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The stone carving
skill of the ancient
Khmer was basically
inherited from the
Indian civilization,
however, it was
later evolved into
its own unique Khmer
style. The Khmer
sculptures were
carved from stone
with great
craftsmanship and
many of them
represent the Hindu
deities such as
Shiva, Vishnu,
Brahmans, the
elephant god Ganesha
and many other gods
and goddesses, as
well as Hindu
mythical monsters
such as the serpent
naga, the demon
kala, the giant
makara, and the
mythical lions.
Some large
sculptures even
portray the epics of
the Hindu myths such
as Mahabharata and
Ramayana.
 In later centuries,
the Buddha statues
appeared and
enshrined in many
temples. The most
astounding Buddha
statues are found in
Angkor Thom (Bayon)
where the
magnificent statues
of four-faced
Bodhisattava
Avalokiteshvara, the
lord Buddha, were
sculptured on fifty
towers.
Although
each sculpture bears
the common
characteristics of
the supernatural
being it represents
as described in the
epics or myths, its
details reveal the
personal imagination
of its sculptor.
The good examples
can be seen in the
2000 sculptures of
Apsara in Angkor
Wat; the Apsara are
the female devatas
(angels), and each
Apsara was
beautifully carved
with her own supple
posture, personal
decorations and
unique ornaments.
In addition, some
sculptures depict
the important events
such as the war
against its foreign
invaders while some
reveal the everyday
life of the Khmer
people such as the
relief carvings of
Angkor Thom. |
