Angkor Database

browse tags

Themes

Religion & Belief

Rivers, Oceans, and Spirits: Water Cosmologies, Gender, and Religious Change in Southeast Asia

by Barbara Watson Andaya

The centrality of water in Southeast Asian cosmologies.

In English

South Asia from 1200 BCE to 900 CE

by Shonaleeka Kaul

Politics, ethics and sense of community in the Early India context.

Early Historic South Asia: Geography, Climate, and the Human Landscape

by Mamta Dwivedi

A dynamic approach of Early South Asia and the exchanges across the Bay of Bengal.

In English

A First-Century Stele from Sriksetra

by Pamela Gutman & Bob Hudson

The spread of Saivist and Buddhist influences into Pyu communities of ancient Burma.

In English

Cambodian Wooden Houses, 1,500 Years of Khmer Heritage

by Darryl Leon Collins & Sokol Hok

A central element of Cambodian culture, traditions and art, the wooden house is a link connecting Ancient Angkor and modern...

In English

Indigenization of Ramayana in Cambodia

Through some telling instances of 'indigenization', how Valmiki's Ramayana morphed into Ramakerti, an epic tale and a source of inspiration...

In English

Nouvelle géographie universelle, La terre et les hommes, VIII: L'Inde et l'Indo-Chine

by Élisée Reclus

The astonishingly vivid and detailed Geography of India and Indochina by French free-thinker Élisée Reclus.

In French

Voyage dans l'Indo-Chine, 1848-1856

by C.-E. Bouillevaux

Nearly twenty years before the "re-discoverer" of Angkor Henri Mouhot, a tireless Catholic missionary did visit the ancient Khmer city.

Death and Mortuary Rituals in Mainland Southeast Asia: From Hunter-Gatherers to the God Kings of Angkor

by Charles F. H. Higham

A journey in time from elite burial rituals in the Neolithic Age to the "temple mausolea" of Angkor.

In English

Angkor: An Introduction

by George Coedès

'In the minds of the Khmers, these ruins were never inert buildings without souls, but monuments with a vital quality...

In English

Two Yoginis of Hevajra from Thailand

Two female dancers statuettes discovered in the 1950s and what they tell us about Khmer art and religion, Tantric Buddhism...

In English

Saivism and the Tantric Traditions

by Alexis Sanderson

An exhaustive presentation of Shaivism, esoteric Tantrism, and the duality of female/male power.

In English

A proposed relationship between Champa and Chola dynasties during the 11th and 13th centuries

by Ky-Phuong Tran & Tu-Anh Thi Nguyen

Journal of an Embassy to the Courts of Siam and Cochin-China

by John Crawfurd

A lively description of mainland Southeast Asia in the 1820s.

In English

Dance Imagery in South Indian Temples: Study of the 108-Karana Sculptures

by Bindu S. Shankar

The Natyashastra

by Manomohan Ghosh

The first integral English translation of the Sanskrit Treatise on Hindu Dance, "Dramaturgy and Histrionics".

In English & Sanskrit

Chinese Foreign Aromatics Importation from the 2nd century BCE to the 10th century CE

How the appetite for spices, fragrant woods and aromatics drove Chinese traders and travelers from early times.

In English & Chinese

Religious Concept in the Layout of the Ancient Khmer City of Koh Ker

by Ichita Shimoda & Katsura Sato

Decrypting the enigmatic urban project of Koh Ker with two leading architectural historians from the Japan-APSARA Team for Safeguarding Angkor.

In English

Music and Dance in Ancient Cambodia as Evidenced by Old Khmer Epigraphy

Author(s): Saveros Pou Source:

In English

Anthro~Instas | Cambodia | Phoneography

"The ethnographer notebooks" in Cambodia, 2015-2017

Travels in Siam and Cambodia

by David Olyphant King

"The temple stands solitary and alone in the jungle, in too perfect order to be called a ruin, a relic...

In English

"Angkor Wat" ("Ankor Wat") by Allen Ginsberg

by Allen Ginsberg

A literary monument to Angkor, "Kingdom Come or Kingdom Yore".

In English

Preah Vihear: An Introduction to the World Heritage Monument

by Sachchidanand Sahai

An erudite and intimate study on Preah Vihear and its cliff, "an open air theater for the cosmic dance of...

