Module 14: Cosmic Geometries of the Hindu Temple

Bodhisattvas

Buddhist priests who achieved enlightenment but remain to guide others

Mandala

A diagram composed of a circle within a square used as a meditative device; became the basis for plans of both Buddhist and Hindu temples across India and Southeast Asia

Vishnu

The preserver; one of the three primary gods of Hinduism

Shiva

The destroyer/creator; one of the three primary gods of Hinduism

Brahma

The creator; one of the three primary gods of Hinduism

Brahman

in Hinduism; the universal consciousness to which all things are connected

Mount Meru

in Hindy cosmology, a mountain of five peaks at the center of the universe surrounded by seven concentric rings of ocean

Naga snake

mythical multi-headed cobra-like snake

Baray

a large man made reservoir

Prasat

a Hindu sanctuary defined by a square cella which housed a statue of a divinity. the cella was accessed by a single door to the east, the sanctuary’s tower rises in five receding levels, the topmost taking the form of a lotus blossom

Quincunx

five points arranged in a cross; the basis for the arrangement of sanctuaries in Hindu temples at Angkor

Wat

a Khmer temple

East Mebon

Angkor, Cambodia, 950 CE

Pre Rup

Angkor, Cambodia, 960 CE

Angkor Wat

Angkor, Cambodia, 1100-1150 CE

Churning of the Sea of Milk

Angkor, Cambodia, 1100-1150 CE

Suryavarman II (r. c. 1113-1150 CE)

Khmer king of the 12th century who commissioned Angkor Wat; his reign marked the height of Khmer power and artistic achievement

Jayavarman VII (r. c. 1181-1218 CE)

Mahayana Buddhist ruler who transformed Angkor into a center of Buddhist devotion and monumental construction, commissioning the walled city of Angkor Thom and the Bayon Temple with its iconic faces

What are the Vedas?

Hindu scriptures and texts; Rig, Ayurveda, Sama, and Atharva

In Hindu philosophy, Brahman represents:

Universal consciousness

What is the Mandala

the cosmological map of the universe; the visual guide to meditation

Describe the center of the universe in Hindu cosmology

the center of the universe is where the gods reside; it is surrounded by 7 concentric rings of oceans

Which empire built the medieval city of Angkor?

The Khmer empire

During whose reign did the Khmer Empire shift its state religion from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism?

Jayavarman VII

What are the enigmatic faces on the towers of the Bayon Temple generally believed to represent?

Bodhisattvas

Belief in an immortal soul

Ahtman

Belief in karma

Good/bad actions

Belief in Moksha

Realizing one’s Brahman

Belief in Vedas

Basis of Hindu faith

Belief in Dharma

balance in the universe

What are the parts of a Mandala?

Square outside, circle inside

In the mandala, which shape is symbolic of the spiritual world?

circle

In the mandala, which shape is symbolic of the physical world?

square

What plan does Angkor Wat have?

Mandala plan

What central belief is shared by both Hinduism and Buddhism?

A cycle of suffering, death, and rebirth from which enlightenment brings release

East Mebon, Pre Rup, and Angkor Wat are examples of the evolution of the ______________ temple type.

mountain

What does the water surrounding the temple symbolize?

the rings of ocean around Mt. Meru