Laotian Vedic Dieties

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Sundial - Isan

 

Wat Phu

 

at 14*51'37'' North - 102*30'16'' West

 

 

 

 

Straight west towards Wat Phu sanctuary, which is hidden behind the

white jasmine trees bordering the staircase

 

Eastwards towards the Bolowen.

Straight east is in the southern part of the northern baray

 

 

 

 

History:

 

Srestapura was "founded around the middle of the 5th century,

as suggested by an inscription of a king named Davanika, found in the

modern village of Vat Luang Kau. Two inscriptions discovered recently

in the same area inform us that as early as in the end of the 6th

century AD, it was the capital city of king Mahendravarman, who later

became the ruler of the Sambor Prei Kuk area …"

"Some inscriptions belonging to the 5th and 6th century do

mention a sanctuary built on the hill, contemporary with the

foundation of the city, but this building has gone and is replaced

with the building we see today. This was built during the first part

of the 9th century, with some additions and reconstructions in the

12th and 13th centuries".

"Carved blocks (elephant, crocodile, staircase framed with two

snakes) dating from after the 13th century" … "The remains of

sandstone meditation cells (monolithic base, walls, and ceiling),

maybe dating to the 7th century, are also seen here".

(Project de Recherches en Archeologie Lao – Research Project in

Lao Archaeology)

 

"There is documentary evidence that the site was the principal

sanctuary of the Chenla capital Shresthapura, founded on the site of

the present day small town of Champassak. One of the first known

kings of Chenla, probably ruling in the 5th century, was called

Shresthavarman, which suggest strongly that he founded the capital

here. A Chinese 6th century text mentions "near the capital there is

a mountain called Ling-chia-po-p'o (Lingaparvata), on top of which

there is a temple which is always guarded by a thousand soldiers. It

is consecrated to a spirit named P'o-to-li, to which human sacrifice

is made. Each year, the king goes into this temple and himself offers

a human sacrifice during the night".

Chinese transliterations of foreign names were notoriously of

the mark, but the spirit P'o-to-lo almost certain referred to

Bhadreshvara, a clue that leads back to the Cham holy city of My-Son,

some 270 km to the north-east, near Danang in Vietnam. In the second

half of the 4th century, the Cham king Bhadravarman founded the first

shrine at My-Son dedicated to Shiva Bhadresvarman giving his own name

to the cult. Moreover, an inscription recovered from Champassak was

made order of a king Devanika, considered by Coedès to be the same

person as another Cham king who ruled about 455 and 472 and referred

to by the Chinese as Fan Shen-ch'eng. The area around Champassak,

therefore, may originally have been a part of Champa.

All of this attests to a long history of worship at this site

before the Khmers began work on Wat Phu."

(Michael Freeman: A guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos,

p. 200-201.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phu Kau natural made rock lingam next to Wat Phu.

Lao phu phom-kao means 'hair gathered up'.

 

The area between Wat Phu (Temple of the Mountain) and the Mekong

River hosted in the beginning of the first millennium the oldest

Khmer Mandela, the cradle of Khmer civilization

 

 

 

Phu Kau from the Mekong River in southern Laos. Phu Kau seen from

Champassak.

 

 

 

 

Wat Phu main sanctuary is now housing a Buddha image

 

Early morning view throughout the eastern doorway. Alignment =

centerline.

 

 

 

 

 

"The sacred spring, and the remains of an associated chapel, small

basins, an elevated walkway and stone conduits. Stylistically from

the 11th century, evidence of old reconstruction and discovery of a

pre-Angkorian stele and artifacts suggest that the original

structures were much older."

(Michael Freeman: A guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos,

p. 205.)