In English

Khmer Art Worldwide

King Jayavarman VII in Angkor Thom

by Andy Brouwer

Entry #5 in Khmer Art Worldwide Collection

Ta Som Devata

The multiple female figures in a relatively small temple erected by Jayavarman VII

រឿងប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត - រឿងនិទានខ្មែរ | Khmer Legends on the Building of Angkor

by Roeunra KH LEGEND

អ្នកនិពន្ធចង់និយាយអំពីរឿងរ៉ាវដ៍យូរលង់ណាស់មកហើយនិយាយពីព្រះឥន្រ្តមនុស្សលោកព្រះពិស្នុកានិងស្តេចព្រះកេតុមាលាផងដែរ។ | About the "human Indra", Preah Pisnouka

In Khmer

Notes on Brahmanic Gods in Theravadin Cambodia

A lively and perceptive exploration of Cambodian syncretisme from ancient times

Factors that Led to the Change of the Khmer Capitals from 15th to 17th century

by Sotheavin Nhim

Political, strategical, commercial and agricultural motives led to the successive emergence of Khmer capital cities after Angkor lost its central...

In English

Un Islam Insolite | An Unusual Islam, the Bani Cham in modern Vietnam

by Agnès De Féo

A particular example of Brahmanist-Muslim syncretism in modern Southeast Asia, and what it tells us about the ancient Cham civilization

In French

Le Royaume de Champa | The Kingdom of Champa

by Georges Maspero

Mainly based on Chinese sources and local inscriptions, the formidable study on the Kingdom of Champa and what it tells...

In French & Chinese

Buddhist Dictionary, Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines

by Nyanatiloka Mahathera

Terms and Doctrines of the Pali canon compiled by Bhikku Nyanatiloka

In English & Pali

从《真腊风土记》看古代柬埔寨与云南少数民族佛教乐舞 | A Comparison of Buddhist Music and Dance Between Ancient Cambodian and Yunnan Minority Peoples

by Minkang Yang & Angkor Database

A fascinating study on Khmer and Yunnan minority interconnection through music and dance

In English & Chinese

Water Management in Angkor: The Cases of North Baray and Neak Poan

A brilliant case study in water management and Angkorean preservation in relation with local agricultural communities

In French

In the Mood for Love...and for Angkor

Just 20 years after the release of Wong Kar-wai’s magical movie, revisiting its final scene set in Angkor Wat

Buddhapāda: In the Buddha's Footprints

by Jacques de Guerny

A quest for Buddha's footprint artworks from India and Sri Lanka to China to Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos...

In English

中台禪寺 | The Chung Tai Chan Monastery

A major collection of Buddhist art and writing set in Taiwan

ASEAN Herbal and Medicinal Plants

A vast recension of therapeutical and medicinal plants across Southeast Asia

L'Aile de feu | Wing of Fire

by Jeanne Leuba

An engrossing novel set in an Indochinese plantation in the 1910s, with an unforgettable visit to Angkor and the Bayon.

In French

Garuḍa, Vajrapāṇi and Religious Change in Jayavarman VII's Angkor

by Peter D. Sharrock

A stimulating study in religious mutations during the King-Builder's reign

In English

Power and Pragmatism in the Political Economy of Angkor

by Eileen Lustig

A broad study of politics, economics and the specificity of the Angkorean State.

In English

Report of an Expedition Made into Southern Laos and Cambodia in the Early Part of the Year 1866

by H.G. Kennedy

'British spy' or first adventurous British tourist in Angkor? A young consular official's lively report of photographer John Thomson's journey.

In English

The Place of Animism within Popular Buddhism in Cambodia: the Example of the Monastery

by Ang Choulean

The Cambodian monastery as a sacred territory where animist forces combine with Theravada canon.

In English

The Western Top Temple’s Stone Blocks

by Sok Keo Sovannara

Preliminary introduction to the Inscriptions, Graffiti, Marks and Sketched Designs in Prasat Top Lech, previously known as Monument 486.

In English

A Chant Has Nine Lives: The Circulation of Theravada Liturgies in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam

by Trent Walker

Cultural and geographical variations of the Theravada liturgy, chanting and rituals in Southeast Asia.

In English

Portrait of King Jayavarman VII

by Sophorn Vern

Since 1903, statues and bas-reliefs picturing King Jayavarman VII have been extensively studied. This essay summarizes theories and stimulates further research.

