Lexicon-Glossary of Angkor-related Terms

Knowledgeable person, officiant, spiritual preceptor/guide, religious teacher. Royal acharyas are named in pre-Angkorian and Angkorian inscriptions. 

In modern Cambodia, the Achar is the officiant who communicate with the monks performing rituals for the community.

ព្រះអាទិត្យ Preah Atit or Adit: the sun, in Khmer.

In Hinduism, Aditya as singular refers to the Sun-God Surya. In Vaishnavism, Aditya ("The Son of Aditi) is one of the 108 names of Krishna.

ព្រះអគ្គី preah aki indicates the god of fire. Guardian of the Southeast.

The Hindu god of fire. Guardian of the Southeast. One of the major gods of the Vedas, along with Indra and Soma.

Ahimsa: the ethic of non-violence adopted by many of the ascetics of North India to counter the aggression of the new states. Cardinal virtue of Jainism, it is one of the Five Precepts of Buddhism.

Airavata is the divine elephant, characterized by four tusks, seven trunks and a white complexion, the main vehicle for Indra, the third son of Iravati, with Abhramu, his elephant wife, at his side. 

In Cambodia, អៃរាវតា Airavata  is generally represented with three heads, and he is one of the elephants supporting the four quarters of the world. The main elephant sanctuary in modern Cambodia bears the name of Airavata Foundation (Ratanakiri Province).

In Thailand, Erawan became the symbol of Bangkok during its foundation as the capital of the new Rattanakosin Kingdom. The three-headed white elephant was also an icon in the ancient Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang.

Akusala: 'unskilful' or 'unhelpful' condition that will impede the quest for enlightenment; negative actions affecting the karma.

In the Pali canon of Theravada Buddhism, there are 12 अकुशलचित्त akusala citta, "evil perceptions". 

ornament, often in a king's honorific name. | វចនាលង្ការ vochnealangkar, "ornament of speech".3

Buddha of the higher spirit, represented on the headdress of bodhisattvas.

Elixir of life, the nectar of immortality created from the churning of the Ocean of Milk.

In Khmer, the word is related to អមត amt, "immortal", "that does not die, does not know death; that does not cease, does not decay (that is always there)", and "the path of death, to nirvana". Like in India, there is a flower called "amrita" [Hoya Amrita], អម្រឹតបុស្ប amritabupa.

In Ayurvedic medicine, name given to several medicinal plants. 

The doctrine that denies the existence of a constant, stable and discrete personality. 'Not-self', non-ego, egolessness, impersonality. 

The last of the three characteristics of existence (ti-lakkhana), meaning the suppression of ego-entity. 

'The Treatise on Wealth',  probably written in the 2d century CE and attributed to Kautilya, expounds all aspects of practical action, including technology, economy, and public and military administration.

Science of polity, political science, political economy. The law of secularity, in contrast to dharmaśāstra, the law of religion. 

asana: the correct position for yogic meditation, with straight back and crossed legs. Originally, position of the legs of a god; also a seat or throne.

A sage who practices austerity. 

In various Indian philosophies from Shaktism to Ayurveda, the concept of Tapas (तपस्), "penance", "ascetism", "austerity", "practice of self denial" is essential. 

In Khmer religious philosophy, អនង្គណ angkana is the state of being without defilement, a person without defilement, pure. ព្រះពុទ្ធអរហន្ត The Buddha Arahant is the great blessing of having all defilements removed. 

ashram: a kind of monastery or retreat to which men retire when they consider that their active life is over, in order to prepare for their future existence. In ancient Angkor, the asrama, or vidyasrama, or varnnasrama, were educational colleges with teachers were called adhyapaka, and heads of association often called kulapati (cf. varnnasrama).

Asuras are power-seeking deities related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism, and in the Buddhist context "giants", "demigods", or "antigods".

Asuras are a class of beings fathered by Kashyapa Rishi and mothered by Diti and Danu. Asuras born of Diti are called Daitya (meaning sons of Diti) and those born of Danu are called Danava (meaning sons of Danu). In Hinduism, Diti (sk दिति) is a daughter of Daksha, the mother of the Asuras and supporter of Asuric attributes. She is mother of both the Marutas and the Asuras ( Daityas and Dhanavas) with the sage Kashyapa. She is said to have wanted to have a son who would be more powerful than Indra.

