Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/456

 380 FURTHER INDIA. BOOK VIII. employed, as remains have been found of parallel walls of a much greater width. In the inner enclosure of a temple, on each side of the central axis, and in front of the sanctuary, two other structures are invariably found, which are assumed to have been the treasury for the deposit of the sacred vessels and other properties of the temple and the library for the records ; their entrance doors face the opposite direction to those of the sanctuary ; they are lighted by rectangular window openings closed with balusters such as shown in Plate XLV. ; the sills of the windows of the treasury or library are always about 6 ft. from the ground, and the same is found in other buildings, which are assumed to have been occupied by the women. In some of the temples there are other structures in the rear of the sanctuary ; l thus at Phnom Chisor (Prov. Bati) 2 are five buildings of different sizes and similar in general design, all having doorways facing east which are undoubtedly shrines for divinities of the same cult, whether .Saiva or Vaishnava. The temple of Phnom Chisor is built on an eminence, and is approached by long causeways with numerous flights of steps, there being in front of the gopura a flight of 392 steps ; a second example exists in the Prah Vihear, 3 where the temple is built on a cliff which in Europe would have been selected for a strongly fortified castle. The three largest temples in Cambodia are those of Angkor Vat, Bayon and Beng Mealea ; of these the first named is the best preserved, though of later date, the other two being built at a period when the architectural style of Cambodia had reached perhaps its highest development. TEMPLE OF ANGKOR VAT. The temple of Angkor Vat, literally " the temple of the city," is situated about a mile to the southward of the city of Angkor Thorn itself, and between it and the lake Tonle Sap. As will be seen from the small plan (Fig. 2, Woodcut No. 459) it is almost an exact square, and measures nearly an English mile each way. 4 The walled enclosure of the temple measures 1080 yds. by uoo, and is surrounded by a moat 216 yds. wide. The moat is crossed on the west by a splendid causeway, carried on piers on either side. This leads to the great gateway five storeys in 1 These are analogous to the small shrines connected with Hindu temples, as at Kailas, Elura, at Sinnar, Dhamnar, etc. 2 L. de Lajonquiere, ' Inventaire arche- ologique,' tome i. pp. 16-29. 3 Loc. cit. tome ii. pp. 1736. 4 By the treaty of 23rd March 1907, France obtained from Siam the provinces of Battambang, Siemreap and Sisophon. These include the temple of Angkor Vat, and numerous other examples that bear witness to the splendour of the ancient Cambodian civilisation.