The Plant

In the capital Yasodharapura, the huge metropolis, Angkor Thom made the spiritual and political centre of the Khmer empire.
Angkor Thom is a square, of 3,000 m, surrounded by a laterite wall, 8 m high, and a moat, 100 m wide. The wall is lined by a wide rampart, On the top of this rampart a pleaseat footway runs along the entire wall.In the centre Jayavarman VII built his state temple, the Bayon. It is enclosed by the residences of the king and his nobles.
The wall and moat of the city make the outer enclosure of the temple. This is similar to Ta Prohm, where the kutis (cells) of the monastic lecturers enclose and guard the temple.
Older buildings were incorporated, like the Baphuon and the Royal Palace with the Royal Plaza, the Khleang and the Prasat Suor Prat. Monumental gates and causeways are in the four directions, a fifth gate is east of the Royal Palace.

Prasat Chrung

Four temples are located at the corners of the wall, in southwest, northwest, mortheast, and southeast.
All towers are similar in shape: cruciform ground plan. On the walls are devata in niches. The pediments show the standing bodhisattva, he was scratched out. A square pavilion sheltered a stele.

Run Tadev

At the southwest corner of Angkor Thom, near the Prasat Chrung, the sewage was collected in Beng Thom ('The Big Pond'), and then it poured out of the city through Run Tadev, five corbelled arches under the wall and the rampart. Access by paths from the South Gate or West Gate, along the top of the rampart.

A few hundred metres out of the gates of Angkor Thom are located hospital temples, witnesses of 4 of the 102 hospitals erected or fitted by Jayavarman VII in his kingdom. These are sandstone towers or the ruins of them, with some fragments of reliefs.

• Ta Prohm Kel is located near the north-west corner of Angkor Wat (photo);
• the East Hospital Temple is just west of Ta Keo (photo).
• Prasat Tonlé Snguot is located 500 m north of the North Gate of Angkor Thom in a picturesque setting;
• the ruin of the West Hospital Temple is located 900 m of the West Gate of Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom makes a mandala: From the Buddha in the Centre spiritual energy is spread all over the world. Symbolically but really healing was spread by the hospitals. The centre of medicine was nearby in Preah Khan.

Photo Album: Along the Wall of Angkor Thom

Map

Archaeological Map

West Hospital Temple

• [Angkor Catalogue] Angkor Göttliches Erbe Kambodschas , Catalogue of the exhibition at Bonn, Berlin, and Zurich, 2007.
• CUNIN, Olivier, Das Rätsel des Bayon – ein neuer Ansatz, in: Angkor Catalogue, p. 189-193.
• DUFRENOY, Franck, & ZIEGER, Johann Reinhart, Angkor Brief Guide with Map, Siem Reap, 2011.
• FREEMAN, Michael & JACQUES, Claude, Ancient Angkor, Bangkok, 2005.
• GAUCHER, Jacques, Angkor Thom oder die Geometrie der Macht, in: Angkor Catalogue, p. 179-183. (From here the archaeological map.)
• GLAIZE, Maurice, Les monuments du groupe d'Angkor, Saigon, 1944, Paris, 2001, 2003.
• - The Monuments of The Angkor Group, www.theangkorguide.com, 2003.
• Japanese Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor, Temple for Gods Bayon, 2009.
• ROVEDA, Vittorio, Images of the Gods, Khmer Mythology in Cambodia, Laos & Thailand, Bangkok, 2005.
• SAHAI, Sachchidanand, The Bayon of Angkor Thom, Bangkok, 2007.
• ZIEGER, Johann Reinhart, Angkor Tempel der Khmer, Chiang Mai, 2006.
• ZHOU DAGUAN, A Record of Cambodia [1296-97], Chiang Mai, 2007.