Phnom Vihear – As a novel performative religious experience.
Author Note: Aviva Rahmani, my muse, suggested I attempt to write about my Temple visits from the perspective of the temple architecture driving the devotee experience. This is my attempt. I thank her for her tremendous intellectual input. The implementation of her thoughts was in my hands. It was a difficult assignment. I hope my vision can be understood through the clumsy writing.
My driver arrived at 7:00 AM for the trip to Preah Vihear, a Khmer temple in an exotic mountain locale. I expected a long ride, but my driver, who called himself Tiger, drove very cautiously. The National Highways of Cambodia are paved two lane roads and even the back roads are paved, but they are shared with all manner of motorized vehicles. Motorcycle driven vehicles hauled trailers, pulling overly large and heavy farm materials. Motorcycles and scooters with families of three. Passing required caution yet there were many opportunities which my driver approached cautiously and even scooters were passed at a leisurely pace.
In the back roads of a rural nation, we shared the highway with cattle.
My driver, seemingly unaware of the need to arrive before the high heat of the day insisted on stopping for lunch, even though I told him I would not eat. My fault, that I did not insist strongly. Anyway, one half an hour sitting while he ate, meant we lost the cooler part of the day for our mountain climb.
At noon, nearing the day's peak heat, five hours after leaving we finally arrived at the base of Preah Vihear. There I learned that the mountain road only allows the special four-wheel drive jeeps of the Mountain Company. The cost of the $25 ride and the$10 entry was not assessed for Cambodians, only others. The roads were really steep, and the drivers were all in very low gear, honking at each curve to make sure no one was coming the other way. After fifteen minutes traversing the steep climb we arrived at the base of Temple Preah Vihear.
What are my motives, my objectives to explore these ancient temples? It is more than the art or the spectacular architecture. These monuments are statements from an ancient civilization of their devotion; to their Gods or to their King. The architecture was designed to show the devotee how to pray, how to build the religious experience and then how to achieve some intense final experience. Rather than entering as an observer, I try to participate in the experience and sense what the architecture tells me. So as I enter these two temples compared below, I wish to share the sense of the experience as a devotee.
Preah Vihear is an imposing temple atop a mountain, Dangrek, at a height of 2155 feet above sea level. Construction began under King Yasovarman in the late 8th to early 9th c, and continued to include additions until the mid- 12th c. The evolution in design over the 3 centuries plus the location and isolation allowed the evolution of a novel temple design which required a rigorous religious pilgrimage - to ascend upwards to the Gods and attenuate the physical exhaustion of approach for a final spiritual experience. In the design of engaging the devotee with the far-off vision of each next level carrying them forward up the mountain.
Beefore the devotee arrives at the templeof Preah Vihear, they must scale the mountain from the base to the entrance to the sacred ground. Modern access includes a 4X4 drive up the steep roads, but earlier pilgrims had no choice but to walk. Arriving the base of the temple the devotee, already committed , senses the further physical demands as they stare up the mountain to the first temple knowing that the top is the fifth temple. . From the base of the temple to the top is a walk of 2,625 feet, nearly one half a mile at 2,000 feet elevation. Not like the compact Mountain Temple of Angkor.
The Mountain Temple in Angkor – Phnom Bakheng
In Angkor, the first mountain temple was Phnom Bakheng , which was built in the late 9th to early 10th c. Phnom Bakheng is also situated on a mountain peak, 220 feet from the base.As the only mountain in the vicinity surrounded by flat land, it stands out. The central temple of Phnom Bakheng is designed as a five tiered mountain possibly fifty feet above the base.
At the base of tehmountain of Phnom Bakheng, the devotee, faces a steep climb up uneven stone steps, , with the destination, the Central Temple, hidden from view.
One can only imagine the sense of internal purpose for those making this long and steep climb. The desire to reach the top of the steps must be significant. The devotee must be willing to separate themselves from the security of the Earth and climb upwards towards a spiritual destination. Only at the top of the steps does the devotee step onto the high plateau of the mountain and see before them the massively imposing stone pyramid, the Central Temple. The building stands quite isolated from other features on the plateau. It is designed as the focal point of the plateau. At the top of the steps the devotee is upon a paved walkway directing them towards the Eastern Stair entrance of the central temple. Possibly another one-quarter of a mile walk, but reaching the temple is now a reality. So far, the devotee had followed an abstract vision of their destination, but now their sights are focused on the concrete goal, within sight.
