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Overview
In her exploration of Angkor Wat, Mannikka found that the key to understanding the temple lay in the measurement system used by its original builders. By translating meters into cubits, she uncovered a highly sophisticated system of philosophical and religious principles expressed in the temple measurements themselves. Their lengths record precise astronomical information, including a definition of the celestial ecliptic, the north-south oscillation of the sun each year, and equinox and solstice days. The meaning represented in the measurements and their patterns transforms ordinary space into a sacred environment. The measurements connect the temple to the stars and the cosmos, bridge the gap between human and divine realms, help unite the king and his deity - in short, they define how time, space, kingship, and divinity exist inseparably from each other. Mannikka takes the reader on a detailed tour of Angkor Wat, moving from the western entrance bridge, across the long causeway to the central galleries, and up to the central tower itself, showing what the design of the temple tells us about Khmer beliefs regarding their king, their deities, and the world around them. Detailed temple plans illustrating measurement patterns and numerous photographs of all parts of the temple accompany the text. Angkor Wat: Time, Space, and Kingship shows clearly the role that astronomy, history, cosmology, and politics can play in determining a structure's format and dimensions. The new methods of architectural analysis pioneered here will serve as a model for architectural historians in Asia and elsewhere.Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
For nearly a quarter of a century, Mannikka worked to unravel the logic and symbolism that guided construction of Angkor Wat, the famed 12th-century Hindu temple in Cambodia. Portico by galley by apartment, she links the temple's dimensions to the heavens and to Southeast Asian history. The book, a cross between doctoral dissertation and love letter, has a structure that reflects the temple-as you read the book, you figuratively walk through the building, aided by 209 illustrations (12 in color) and by Mannikka's poetic tributes to the ruin's stones and corridors. The author hopes her book will help form a general paradigm for use in analyzing other temples, but many of her techniques could apply to secular structures whose origins have been obscured by time. Mannikka's growth as a scholar is another subtext, and her honest assessment of what she had to learn to fully appreciate her subject is refreshing ("In 1972," she writes, "my knowledge of astronomy was limited to the shape of the Big Dipper"). Historians, architects and those interested in Eastern religions will compose the main audience for the book, but it is also an object lesson in how to stay with a project for the long haul despite the pressures of a hit-and-run research academy. (Dec.)Dougald O'Reilly
Angkor Wat: Time, Space, and Kingship is a well-written book which presents convincing arguments that enrich our understanding of ancient Khmer society. Scientific American Discovering ArchaeologyBook Details
Published
August 1, 1998
Publisher
Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, c1996.
Pages
360
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780824817206