In English

Les ruines d'Angkor, de Dong Duong et de Myson (Angkor, Dong Duong and My Son Ruins)

by Charles Carpeaux

The travelogue of an early explorer and archaelogist in Angkor and Champa areas

In French

The Art of Sastra (Palm Leaf Manuscripts)

by Phnom Penh Post

Sastra sleuk rith, the ancestral Khmer art of palm leaf manuscript, is alive again thanks to Siem Reap craftswoman Phoeun...

In English

A Theravada Library

A precious online resource on Theravada reference texts, translations from Pali, Pali self-study tools.

Morbid Meditation in Buddhist Iconography

by Vittorio Roveda

Physical beauty and the decay of the human body, a major topic in Buddhist meditation.

In English

Female Roles in Pre-Colonial Southeast Asia

by Anthony Reid

Relations between genders are one of the areas in which a distinctive Southeast Asian pattern exists.

In English

A History of Early South East Asia

by Kenneth R. Hall

A major study on regional and global trade historic phases, their impact on development of polities and kingdoms around 1th-16th...

In English

Les Monuments Khmers du style du Bayon et Jayavarman VII

by Philippe Stern

A fundamental study on the 'Bayon style' of architecture, which still helps us in better understanding the evolution of Jayavarman...

In French

L'architecture hindoue en Extreme-Orient | Hindu Architecture in the Far East

by Léon Marie-Eugène de Beylié

Archeological, architectural and historical sum on Indic influences in Southeast Asia.

In French

Tantric Buddhism at Angkor Thom

by Hiram W. Woodward Jr.

The quest for the 'Jayavarman's Triad', by a celebrated Southeast Asian Art historian and curator.

In English

Brapamsukulanisamsam and Symbolic Clothing

by Ginette Martini

The Brapamsukulānisamsam invocation, in Pali and translation, sacred part of Southeast Asia funerary rites.

In French

Protecting the Protector of Phimai

Were the builders of Phimai following a "visual narrative program"?

In English

Krǒ̀ṅ Pãli et rites de la maison (Krǒ̀ṅ Pãli and House Building Rituals) 2nd Part

by Éveline Porée-Maspero

A most detailed study on building techniques and rituals in the Cambodian tradition.

In French

Krǒ̀ṅ Pãli et rites de la maison (Krǒ̀ṅ Pãli and House Building Rituals) 1st Part

by Éveline Porée-Maspero

A most detailed study on building techniques and rituals in the Cambodian tradition.

In French

Un court traité d'architecture cambodgienne moderne (A Short Treatise on Modern Cambodian Architecture)

by Madeleine Giteau

The building techniques and rituals for village houses, monasteries and kutis, in mid-century Cambodia.

In French & Khmer

Le cycle des douze animaux dans la vie des Cambodgiens (The 12-Animal Cycle and Cambodian Daily Life)

by Éveline Porée-Maspero

The symbolic of the twelve animals in Cambodian culture and divination practices.

In French

Le Royaume de Champa (The Champa Kingdom)

by Georges Maspero

A presentation of the Kingdom of Champa by Georges Maspero, distinguished sinologist and orientalist.

In French

Khmer Religion

Encyclopedic entry on Khmer religion, past and present.

In English

The Syncretism of Religions in Southeast Asia, Especially in the Khmer Empire

by Lawrence Palmer Briggs

The many encounters of various religious philosophies in Angkor.

In English

Buddha-Yoga-Siva Hybridity Among The Old Khmer and Siamese

by Troy Dean Harris

An essay on ascetic arts and Indic influences in ancient Cambodia and Siam.

In English

Serpents and Buddhas

by Peter D. Sharrock

An erudite study of the Buddha seated on a naga icon in Khmer temples, compared to other representations across Asia.

In English

Tantric Buddhism in Phimai: A New Reading of its Iconographic Message

The interaction between Tantric Buddhism as developed in the Khorat region of Siam and its Khmer versions across what is...

In English

Names and Identities of the Boramey Spirits Possessing Cambodian Mediums

by Didier Bertrand

Enter the world of the 10,000 Boramey (good spirits) revered in Cambodia nowadays and whose origins go back to the...

In English

One Buddha Can Hide Another

by Martin Polkinghorne & Christophe Pottier & Christian Fischer

Centered on the Bayon, a diachronic reinterpretation of historical assumptions about the reign of Jayavarman VII, and Angkor during the...

