Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/477

 CHAP. II. CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 401 rendered timber an ephemeral construction, teak being the only wood they are unable to destroy. One or two bas-reliefs give representations of small structures in front of which are groups of figures supposed to represent the King and his family, and these in design are identical with the gopuras which form the entrances to all the temples. CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. The principal remains existing are those of the great enclosure walls and the gates of Angkor Thorn the capital, founded by Jayavarman II., the first king, but not completed or occupied till the reign of Yajovarman, the fourth king. The city measured close upon 10,000 ft. from east to west, and 9,600 ft. from north to south, giving a perimeter of 7 miles to the enclosure walls. Those walls, about 22 ft. high, were surrounded by a moat 300 ft. wide and entered through five gates, one on the north, south and west sides, and two on the east, the most important, called the Gate of Victory, leading to the palace. Its plan, like those of the gopuras to which reference has been made, was cruciform, consisting of a central gateway 52 ft. square, with recessed angles and side wings. Three towers, the upper portions of which were sculptured on all four sides with the Brahma mask in stone similar to those in Woodcut No. 468, rose above the central gateway and the side wings. On each side of the gateway and in the recessed angles elephants' heads and trunks were carved, and above them numerous figures of N^gas and other subjects. This is probably the entrance gateway described by the Chinese visitor in 1295, as he refers 1 to the great heads in stone above the gateways which he thought to be those of Buddha, to the figures of elephants on each side of the entrance gateway, and to the great bridge over the moat in front, on each side of which were fifty-four statues in stone of great height carrying a serpent with nine heads. The trunk of the serpent's body in this case formed the balustrade and at the entrance to the bridge were immense Naga heads similar to those shown in Plate XLIV., Fig. 2. Portions of these figures still exist, as also traces of those in front of^the other gates. Similar parapets have also been found at Banteai Prah-khan, north of Angkor Thorn. The other eastern gate led to the temple of Bayon, already referred to. The palace enclosure, situated nearly in the centre of the city, measured about 2,000 ft. by 800 ft., and was 1 ' Description du Royaume de Cam- bodge par un voyageur Chinois qui a traduit du Chinois par M. Abel Remusat. 1817. visite cette contree k la fin du xiii siecle,' VOL. II. 2 C