HTML clipboardThe inscriptions often mention the date, and
sometimes the precise moment, at which a statue was 'brought to life' (the text
speaks of 'opening a statue's eyes'), which was the crucial instant in the life
of the temple. There was no solemn ceremony for the inauguration of a temple on
its completion (which would have been difficult to determine exactly), nor one
for laying the first stone. We know, however, that the Indian Shastras which
laid down the rules of architecture, emphasized the extreme importance of the
initial ceremonies for a building, and this is well attested by the presence of
various 'foundation offerings' deposited beneath the actual foundations of the
shrine, and also beneath the pedestals of the statues (which is why they have
all been overturned by thieves), or even at the summit of the towers. The
offerings were deposited in a square flagstone with various cavities, some of
which were marked by letters and covered with a lid. In these cavities, precious
stones, thin gold leaves, or even strands of hair or nail-clippings from the
donor's body, were placed.
One final point is that the deity was not always a statue at the centre of
the shrine, especially in the case of Shiva who, as supreme god, was most often
represented by the linga, or phallus. Inserted in its pedestal, the linga in
Khmer sculpture comprises three sections, and is a symbol of the Brahman
trinity. Only the cylindrical top third was visible, sometimes ending in an
ovoid shape, and representing Shiva. The middle section was octagonal and
represented Vishnu, while the bottom third was square and symbolized Brahma.
Both were hidden within the pedestal. As with the statues in the round, the
pedestal was surmounted by a square stone slab with a central hole and a spout
to allow the lustral water to run off and be collected by the faithful. When a
linga is the central feature, this slab is called a yoni, a 'womb', which is a
symbol of fertility and, by extension, prosperity.
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