In English

Medicine and Culture in Ancient Cambodia

by Rethy Kieth Chhem

A vivid evocation of traditional medicine and healing techniques in Angkorean villages.

In English

Les doctrines médicales khmeres

by Rethy Kieth Chhem

Nouvelles perspectives pour la connaissance de la fin de la période angkorienne

by Ludivine Provost-Roche

What happened in Khmer art and religious practice during the two last centuries of the Angkorean era?

In French

Reclining Vishnu in Khmer Art/ Représentations khmeres du Visnu couché

by Mireille Bénisti

The Khmer sculptors' take on the 'Anantasayana Vishnu' Hindu motif.

In French

Serpents in Angkor, Apotheosis of a Decorative Motif

by Adalbert J. Gail

The Ananta serpent of Hindi origin and the Khmer Naga motifs in Angkorian sculptures and ornaments.

In English

Prasat Banteay Chhmar 3D Reconstruction, 1

by Olivier Cunin

A synthesis of the architectural history of Prasat Banteay Chhmar, the 'temple-garrison'.

In English

Angkor Wat Temple, from Hindu to Buddhist Shrine

by Chanratana Chen

History lecture on Angkor Wat by Dr Chanratana Chen

In English

Planetary Alignement and Navagraha at Banteay Srei

by Asger Mollerup

Planet-alignement during the consecration of Banteay Srei Temple.

In English

Bhaisajyaguru and Tantric Medicine in Jayavarman VII Hospitals

by Rethy Kieth Chhem

Tantrism influence in Angkor-era medical theories and practice.

In English

A la découverte d'un hôpital angkorien (An Angkorian Hospital)

by Christophe Pottier & Rethy Kieth Chhem

Excavations related to medicine and healthcare in Angkorean times.

In French

Guardian Lions of Banteay Chhmar

by Angkor Database

4 guardian lions unearthed on the 12th century archeological site of Banteay Chhmar.

Banteay Chhmar and the Military Protector Hevajra

by Peter D. Sharrock

The god-figure of Hevajra in the puzzling temple complex of Banteay Chhmar, northwest of Angkor.

In English

Glossary for Angkor Lovers and Researchers

by Angkor Database

From 'acharya' to 'yuga', we collect and explain the many archeological, historical, architectural, cultural and religious terms related to Angkorean...

In English, French, Khmer, Chinese, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Thai, Lao, Pali, Vietnamese & Tamil

Bali and Angkor: A 1930s Pleasure Trip Looking at Life and Death

by Geoffrey Edgar Solomon Gorer

Out-of-the-box considerations on Khmer Art and the fall of Angkor.

In English

The Decline and Fall of Angkor (12th-15th Century)

by Patmawan Buranamat

A contemporary summary of various explanations regarding the decline and fall of Angkor as a "megacity".

In English

The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor

by Charles F. H. Higham

How a constellation of tribes and linguistic systems derivating from Bronze and Iron Ages led to the Angkor civilization.

In English

King in the Temple: Jayavarman VII Case Study

by Christophe Pottier

A study in the only four statuary representations of a major Angkorian sovereign.

In French

Rediscovering Less-Famous Temples

by Avy Travel Blog

Out-of-the-beaten-path and yet wondrous smaller temples revisited by a group of young Cambodian bloggers

In English

Angkorian Grandeur & Post-Colonial Cambodia (1953-1970)

by Michael S. Falser

Angkorian legacy played a central part in the building of national identity and cultural fabric of independent Cambodia.

In English

Angkor, sérénité bouddhique | The Serenity of Buddhism

A deeply personal and reflective photographic work on Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon.

In English

The PĀŚUPATA Sect in Ancient Cambodia and Champa

by Swati Chemburkar & Shivani Kapoor

Banteay Srei at Angkor

by Louis Finot & Henri Parmentier & Victor Goloubew

La religion des Cambodgiens

by Fabienne Luco

Architecture of the Buddhist World

Cambodian Buddhism, History & Practice

Sacred Dancers of Angkor in Meak Bochhea celebration

by NKFC Cambodia

Etudes sur le Ramakerti

Respected Cambodian scholar Saveros Pou offers a collection of studies on the Khmer version of the Ramayana

In French & Khmer

A History of Cambodia

by David P. Chandler

One of the major must-read studies on Cambodia history.

In English

History Channel, Ancient Discoveries series