East Baray
The Eastern Baray is a former water reservoir of the Khmer Empire and part of the World Heritage Site of Angkor ( Siem Reap province, Cambodia). In this vast pool of water of Yasovarman I. ( 889-910 ) was built, let Rajendravarmn II ( 944-968 ) build a temple, the Eastern Mebon on an artificial island. The Baray is now dry and the former island temple now stands in the middle of rice fields.
History
As Yasovarman was I. 889 King of the Khmer Empire, he gave the order to build the 7.5 km × 1.83 km large eastern Baray and a new capital. The reservoir, which was to secure the water supply for the new capital Yasodharapura and agriculture and also regulate the flow Roluos, Yasodharatataka, called the " water basin of Yasodhara " was. Zhou Daguan, who lived as a member of a Chinese delegation from 1296-1297 at Angkor, called the Baray ( in his book about life in Angkor the 13th century) " East Sea".
Eastern Baray
The Baray was precisely aligned from west to east. At its corners stelae were erected with inscriptions in Sanskrit, which represented the eastern Baray under the protection of Ganga, the holy personification of the Ganges. The river Roluos fed from the reservoir through a channel of the Northeast. A high earth dam, which was covered with laterite, formed the reservoir. At a water level of 4 m the basin contained 55 million cubic meters of water. Other estimates are based on a water level of 3 meters and 40 million cubic meters.
In the first half of the 11th century, the leaking has become Eastern Baray was in its function replaced by a new water reservoir, the West Baray. Today the silted area of the Eastern Baray is used for rice cultivation.
Eastern Mebon
As to whether Yasovarman I or II Rajendravarman the artificial island had built the Baray, East Mebon on which the stands, there are different opinions. In one of the six Bat Chum inscriptions it means Rajendravarman II ( 944-968 ), had his minister and architect Kavindrarimathana issued instructions to create an artificial island in the Temple Yasodharatataka.
The built of laterite blocks, artificial island has a square base of 120 m side length. ( Measurements with the help of Google Earth to confirm these dimensions ). The island block is not exactly at the center of the reservoir, but a little south of it. Rajendravarman II ( 944-968 ) instructed his minister and architect ( the only name known architect of the Khmer Empire ) with the construction of the island temple. The inauguration of the sanctuary took place ( according to the so-called Mebon inscription ) 952. The temple is in the Pre Rup style ( 944-968 ) built ( eponymous for the style was the 500 m south standing, nine years later ( 961 ), inaugurated state temple of Rajendravarman II ). The numerous lintels with the very sculptural reliefs are among the finest of the Khmer Empire.
The applied at four levels Shiva temple is topped by five large brick towers in quincunx position, the middle and largest Prasat on the fourth and the four corner towers of the quincunx stand on the third level. On the second level are the inner ( 1 ) enclosure wall with four (not cross-shaped ) outside and inside the wall five libraries and eight smaller towers. At the first level (ie, on the island platform) are the outer ( 2 ) enclosure wall with four large ( gerückten inside) cruciform gopuras and inside the wall numerous gallery -like buildings. A total of eight, about 2 m wide stone elephants stand in the corners of the first and second level. All axially laid steps were flanked by a pair of lions. In the middle of each side of the island was a pier for the boats. Although the Baray is now dry, only part of the pedestal-like island can be seen as the large mounds of earth cover the lower part.