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Temples of the Goddesses 3 Srei
Krup Leakkhana |
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The central temple of Preah Khan is
framed by two galleries, standing next to each other. The outer gallery is
adorned by guardians, ‘dvarapala';
the inner gallery is embellished by devata in niches. The most beautiful
reliefs are in the north-east corner. Hidden in winding and narrow passages
which are often blocked by crashed down debris, some of them are well
preserved. Local people venerate these reliefs.
They are called Srei Krup
Leakkhana , ‘Excellent Women'. They figure the spirits of Jarayajadevi and Indradevi , the two
wives of King Jayavarman VII, the builder of Preah Khan. Women or couples,
some of them well-known people from Phnom Penh, visit the site to pray for
fertility. Neak Srei Sumpon, the attendant in this part of the temple, told
us that they have often returned to thank for the fulfilling of their wishes.
Preah
Khan dominated by apsara and devata Preah Khan was dedicated to the
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. His images, and thousands of reliefs of the
Buddha covered the walls; they were everywhere in this temple complex. They
were almost entirely scratched out at an iconoclasm. The devata were never touched – nor were the apsara. Apsara are
dancing in many friezes. They now dominate the open parts of the temple; the
devata dominate its hidden core. My first scouts to the Srei Krup
Leakkhana References:
Stierlin, Henri, Angkor, p. 176. Roveda, Vittorio, Images
of the Gods, Khmer mythology in Cambodia, Laos & Thailand ,
Bangkok, 2005. Jacobsen, Trudy, Lost
Goddesses, The Denial of Female Power in Cambodian History, Copenhagen
2008, p. 59, 189. Verbal information from Neak Srei Sumpon, Attendant,
and Soeun Chamnan, Angkor Tour Guide Links: Devata
at Phnom Bok External links: |
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