Two Narrative Buddhist Steles

by Nicolas Revire

Captions prepared for two narrative steles on the life of the Buddha discovered in Angkor, Cambodia, and now kept at the National Museum of Cambodia.

Buddha birth original angkor wat preah poan

Publication: Author's drafts and projects

Published: 2020

Author: Nicolas Revire

Pages: 3

Languages : English, French, Khmer

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ចម្លា ករ់ ឿងអំពីព្ពះពុទ្ធសាសនា២ផ្ទ ងំចម្លា ក់ព្ពះពុទ្ធអងគនិងរោកបាលទងំ បួនបាននាំដង្វា យមកថ្វា យ /ព្ពះ ពុទ្ធអងគយាង រៅសម្មែង ធមមរទ្សនារលើកតំបូង ភសត ុតាង ករ ើញរៅ ោនព្ពះពុទ្ធសាសនា ព្រងុ អារនេយ៍ អងគ ធំ រសៀមរាបបាយ័នែ អងគ ធំ រសៀមរាប ថ្មភក់ ចុងសតវតសទ្ី១៣រដើមសតវតសទ្ី១៤ (ក.1712 / ក.1710)

Two Narrative Buddhist steles | Offering of the four Lokapālas to the Buddha / The Buddha's invitation to the First Preaching Remnant of a "Buddhist terrace" in the North-West corner of Angkor Thom, Siem Reap/Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Sandstone, Late 13th-early 14th c. (Ka 1712 - Ka 1710)

These notice drafts skecthed by a renowned researcher show once again the need for a comprehensive, updated cataloguing of the National Museum of Cambodia (NMC) treasures, and the necessity of gathering expertise and input from researchers to achieve that.

We'll note that the theme of the Buddha's birth is a recurrent one in Buddhism-influenced Khmer art, especially in the Angkor Wat Gallery of the Thousand Budddhas (Preah Poan). The major statue of the Buddha's mother with her infant, once central in said gallery, now lives in the National Museum of Thailand.

Photo: Stele of the Birth of the Buddha (original) discovered at Angkor Wat in the gallery of a Thousand Buddhas (Preah Poan). Fournereau Mission to Angkor around 1887-88 © Guimet Museum

Tags: Angkor Thom, terraces, Buddhism, Buddha statues, National Museum of Cambodia, birth of Buddha

About the Author

Nicolas Revire

Nicolas Revire

A specialist in Southeast Asian Buddhism, Early Art and Archaeology studies, Nicolas Revire is post-doctoral research fellowship at the Art Institute of Chicago since early 2023, after lecturing at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University, Thailand, and being a guest lecturer at Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, Bangkok, for more than 20 years.

With a research focus on Buddhist iconography and Dvāravatī with special focus on Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, Nicolas Revire has contributed several articles and reviews in the Journal of the Siam Society and other academic publications, and translated numerous scholarly publications from Thai and English into French.

He edited (with Stephen A. Murphy) Before Siam: Essays in Art and Archaeology (2014).