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Arts in Southeast Asia Database
SculptureBuddha image Sheltered by a Naga
The Buddha image is sitting in a cross-legged position. The shin is as sharp as of the real person. The image wears a slanted yellow rope. The rope is very thin with no stripes. The face of the image is calm, the eyes are closed, the corner of the mouth slightly lifted, the hair curls in spiral, the frame of the face is a little convex. There are 3 layers of Naga supporting the image and in the back of the image, there are many Naga’s heads.
SculptureKing Jayavarman VII
Both arms and the left knee of the sculpture of King Jayavarman VII are missing. The sculpture has a plump body, square face, closed eyes with the corners of the mouth lifted slightly; its long hair is put up in a bun shape. The upper part of the body is bare and the lower part is clothed in shorts. The sculpture is sitting in a cross-legged position. The arms are missing so it is unknown as to which gestures the sculpture is making. However, some suggested that it is positioned to pay salutation by putting the palm together; because if the arms are on the laps or in a meditating position, there will certainly be a handprint on the lap.
ArchitecturePrasat Mueang Khaek
Prasat Mueang Khaek is quite large. It was built with sandstone and bricks. Its diagram is rectangular and it is facing north. The important buildings are the principle prasat, 2 Banalais or repositories for scriptures, a curved balcony, an arch or gopura, an inner wall, a pond, and a small brick prasat.The layout of the site can be divided into 3 parts:The first part or the innermost consists of 3 prasats made of sandstone and bricks located on the same base. They are facing north. Only the principle prang has a porch or Mondop in the front which looks like an extension room. There are stairs at the front and at both sides. A sandstone sculpture base was also found at Garbhagriha of the principle prasat and the prasat behind the principle in the east. All three buildings are left with only the base and some parts of the buildings. What can still be found at the principle prasat are window portholes and Luk Ma Huad, decorative pillars at the door frame, sandstone door frame, and the Narai Bantomsin lintel on the top of the front door frame or the Mondop part.Next to the principle prang, there are two brick bases, one on the left and another one on the right, they both are facing the principle prasat. This could be a Viharns or a Banalais. The first part is surrounded by an inner wall made of bricks. The east side of the wall is a rectangular brick building with two entrances on the west and the north. The decorative pillars still remain at the door frame of the north gate.There is only one inner arch, or gopura at the front or the north side (with three gates), that the door frame and decorative pillars still remain. In addition, two more brick bases are found in the corner of the inner wall in front of the principle prasat beside the gopura or the inner arch. The building on the right has a brick paved walkway connecting the building parallel to the east inner wall.The second part is the outer wall. Most of the area was dug into a pond surrounding the site leaving only the center of the front part. The soil obtained from digging was used to make a wall around the inner wall and the pond. On the north side, there is a walkway that connects the innermost or the first part. The front part of the outer wall has a large arch, or a cross-shape gopura matched with the inner kopura (with three doors). Window portholes, Luk Ma Huad, and the sandstone door frame still remain. The third part is outside the outer wall towards the front or the north. There are 2 building bases made of laterite, sandstone and bricks on the left and the right. They are facing one another (The building on the right is facing west, the building on the left is facing east) The upper part may be built with wood. The base of both buildings has a rectangular diagram with a porch protruding towards the front. There are stairs leading up to the top of the base on all 4 sides surrounded by the wall with gopura at the front and at the back (The front one is larger) Inside the principle room of the western building, there are the Shiva lingam and Yoni sandstone base located at the center of the room. There is also a sandstone sculpture base located at the center of the room of the east building. From important evidences that were found from the excavations: the Shiva lingam, the base of Shiva lingam, a Uma Mahesavara carved gable. Indra on the Erawan elephant lintel, Narai Bantomsin lintel, the lintel of an angel sitting in the arch, Nandi sculpture, and 3 inscriptions, it can be assumed that this site was built in the religion of Shaivism in Brahminism, around the late of the 15th to the early of the 16th century B.E. in Koh Ker Arts - transform. The inscription indicates the AD 896 which is year 1028.
ArchitecturePrasat Phanom Wan
Located in a square diagram facing east. The group of principle Prasats are consisted of the principle prasat, Antrala, and Mondop; they are on the same base.The diagram of the principle prasat is square with corners. There are porches and gates in all four directions. The porch in the east is connected to Antrala which is the insulator or porch, which forms a passage to the Mondop at the front. The Mondop has a rectangular diagram. There are gates in all four directions just like the principle prasat. The roof is in a curved-shape. All of them are surrounded with the curved outer wall that have gopuras in all four directions. Each corner of the curved outer wall appears a small square-shaped arch with an entrance and a gate that connects to both sides of the gopuras. In the south of the principle prasat in the curved outer wall area, there is a smaller prasat called Prang Noi. It is a diagram with additional corners. The base was made of laterite. The part of building was made of sandstone. There is only one entrance and one exit in the east. The doors on the other sides are false doors. Nowadays the top has already collapsed. The building of the prasat has not been decorated yet, only the castle-shaped outline can be seen. From the aforementioned characteristics, it is assumed that this Prang Noi is likely to be in the 16th century B.E. onwards. Inside the Prang Noi also enshrined the Buddha's sandstone footprint. In addition, several bases of brick building surrounding the principle prasat were found inside the curved outer wall.
