HTML clipboardIn contrast to Angkor Wat's other bas-reliefs,
this 94m-long military procession has an historical basis, and shows King
Suryavarman II, the temple's builder, and his army. It begins, at the W edge,
with two registers: in the upper is a royal audience before the army sets off,
in the lower a procession. 10m from the start, on the upper register, is the
king, seated (in keeping with his rank, larger than any other figure). Below,
princesses and ladies of the court are carried in palanquins. On the other side
of the king are his ministers and army commanders, and after the audience they
rise and leave, descending steps to rejoin the army. From here to the end, the
army marches in a single register, its 20 commanders riding war elephants, their
rank identified by the number of parasols and name identified in small
inscriptions. The 12th elephant, exactly halfway along the bas-relief, carries
the king, again the largest figure, with 15 parasols. The royal standard, a
small statue of Vishnu on Garuda, precedes him. Military processions continued
just like this throughout the different reigns; the Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan
s description from a century and a half later reads, "The ministers and
princes are all on elephant hack; from afar their innumerable red parasols can
be seen. ....Behind them at last comes the king, standing on the hack of an
elephant and holding in his hand the precious sword."
18m in front of Suryavarman II, the royal sacrificer or Rajahotar, a
brahmin, rides in a palanquin among priests, just behind the Sacred Fire on its
ark (each end decorated with naga heads). A band precedes this: note the horns,
conch shells, flute and a gong Princess in a palanquin at the rear of carried by
two men. The small group of standard bearers just in front is excellent. The
head of the procession is taken by more troops. 8m before the end Prince
Jayasimhavarman on an elephant commands a provincial contingent from Louvo (now
Lopburi in Central Thailand) Sloping out of step in front of these disciplined
troops is a rag-tag body of Siamese mercenaries, wild-looking and armed with
spears; their commander also rides an elephant.
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