As the devotee walks along the stone path the temple appears to grow in size and significance as the devotee nears the the Eastern stairway. At some point the pilgrim may stop to for a brief prayer of thanks. And then, they continue their journey. The Central temple is a five tiered building, rendered in sandstone. It is massive, imposing and sitting atop the fifth tier of the pyramid is the greater goal a sixthe level central temple. As the devotee nears the central temple pyramid, their awe at the king or god incarnate in the building increases. As they approach the temple stairs at last, one is awestruck at the immensity of the building, The effect is palpable. And yet, now as the devotee looks up the stairs, the steep angle does not expose the top, but only a look up at the sky.The devotee is confronted by a lone walk upsteep stairs to, the sky? They understand the significance of the stairs, they are massive and narrow andare guarded by carved stone lions and at each level, more carved lions. As the pilgrim ascends, they have left the earth and are now inside the temple, and enveloped by the stone structure. Climbing up each level they have increased their awe at the mightiness of the one for whom this monument was erected. At the top they have finally left the bounds of the earth and joined God in heaven.
At Preah Vihear
The architects of Phnom Bakheng constructed within the limitation of local geography a mountain temple to simulate the pilgrimage of a devotee towards the top and their God. I wish to now comparte with Preah Vihear, a true mountain, where they designed a differently effective pilgrimage. How the architects of Preah Vihear propelled the devotee on a more exhaustive and physical travail.
Our devotee has reached the base of the temple complex, either by walking up the mountain, or in modern days, taking the 4X4. At the base of Phnom Vihear the pilgrim faces a steep, stone staircase of 162 steps, ending at stone terraces The stone steps have been worn unevenly by previous penitents. The temple can be glimpsed up the hill ahead, on a hillock. The view of the Temple ahead propels the devotee forward toward the goal. The devotee measures their remaining physical energy against the spiritual uplift when they reach the temple. The devotee will manage this balance throughout their journey. The palpable physical exertion versus spiritual reward. The designers must have been quite conscious of the physical toll of the pilgrimage. Did they design the pilgrimage as a religious challenge only for the young or the determined? Did they accept that the older or infirm may need days to achieve the last Temple? Beyond the terraces is a stone platform with a wall and statues of Nagas. Twenty five steep stone steps bring you to the first temple.
The devotee has achieved a goal and a moment to reflect at the first temple, but cannot wait long since four more are futher uphill. They must press forward. Behind the first temple is a wide, 32 feet, paved causeway uphill, that is 902 feet long, surrounded by square stone pillars Forgetting, or shaking off any exhaustion at this climb, one is propelled uphill in this causeway by the vision of the next temple, the second, just ahead. This temple is also on a hillock, with even more stone steps up to reach the second temple. The wide causeway allows groups of pilgrims walking together to drive the group forward. The steps to the temple are narrow. The group energy may be gone but anticipating the awe of the temple continues to propels them upward.
The entrance to this second temple is on a high base, and passage is in the form of a long gallery, iterating the experience of length and distance. Behind this Temple is yet another highly decorated third temple which extends East and West for a total length of 114 feet. This is a chance for the devotee to rest and contemplate. Our pilgrims religious devotion was matched centuries before by artisans who applied their skill to create a religious experience for a physically exhausted pilgrim to energize their spiritual energy.
Was it a conscious effort by the original designers to accept that the challenge they created was great and therefore they diminished the distances between temples as the pilgrim ascended? By now, the devotee has expended nearly all of their physical energy and moves forward only on spiritual energy and thehuman determination of fulfilling the commitment.
The visitor has completed much but still has more temples to ascend to. From the rear of this temple seven steps lead to another causeway slanting upwards. This stepway is surrounded by boundary posts on each side and flanked by a Naga balustrade. The fourth temple is quite close as compared to the earlier settings. And from this fourth temple, the Fifth and last are just steps apart.
In my quest on a sunny day for which I was ill prepared, I was unable to reach to fifth Temple. My physical reserves were spent and I was not on a spiritual quest which surely would have motivated me to drag myself the last fifty feet. I simple gave up, not willing to spend the night at the temple to recover. With no physical reserve, the walk downhill was a test of will. There was no formal path, and the one pilgrims used was rocky, filled with stones and sand. It was a very slow deliberate trip, baby steps, many, many stops for breath untilI achieved the bottom.
This pilgrimage is rewarded as with the Mountain Temple of Phnom Bakheng, by reaching atop the mountain, being closer to his gods, beyond the earth, lifted to exhaultation of his spirit mingling with the spirits of his gods. Driven to exhaustion, by a focused desire to achieve their goal, the human spirit soars in achievement and reverence. For some the spiritual achievement may approach ecstasy. For others the physical exhaustion may temper their ecstasy, but the bragging rights will be carried forever.