PaintingKhao Chan Ngam Prehistoric color paintings
All paintings are in red color. They are 2-4 meters above the ground. Past studies of the Fine Arts Department and Silpakorn University classified the paintings that were found into 12 groups according to the position found. There are 44 paintings altogether, 32 human paintings, 5 animal paintings (dog, birds or chicken, lizard? porcupine? tiger?), a painting of a bow and an arrow. And 5 paintings that are unable to identify. 2 painting techniques used are silhouette and outline. Most people in the paintings have large calves wearing sarong but no shirt. Women in the paintings have a bird's tail hanging from the waist and form a tassel on their head.Group 1: These are the most prominent and important set of paintings on the east stone wall with the size of 1x2 meters. The paintings are silhouette. There are 2 rows (top and bottom) of a group of 14 people, both male and female, children and adults, and a picture of a dog. Details are as follows:Top row: It is a painting of 3 people. The first person shows only half the body without the head. The second person is standing with his arms open and there is cloth with the striped hem spread out from both sides of the waist. The painting was drawn from a straight angle but the person in the painting is turning his face to the right. The side of the third person is displayed. He is turning his face to a different direction from the second person. This is a painting with a neck, some parts of the body, and thighs missing. Bottom row: It is a painting of people walking in a line. The first painting of the bottom row is about 30 centimeters below the top row. It is a painting of a person standing in a position of shooting arrows with an arrow already being shot out from the bow. The painting shows the side view of the person with hair on the head, cloth hanging from the front and the back and the outer hem of the cloth is with stripes. The back leg of the person was shifted. Next to this painting is the painting of a male dog with upright ears and sword tail. Its body is long and thin. Below the painting of the dog is a painting of 2 persons, one is a man and another one is a woman. One is sitting with the knees up and another one has the top naked with a big belly and a tail like a bird. It seems like they are talking in the painting. Next to that is a painting of a person standing with arms akimbo wearing two pieces of clothes covering the front and the back. The right arm is raised up to the elbow. The painting shows the side of the person. About 20 centimeters from this painting is a painting of a hunchback person with hair on the head, cloth hanging from the front and the back and the front hem of the cloth is with stripes. The right hand is stretching out to hold an object like a cane. In front of this painting is a painting of a person standing with both arms raised as if the person is performing a traditional dance. The back thigh is missing. Next is a painting of a side view of woman performing a traditional dance. In front of the woman is a person stretching out the arms with a veil and there is a cross on the back of the veil. Next to that is a painting of 2 children performing a traditional dance. One child is raising up both of the arms and another one is raising up the right arm while the left arm akimbo. They wear two pieces of clothes covering the front and the back. Following that is a faint red painting. Group 2: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall near the paintings of group 1, but they are on a different stone wall. There is a clear painting of a person running or performing a traditional dance while looking back. The detail from the knees to the toes are missing. This side of the wall has a trace of painting, but has completely faded and only red stripes can be seen. Group 3: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall. It is a painting of a man catching a reptile that looks like a chameleon, an iguana, or a lizard. There are 3 zigzag lines not far from the painting of the person.Group 4: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall. It is a painting of 3 people with no head in a standing position. Two of them are wearing cloth like short skirts above the knee.Group 5: Located on the western side of the stone wall. It is a painting of 3 people standing next to a painting of an animal that looks like a hedgehog or a wild boar. 2 painting techniques were used, silhouette and outline. The animal and the person standing in front of the animal were drawn in outline. Another painting of the person in a running position wearing cloth that covers the front and the back is in silhouette. Group 6: A painting of 3 people. The most completed person is in the center of the painting. It is a painting of a man spreading his arms out wearing cloth that covers the front and the back. The details from the knees and lower are missing. It can be assumed that the person is performing a traditional dance. The other 2 paintings are not completed, one with half of the top part of the body missing and another one with the lower part starting from the hip is missing. Group 7: A painting of an animal that looks like a lion or a tiger. There are 5 red dots in front of the animal caused by some missing colors.Group 8: A painting of 2 people performing a traditional dance. The painting shows only the top part of the body, the bottom part is missing. Group 9: A painting of a person with the arms raised. One side of the tip of the arm and the leg are missing. There are vertical stripes drawn on the side of the person. That maybe the person painting that has faded (?) Group 10 A painting of a person with no head and the body is in a curling position. Group 11 There are three paintings that all may be paintings of 3 people, but the paintings are faded and unclear. Group 12 A painting of a half-body person with the right arm spread out and the left arm paralleled to the ground.
SculptureThe Reclining Buddha
This reclining Buddha was constructed by piling large sandstones and craving them into a Buddha image. It is in reclining on the right (so called Sri Saiyas). The right arm is laid on the ground to support the head. The left arm is place on the body. Both feet are placed evenly. The face is made of craving of several sandstones and has several conventional Dvaravati characteristics including square face, prominent and connected eyebrows, low-looking and prominent eyes, large nose, big mount.
SculptureBuddha Image
A few parts of the Buddha Image remain, namely the feet and the lotus base. The feet are on a rectangular sandstone block with a long tenon below, while the rounded lotus base bears the inscription upon its lower section. In the middle of the base is cut as a mortise hole fitting the feet piece.
ArchitectureThe Main Sanctuary of Prasat Phimai
The main sanctuary was built of white sandstone and oriented toward the south. Its plan consists of an indented-plan tower with entrances on the northern, eastern and western sides leading to the cella or garbhagrha. The antarala is on the southern side connecting the rectangular mandapa of which its entrances are on the southern, (initially, this area should house a statue hence the blocked pathway), eastern and western sides. On the ridge of the roofs of porticos, antarala and mandapa are adorned with finials (brali).Each tier of the stepped roofs is a miniature-form of the sanctuary. The roofs are also adorned with the overhangs and cornered antefixes. On the very top is a kalasa or a water pot symbol, it is believed that there is a metal nine-tiered trident over the kalasa which is now lost. The garbhagrha housesa a Bayon sculpture of Buddha sheltered by naga, therefore this buddha statue was not the original statue of the older main sanctuary. There is also a somasutra or a drainage channel leading northeastward.