 

"A small temple built in sandstone and bricks (11th

century) wedged below the cliff, would sanctity the water from the

southern spring and would probably have contained a Linga. Behind

this temple under the cliff, small bronze Khmer statues of Vishnu and

a female divinity, and some much later Buddha representations were

found"

(Project de Recherches en Archeologie Lao – Research Project in

Lao Archaeology)

The small temple is oriented towards summer solstice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments on the orientations:

 

General: The orientations are approximate; no sunrise was observed to

give a certain direction. Orientation was determined by the use of a

hand compass. The jasmine trees lining the staircases up to the main

sanctuary obscure the view in front of the temple.

The oldest parts of Wat Phu are from the first part of the first

millennium. In the same centuries Hindu astrology underwent a lot of

changes. The elder Vedic astronomy/astrology was followed by newer

books as Surya Siddhanta, which made school from the 6th century. If

influenced by Hindu tradition then the oldest part of Wat Phu would

be according to Vedic tradition and the later renovations from the

12th century according to Surya Siddhanta etc.

In Vedic times calendars did not start at vernal equinox or

winter solstice only, the year could also start around autumnal

equinox. For summer solstice I have to check the literature again.

Calendars were not solely solar calendars, mostly there were,

and still are, solar-lunar calendars, starting with the full or new

moon around e.g. winter solstice.

 

1) The small temple is the oldest structure on the site and is

oriented very close towards summer solstice, deviating 3.5 degrees,

which is the orientation of the moon seal 3 days after New Moon at

summer solstice. Calculations are made for year 444 A.D. The

orientation should be compared with the orientation of Hindu temples

in the nearby and contemporary Champa state on the coastline of

present central Vietnam.

In nowadays Laos an annual Buffalo Sacrifice Festival is held at

the full moon in June.

 

2) The main sanctuary, the staircases and the two oldest barays are

oriented 96 (or 98) degrees from North. Six degrees is equivalent to

14 days before vernal equinox. The sun raised in the orientation of

the centerline of the staircases two weeks before and after the

equinoxes. Calculations are made for year 888 A.D. The orientation is

not immediate intelligible in an astronomical sense, taking into

consideration only the movements of the sun and the moon.

 

3) The Northern Baray is constructed later than the other barays and

is orientated towards nearly straight east. The rising sun will be

mirrored in the baray at equinox.

When the Northern Baray was dug there were already two barays

laying symmetrically around the walkways to the main sanctuary. The

main sanctuary, the staircases and the two eldest barays apparently

belongs to older renovations than the renovation in the 12th

century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above: Dancing Shiva

(eastern lintel, main sanctuary, 12th. century)

Right: Shiva and Uma on Nandin

(northern gallery, 12th. century A.D.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu on the rock a few metres north of the

sanctuary. Sacred footprint with spiral over Indra's Airavata.

70 meter north of the sanctuary.

 

 

Spiral mandala. Detail from photo above

 

 

 

 

The Guardians of the Cardinal Directions, which are richly

represented at Banteay Srey and That Phanom Rung are nowhere to be

found at Wat Phu.

The carved lines in the cardinal directions, which is an

integrated feature of Phanom Rung and Preah Vihear are missing too.

 

 

 

 

Northern gallery dates back to the 12th century, when Suriyavarman II

reigned in Angkor.

o The road to Mekong and Champassak whereby researchers presently

are searching after remnants of the first capital city of Funan from

the beginning of the first millennium

 

 

 

Mekong River towards the Bolowen mountains at Champassak in January

 

 

 

 

Wat Phu - continued

 

 

 

Content

 

 

Home

 

Introduction Phanom Rung Temple

The sundial Phanom Rung sunrises

Analemma graphs Phanom Rung sunrise / Bangkok Post

Equinox Path Preah Vihear

Astronomical alignments in constructions Phu Phek

Solar Gate designs Narai

Vajra and sundial Wat Phu 1

Vajra-literature and pictures Wat Phu 2

Pictures to download Angkor Wat

Lunar calendar Banteay Srey (2003)

Link page

 

 

 

Last updated: 14th October 2002

 

 

Macsida

 

Asger Mollerup