According to Hindu texts, the asuras are in constant fear of the devas. Asuras are described in Indian texts as powerful superhuman demigods with good or bad qualities. In early Vedic literature, the good Asuras are called Adityas and are led by Varuna, while the malevolent ones are called Danavas and are led by Vritra. In the earliest layer of Vedic texts Agni, Indra and other gods are also called Asuras, in the sense of their being "lords" of their respective domains, knowledge and abilities. In later Vedic and post-Vedic texts, the benevolent gods are called Devas, while malevolent Asuras compete against these Devas and are considered "enemy of the gods".

In the Khmer tradition, អសុរ are "monsters", "demons", "evil spirits" who roam the country at night, dwell at Asurabhupa, their place at the foot of Mount Meru and are led by Asura Reach, King Vepachit, their sovereign. Their mother is Socheata Asura Kanha (នាងសុជាតាអសុរកញ្ញា "bride of Asura"), who became the wife of Indra (ព្រះឥន្ទ Preah Int). Asura sculptures at entrance temples are a trait of Angkorean architecture, and the battle of the Devas and the Asuras is depicted on Angkor Wat bas-reliefs. 

Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan) is a tenth-level bodhisattva associated with great compassion (mahakaruṇā), and often with Amitabha Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. Avalokiteśvara has numerous manifestations and is depicted in various forms and styles. In some texts, he is even considered to be the source of all Hindu deities (such as Vishnu, Shiva, Saraswati, Brahma, etc).

In modern Cambodia, the four faces of Avalokitesvara (or Avaloksvara, Loksvara) are usually represented at the top of a pagoda or a stupa, as protector of all the planets. When Brahmanism was popular, these faces were considered as the faces of Brahma. In ancient Khmer art, he is represented with two, four, six or eight arms in freestanding sculptures, and ten arms in temple bas-reliefs such those at Banteay Chhmar. The massive stone faces of Bayon are believed to represent Lokeshvara. 

Khmer worship of Lokeshvara reached a peak during the reign of Jayavarman VII. Due to his healing powers, the he was given a predominant position in the scenes carved on the chapels of the hospitals built by this king. Lokeshvara was also omnipresent at Neak Poan Temple, whose waters could cleanse the sins and diseases of the pilgrims. Jayavarman VII dedicated the temple of Preah Khan Temple to the memory of his father, deified in the likeness of Lokeshvara.

A sculpture from Prei Monti (Roluos), late 12th-early 13th century, at the National Museum of Cambodia (piece Ga.2424), represents three adorned divinities: Buddha shelled by the Naga in the middle, Lokesvara to the right of the Buddha, and Prajnaparamita to the left. Lokesvara's attributes are the lotus bud, rosary, vase with water of immortality (amrta) and book. Those of Prajnaparamita include the book and the lotus bud.

While Avalokiteśvara was depicted as male in India, and male or female in Tibetan tradition, the deity is often depicted as a female figure in East Asian Buddhism, known as Guanyin /Kuan Yin in Chinese, Kannon in Japanese, Gwaneum in Korean and Quan Am in Vietnamese. In Sri Lanka, Natha literally means ‘no form’ or ‘no shape’, thus associating Avalokiteśvara with Maitreya, the next Buddha

Avalokiteśvara is also known for his popular mantra, oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, which is the most popular mantra in Tibetan Buddhism.

The Ayutthaya Kingdom or Empire was a Mon and later Siamese kingdom existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, with its center Ayutthaya city, in Siam [nowadays Thailand]. Considered as the precursor of modern Thailand.

According to traditions, the kingdom was founded by King Uthong, but the latter's origin is unclear, as he is depicted as "a Northern Thai prince, a fugitive Chinese prince from the sea, a Khmer noble from Angkor, a ruler from one of the gulf cities, or a Chola dignitary."

The liṅga is a semi-iconic (between the iconic and the aniconic) image of Śiva. A cylindrical shaft with phallic connotations, it is often associated to the yoni, symbolic representation of the female genitalia, the matrix of anything [1]. 

The linga symbol is ever-present in Southeast Asian architecture and religious representations. It has absorbed ancient local cults of uncut stones. Associated with fertility rituals in Cambodia, it became the physical embodiment of the kamraten jagat raja or devaraja, the vector of the divine essence attached to kingship.    

[1] In Tibetan Vajrayana (tantric Buddhism), 'liṅga' refers to the “upper genitals” [penis or clitoris].

1. In India and ancient Southeast Asia, a town where Brahmanas lived; grama refering to smaller settlements. In Vedic texts, it is stated that each nagara or grama had its protecting female deity, nagara devata or grama devata.
2. The name Angkor is derived from nokor នគរ, a Khmer word meaning "kingdom" derivating from Sanskrit nagara.