Beng Mealea ( km, ប្រាសាទបឹងមាលា, , "Temple of Lotus Pond"),
[ Freeman et Jacques, 2006, pp.220-223] or Boeng Mealea, is a temple from the
Angkor Wat period
[Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ] located east of the main group of temples at
Angkor
Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
, on the ancient royal highway to
Preah Khan Kompong Svay The archeological complex of Preah Khan of Kampong Svay ( km, ព្រះខ័ននៅកំពង់ស្វាយ) or Prasat Bakan (according to local pronunciation) or ''Bakan Svay Rolay'' is located 100 km east of Angkor, in Preah Vihea ...
.
The temple
Beng Mealea was built as a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
temple, but some carvings depict
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
motifs.
Its primary material is
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
and it is largely unrestored, with trees and thick brush thriving amidst its towers and courtyards and many of its stones lying in great heaps. For years it was difficult to reach, but a road recently built to the temple complex of
Koh Ker
Koh Ker ( km, ប្រាសាទកោះកេរ្ដិ៍, ) is a remote archaeological site in northern Cambodia about away from Siem Reap and the ancient site of Angkor. It is a jungle filled region that is sparsely populated. More ...
passes Beng Mealea and more visitors are coming to the site, as it is 77 km from
Siem Reap by road.
The history of the temple is unknown and it can be dated only by its architectural style, identical to Angkor Wat, so scholars assumed it was built during the reign of king
Suryavarman II
Suryavarman II ( km, សូរ្យវរ្ម័នទី២), posthumously named Paramavishnuloka, was a Khmer king from 1113 AD to 1145/1150 AD and the builder of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world which he dedicated t ...
in the early 12th century.
Smaller in size than
Angkor Wat, the king's main monument, Beng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the
Khmer empire's larger temples: the gallery which forms the outer enclosure of the temple is 181 m by 152 m.
[ Rooney, 2005, pp.255-258] It was the center of a town, surrounded by a moat 1025 m by 875 m large and 45 m wide.
Beng Mealea is oriented toward the east, but has entranceways from the other three cardinal directions. The basic layout is three enclosing galleries around a central sanctuary, collapsed at present. The enclosures are tied with "cruciform cloisters", like Angkor Wat. Structures known as libraries lie to the right and left of the avenue that leads in from the east. There is extensive carving of scenes from
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
mythology, including the Churning of the Sea of Milk and
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
being borne by the bird god
Garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...
. Causeways have long balustrades formed by bodies of the seven-headed
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
serpent.
It was built mostly of
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
: Beng Mealea is only 7 km far from the angkorian sandstone quarries of
Phnom Kulen
Phnom Kulen (or Kulen Mountain; km, ភ្នំគូលែន, ; ) is a mountain range and a part of Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.
Geography
Rather than a hill range, Phnom Kulen is an isolated chain of small m ...
, as the crow flies. Presumably sandstone blocks used for Angkor were transported along artificial water canals and passed from here.
Despite of lack of information, the quality of architecture and decorations has drawn the attention of French scholars just from its discovery.
World Heritage Status
This site was added to the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
Tentative List on March 27,2020 (originally proclaimed December 1,1992) in the Cultural categor
Gallery
File:Beng mealea map path.JPG, Map of Beng Mealea, from a drawing by Leon de Beylie (1849-1910). In red the partially equipped path used to visit the temple.
File:Ancient Khmer Temple of Beng Mealea - e.jpg, Collapse stone inside the temple complex.
File:Ancient Khmer Temple of Beng Mealea - q.jpg, Carvings of female deities.
File:Beng Mealea ប្រាសាទបឹងមាលា ベンメリア環濠 DSCF4583.jpg, Circular moat of Beng Mealea.
File:Ancient Khmer Temple of Beng Mealea - u.jpg,
File:Ancient Khmer Temple of Beng Mealea - j.jpg,
File:Ancient Khmer Temple of Beng Mealea - b.jpg, One of the raised Architecture of Cambodia#Library, libraries of the outer enclosure.
Image:Beng Mealea 5.jpg, The fine carvings on the pediments.
Image:Beng_Mealea_blind_door.jpg, Blind door, lintel and pediment in Angkor Wat style.
Image:Beng Mealea Five Heads Naga.jpg, The magnificent five-headed nagas of the cruciform terraces.
Image:Beng Mealea 3.jpg, Vegetations taking over the temple.
Image:Beng Mealea 15.jpg, Fallen lintel showing the Churning of the Sea of Milk.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
A Pilgrimage to Beng Mealeaby Willard Van De Bogart
on Andy Brouwer's website
"''Death of an Angel: How antiquities theft destroys Cambodia's past...and future''" - Article about Beng Mealea site damageby khmer-heritage.de
Photos from inside Beng Mealea
{{Angkorian sites
Hindu temples in Siem Reap Province
Angkorian sites in Siem Reap Province