Page:Angkor from Siamese pov - Damrong - 1925.pdf/4

 disseminated everywhere. Monuments as far away as in Siam were modelled in the style of Angkor, diminishing of course in size and proportion, or else copying merely one or other sections of the great sanctuary. Khmer monuments are, therefore, easy to recognise anywhere. They are all fine and imposing.

When we visited the monuments, some of my friends as well as myself, were able to take a few photographs, some of which, together with other photographs taken from other places, were made into lantern slides, which Mr. R. Wening has kindly undertaken to operate on the screen for us to-night. The first picture (Plate I) will show you examples of decoration; one almost pure Indian in style, while the second is a Khmer development thereof.

The best monuments from an architectural point of view are situated in the neighbourhood of Angkor. With your permission, I shall remark upon these as they appear on the screen.

Bayon, the great temple in the centre of the citadel (Plate II), is a Brahmin monument of the Sivaite Cult. It was built in the 9th Century. The idea underlying the whole structure seems to me more beautiful than that of all the other monuments. The dome with human faces is imitated elsewhere, such as on the top of the city and monastery gates, but they abound in Angkor only. A curious point worth drawing your attention to is that, although Bayon was a beautiful conception as a whole, yet an architectural mistake was made in that, while the central dome was being built, it was discovered that the foundations were unable to bear its weight. A terrace was therefore built in between to support the dome, and in this connection several smaller domes were also added. Some of the original entrances had to be stopped up and a flight of steps came into being in rather an unsuitable locality. All these alterations are still noticeable. Owing, perhaps, to its intricacy of construction, the Khmer architects did not seem to have again attempted such structures, but developed another style altogether, as may be seen in pictures of Angkor Wat (Plate III).

Now Angkor Wat is a Hindu monument of the Vishnuite Cult. It is situated to the South of the city, and is perhaps the largest of