There are certain words that you will come across again and again as you explore the temples and Cambodian culture. This article gives an overview and brief explanations of some Angkor-specific terms.
A.
Apsara-Dancer
- Airavata (ऐरावत) - White elephant from Indian mythology. Mount of the god Indra. ...more
- Antarala - A portal vestibule / connecting room in Hindu temples.
- Apsara - Mythological figures, a kind of heavenly dancers. They are half divine, half human women. In Angkor you can find thousands, but never two of the same, as relief figures on the temples - especially beautiful at the temple Banteay Srei or in Angkor Wat. ...more
- Ashram (आश्रम) - Name for a Hindu meditation center ...more
- Avalokiteshvara (अवलोकितेश्वर) - is the Bodhisattva of universal compassion (Sanskrit karuna) in Mahayana Buddhism. ...more
B.
- baluster - Supports in the window openings of Khmer temples. They are modeled on turned wooden columns
- balustrade - Railings in which balusters act as supports for a beam.
- Banteay - Khmer: 'fortress' or 'citadel' mostly describes a monastery complex
- Baray - ancient water reservoir, which is usually very large. I. d. It is usually surrounded on all four sides by earth embankments; The Baray is rarely laid out in a natural depression, so that fewer than four dams are necessary. In the middle of a baray there is usually an artificial island with a temple (mebon).
- Library - Outbuilding of a temple. You come i. d. Usually in pairs in front (left and right of the main axis. Opposite the high entrance there is usually a false gate. The exact function of these buildings is not known.
- Beng or Boeung - pond
- Bodhisattva - Mahayana Buddhism: stage in the development of Buddha. Being that stops shortly before reaching enlightenment to help people.
- Buddha - The enlightened one
C.
- Chenla - Chinese name for Cambodia (time before the Khmer kings)
D.
- Devata -
F.
- Funan - State of Indochina, forerunner of Chenla
G
- Garuda - Bird man, pack animal of Vishnu
- Gopuram or Gopura (கோபுரம்) - The term comes from South Indian religious architecture. It designates an entrance pavilion or an entrance gate to a religious site. Often times the gopura is crowned by one to three prasats (towers). ...more
- guru (इन्द्र) - Name for a spiritual teacher in Hinduism, Sikhism and Tantric Buddhism. ...more
H
- Hamsa- Holy goose, pack animal of Brahma
I.
- Indra (गुरु) - Vedic deity that has lost its meaning in today's Hinduism. Indra was a high, warlike god who formed a triad with Agni and Vayu. ...more
K
- Kala- Indian goddess (demon). In Khmer architecture, the kala grimace has the meaning of a guard and can sometimes be found above temple entrances.
- Kompong or Kampong - Village
L.
- Lakshmi (लक्ष्मी) - Hindu goddess of beauty and happiness. Lakshmi is the sustaining power of Vishnu and his wife. ...more
- Laterite - Ferrous, reddish, very porous rock that is easy to work with, but becomes very hard over time.
- Linga (also Lingam) - phallic symbol, which represents the god Shiva
- Lokeshvara or Avalokitesvara - The compassionate bodhisattva
M.
- Mandapa - Porch or pavilion in front of the main sanctuary.
- Mahabharata (महाभारत) - Well-known Indian, which was probably built between 400 BC. and AD 400 was written down. ...more
- Mondop, Mandapa - A kind of pavilion supported by columns with the function of a vestibule. ...more
N
Naga balustrade at the entrance of Preah Khan
- Naga (नाग) - Multi-headed snake with many mythological connections. It stands for water, fertility, rainbows and creation. They are usually found in the region with five or 7 heads, often in the shape of a cobra. ...more
- Naga balustrade - Stone railing with a naga (mythological snake) forming the beam. In Khmer architecture there is a Naga balustrade i. d. Typically on either side of a dam or bridge crossing a moat. Naga balustrades are also found on the access roads to the temples. Old Khmer bridges (road bridges) also have Naga balustrades.
- Nandi (नंदी) - humpback bull from Hindu mythology. He is Vishnus mount and guardian. ...more
P.
- Parvati (पार्वती) - Hindu goddess. She is the wife of Shiva and the mother of Ganesha and Karttikeya. ...more
- Phnom - Khmer: 'hill' or 'mountain'
- pilaster - Wall pillars
- Prasat - Khmer: 'tower'
- Preah - Khmer: 'holy'
Q
- Quincunx position - Arrangement of five towers (prasats), the largest standing in the middle of an imaginary square and the four smaller ones in the corners of the same (like the five points on a cube).
R.
- Rama (राम) - Hinduism: seventh incarnation of Vishnu ...more
- Ramayanaa: (रामायण) - Ramayana is the second Indian national epic, an art poem from the period between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC. ...more
S.
- Sanskrit -
- Sita (सीता) - Hinduism: daughter of the earth and wife of Rama ...more
- Shiva (शिव, சிவன்) - This is one of the most important forms of the divine in Hinduism, alongside Brahma and Vishnu. ...more
- Srah - artificial, rectangular pond. In contrast to the Baray, it is smaller than this and excavated and not surrounded by dams.
- stele - Rectangular stone slab that stands upright and has inscriptions carved into it.
- Stung - Khmer: 'river'
T
- Lintel - Stone block, often made of sandstone, which rests on the two door posts. In Khmer architecture it is richly decorated and designed differently in each style epoch.
U
- Uma - Hindu goddess and wife of Shiva (see also Parvati)
Q
- Quincunx position - Arrangement of towers, with four in the corners of a square and the fifth in the middle of it (like the five eyes on a cube).
