplement the theme of the book page 151

Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ)

Due to the lack of historical documents, the actual state of Cambodia's early Theravada Buddhism in the late 13th to early 16th centuries has remained virtually unknown. More than 70 early Theravada Buddhist monasteries have been confirmed in Angkor Thom, though a detailed chronology of construction dates and morphological differences have not been sufficiently recognized. This study is an attempt to classify these monasteries into seven types, based mainly on their architectural composition. By applying this typology to remains in other regions of Cambodia and comparing them, the relationship between each type, and the approximate date of construction, were examined.

Archaeological Research in Asia

The Angkor empire (9-15th centuries CE) was one of mainland Southeast Asia’s major civilizations, with a 3000 km2 agro-urban capital located in northwest Cambodia. Since 2010, the Greater Angkor Project has been investigating occupation areas within Angkor’s urban core. This work has identified temple enclosures as important residential areas that made up part of Angkor’s civic-ceremonial center. In this paper, we review excavations from residential areas within Angkor Wat’s temple enclosure. We concentrate on evidence for residential patterning by focusing on our 2015 excavations, one of the largest horizontal excavations of a single occupation mound within Angkor’s civic-ceremonial center. These data offer further evidence for archaeological patterns of residential occupation within the Angkor Wat temple enclosure and a comparative dataset for future research of habitation areas within Angkor as well as domestic spaces in other urban settings.