Not like the old days

I'm still disappointed about the tree-felling at Preah Palilay in Angkor Thom. Not to mention the monk who asked me for cash-for-photos. But I'm not surprised about either. The trees must be having a detrimental effect on the chimney-style shrine, though they've left the roots where they are which is a bit puzzling. As for the monk, life as a novice isn't a bed of roses and trying to cash in on a tourist's predilection for photos of orange-clad monks at temples is a good scam if you can get away with it, you just don't expect it from a monk. As for the atmosphere of Preah Palilay, yes it's not the same but it's still a nice temple in a quiet, pleasant corner of the city of Angkor Thom where just a few hundred metres away the hordes of asian tour groups are milling around the Terrace of the Leper King and the Bayon. Here's a then and now look at Preah Palilay.

Then...(courtesy of Nick Ray)

and now...(courtesy of me)

Saved from destruction

The east gopura of Preah Palilay bathed in sunshine

Above a worn lintel, this western-facing pediment shows Buddha sat on a plinth under a tree with two acolytes holding parasols

Angkor scholars have disagreed on the date of construction of the temple of Preah Palilay. Henri Marchal assigned it to the 12th century but without a stele or epigraphic reference, other experts have put a late 13th, early 14th century date on it, mainly because the Buddhist images have not be defaced, as they have been elsewhere. This usually took place in the early 13th century iconoclastic reaction against images of Buddha relating to Jayavarman VII, though the more remote temples like Banteay Chhmar escaped this destruction. So the pediments and lintels of Preah Palilay, particularly on the eastern gopura, have not been altered though in my view, they are not as good as some experts rate them. But hey, what do I know. I have commented on the carvings under each of the photos, and as always thank Vittorio Roveda for his help in understanding the main themes that we see today. Without him we'd be pissing in the wind. Can I say that? I just have.

This three tier pediment shows Buddha at the top, two ladies offering their children just below and at the bottom, three elephants passing through the forest. This pediment is on the western face over the main door.

Though difficult to make out, this pediment on the northern side shows Buddha subduing the mad elephant Nalagiri, by placing is hand on the kneeling elephant's head

This double pediment, on the southern face of the gopura, shows Buddha in meditation under the boddhi tree, with rows of worshippers in the lower register

On the south side, Buddha on a plinth, in meditation with 10 worshippers below him

Up close - the meditating Buddha under the boddhi tree with acolytes in attendance

In the lintel below the pediment, Buddha is dying and lying on his left side. In the upper pediment, a standing Buddha is surrounded by acolytes and two rows of worshippers below. These are on the eastern face of the gopura, above the main door.

A closer look at the standing Buddha, on a plinth, and his worshippers

Finally, above a very worn lintel, the pediment shows Buddha receiving offerings from the animals of the Parilyyaka forest (from where Palilay derives) including an elephant, monkey and peacock. To be found on the east-facing side of the Preah Palilay gopura.

Forest by name and nature

The tall central sanctuary tower of Preah Palilay, no longer in competition with the trees

A time-weathered lintel showing Varuna on three small hamsas over a central kala

Continuing my recent Angkor adventures: After the solitude of Preah Pithu, I crossed the Royal Square and headed into the farthest reaches of the city of Angkor Thom by paying a visit to Preah Palilay, which was named after a forest. On my last visit the central sanctuary was festooned with tall trees standing higher than the sixty-two foot high tower, but to my surprise the trees had been cut down leaving their stumps looking like giant hands and the site under a blanket of wood chippings. The tree-pruning had certainly robbed the temple of its secluded atmosphere and I was further disappointed when a young monk offered to pose for photos for a small fee. I asked him to leave me in peace - which was a weird role reversal - as I climbed the tall terrace to scramble inside the main sanctuary, noting a couple of lintels still in situ. The sandstone entrance gopura to the east on the other hand was in good nick with a feast of carvings, which because they were not defaced in the early 13th century have prompted scholars to suggest the date of construction was later that century and early next. The pediments and lintels of the gopura are Buddhist by their themes and numerous in number. Further east is a long causeway with lions and nagas as well as a large modern Buddha, that lead onto another terraced site, Tep Pranam.

A cracked lintel of Indra on three-headed Airavata over a grinning kala in the central sanctuary

The remaining tree stumps look like giant hands walking through the picture!

This is a pediment fragment of Buddha in meditation

The reassembled modern Buddha on the terrace in front of Preah Palilay

The hand of Buddha, palm pointing to the ground and facing inward denotes the attitude of Calling The Earth to Witness

One of the wide-mouthed lions on the Preah Palilay terraceA naga balustade in good condition covered in lichen