Bayon of Angkor Thom, the

Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2006. Paperback. Very Good/no dj. 1.00. Sahai, Sachchidanand. This book offers offers an in-depth analysis of the temple which holds the key to the understanding of Khmer civilization. Its role as the geometric centre of the city of Angkor Thom and as a veritable microcosm of the Khmer world has been lucidly explained in this monograph. How did this center-piece of the Angkor art gradually succumb to the dense tropical forest after Angkor was abandoned in the fifteenth century? How did it re-emerge as a bewildering complex of face-towers as a result of a century of patient research and restoration? The monograph addresses a number of such crucial questions. This enigmatic creation of Angkor art has been studied in its manifold dimensions, critically analyzing the Sanskrit and Khmer epigraphic sources and extensive secondary sources available exclusively in French scholarly writings, and providing an easier access to the vast technical literature to both the general readers and researchers. In a lucid and straightforward style the author delves deep in the process of rediscovery of the temple of Bayon, unveiling of its layout and architectural features, the reconstitution of its central image from innumerable fragments and the enigma of its colossal face-towers. Through the presence of the Sakabrahmana at the Bayon, the reader will rediscover Iranian elements in Khmer civilization via Indian channels. A careful examination of ideological shifts explains how the temple served the Mahayana, Shaivite and Theravada faith in various phases of its existence. The Bayon or becomes a palpable reality as the culmination of the Angkor art in this well-documented monograph which offers an indispensable reading to every researcher and visitor to Angkor.