Banteay Kdei
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Banteay Kdei (बांटेकिडी), meaning "A Citadel of Chambers",[1] also known as "Citadel of Monks' cells",[2] is a Buddhist temple in Angkor, Cambodia.
Variants
- Banteay Kdei (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយក្តី, Hindi:बांटेकिडी)
- Prasat Banteay Kdei
Location
It is located southeast of Ta Prohm and east of Angkor Thom. It is 3 kms east of Angkor Thom
Origin
The name Banteay Kdei originates from an earlier name, Kuti, which is mentioned in the Sdok Kak Thom.
History
It was Built in the mid-12th to early 13th centuries AD during the reign of Jayavarman VII (who was posthumously given the title "Maha paramasangata pada"[3]), it is in the Bayon architectural style, similar in plan to Ta Prohm and Preah Khan, but less complex and smaller. Its structures are contained within two successive enclosure walls, and consist of two concentric galleries from which emerge towers, preceded to the east by a cloister.[4]
The name Banteay Kdei originates from an earlier name, Kuti, which is mentioned in the Sdok Kak Thom. This stele describes the arrival of Jayavarman II to the area, "When they arrived at the eastern district, the king bestowed an estate and a village called Kuti upon the family of the royal chaplain." This royal chaplain was the Brahman scholar Sivakaivalya, his chief priest for the Devaraja cult.[5]
The Khmer Empire lasted from 802 to 1431, initially under Hindu religious beliefs up to the end of the 12th century and later under Buddhist religious practices. It was a time when temples of grandeur came to be built and reached a crescendo during the reign of Suryavarman II until 1191, and later in the 12th–13th centuries, under Jayavarman VII. Many Buddhist temples were built, including the Banteay Kdei, from middle of the 12th century to early 13th century. Though Jayavarman VII was credited with building many temples, he was also accused of squandering money on extravagant temple building projects at the expense of society and other duties. He built Buddhist temples in which Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was the main deity.[6] This temple built, conforming to the style of the Ta Prohm and Preah Khan temples in the vicinity during the same period by Jayavarman VII, but of a smaller size, was built as a Buddhist monastic complex on the site of a 10th-century temple built by Rajendravarman. Some small inscriptions attest to the building of this temple by Jayavarman VII and the royal architect, Kavindrarimathana.[7]
Jayavarman VII had come to power at the age of 55 after defeating Chams who had invaded Angkor and subjected it to devastation. His "prodigious activity" resulted in the restoration of Cambodia from its ruins. He was chiefly the architect of the rebuilt capital at Angkor Thom and was called a "Great Builder". He was responsible for building many temples, which apart from Banteay Kdei, included the central temple of the Bayon, Prah Khan, Ta Prohm and many others, and also many rest houses for pilgrims.[8] The reasons for building this temple at its present site is not known. However, it is established that the temple is a contemporary of the Angkor Wat as many similarities have been identified between the two, and also with Phimai temple in Thailand.[9] It is reported to be the first temple built by Jayavarman VII in 1181 AD, opposite to the Srah Srang reservoir.[10]
कुटी
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[11] ने लेख किया है ...2. कुटी (AS, p.200): प्राचीन कंबुज देश (कंबोडिया: दक्षिण-पूर्व एशिया) का एक नगर जहाँ 9वीं सदी के हिंदू राजा जयवर्मन् II की राजधानी कुछ समय तक रही थी. इसकी स्थिति अंगकोरथोम के पूर्व में बांटेकिडी निकट थी.
External links
References
- ↑ Maurice Glaize. "The Monuments of The Angkor Group" (pdf). Banteay Kdei. site-archeologique-khmer.org. pp. 10, 149–152.
- ↑ David Stanford (1 August 2009). Angkor. frances lincoln ltd. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-0-7112-3044-6.
- ↑ Glaize, p. 149
- ↑ Michael Freeman; Claude Jacques (25 January 2009). Ancient Angkor. Kbal Spean. River Books. pp. 147–150. ISBN 978-974-9863-81-7
- ↑ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans. Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.p.98
- ↑ "Angkor". Banteay Kdei Description. Angkor digital media archive. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
- ↑ Michael Freeman; Claude Jacques (25 January 2009). Ancient Angkor. Kbal Spean. River Books. pp. 147–150. ISBN 978-974-9863-81-7.
- ↑ Glaize, p.10
- ↑ David Stanford (1 August 2009). Angkor. frances lincoln ltd. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-0-7112-3044-6.
- ↑ Daniel White (1 March 2010). Frommer's Cambodia & Laos. Frommer's. pp. 121–. ISBN 978-0-470-49778-4.
- ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.200