Customer Reviews

Angkor Wat: Time, Space, and Kingship

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In Time, Space, and Kingship, Eleanor Mannikka serves as our knowledgeable guide on a most amazing tour of Cambodia's Angkor Wat.

The degree of detail gives the book a revelation-type quality; to call it a Khmer architectural "Rosetta Stone" or "Dead Sea Scroll" would not be extreme.

Mannikka's skillful weaving-in of ancient Khmer history and culture, along with a wealth of photos and architectural drawings, almost gives the reader the impression that she was chosen by the ancients to make such a presentaion.

Unlike much other ancient architecture, which stands in silent grandeur, Time, Space, and Kingship tutors the reader in how to "listen" to Angkor Wat. Far from being dead, the temple complex is "alive", "telling" its story from virtually every stone.

Based on a University of Michigan doctoral dissertation, this book provides an astonomical/numerological interpretation of the awe-inspiring temple of Angkor Wat. I would love to have it with me at the temple on an equinox or solstice (though it is a little heavy to carry, and Cambodia is always hot). It has splendid photographs and architectural drawings and makes a convincing case that components of the temple were aligned with the sun and based on measurements and iterations of the sacred numbers of 32 and 12.

Mannikka has interesting things to say about the cult of the devarāja (usually translated as god-king), Sūryavarman II in particular (she believes that the unit of measurement for the temple was the distance between his elbow and outstretched fingertip: 43545 m.

The book is essential for those interested in the architecture. Although well-written, it is dauntingly technical.

This is a great book if you've already studied the Angkor Wat. If you haven't, there's too much detail to absorb. I think the book is brilliant, but it's not the appropriate guide for the first-time student of Angkor.

Eleanor Mannikka's grand idea is that the symbolism of Angkor Wat can be understood by interpreting the most significant measurements on the temple as references to Cambodian astronomical, calendrical, and religious concepts. Thus, for example, she identifies some distances, on the entrance bridge and outer enclosure, as referring to the Four Ages (yugas) of Hindu cosmology. The Churning of the Sea of Milk, at the Western Entrance, symbolizes the annual orbital oscillations of the sun and moon between summer and winter solstices. The third enclosure records, in its dimensions, some important events of Suryavarman's reign, and indicates that the king was symbolically bringing a new "golden age" to mankind. The upper levels of the temple represent Mt. Meru, the home of the gods and especially of Vishnu, who is the supreme deity in this temple. The measurements in this part of the temple include a mandala of the gods with lunar and solar astronomical cycles.

In addition to its architectural symbolism, the temple's measurements also provide a great deal of information about the third gallery reliefs, and even help identify which gods would be represented by the (now absent!) statues that were set up in various locations in the temple.

Mannika's book will be accessible to most interested readers, especially now that it has been issued in softcover. While the book does contain (necessarily!) a lot of long and involved calculations, it is possible for the reader to skip over the numerical details and still get a good sense of the author's interpretations and conclusions.

Although the book is well written and shows detailed academic insight into Angkor, it offers little for those interested in a general overview of the temples and their history.

I have also purchased Angkor by Claude Jacques. In terms of preparing for my upcoming trip, I've found this book to be far more beneficial.

Joining a group tour and want to follow the guide spewing half-truths and half-remembered stories? No problem, buy lonely planet, and be done with it.
Want some deeper insight? Get this damn book... I had it practically memorized when I went (then again, I'm an Angkor junkie...) and ended up giving my guide lessons that floored him!
Thanks Dr, Mannikka!

This brilliant book looks at the organization of Angkor Wat, as well as the other monuments of the Khymer civilization in terms of mathematics, geography, and distance measurements. Extensive tables, and references to earlier French works. A valuable guide to anyone planning a study or tour of ancient Angkor. I took mine along and retraced the old French tours. Highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in archaeology, Angkor, or astronomical alignments of monuments.

It seem likes some viewers do not appreciated this book. For me this book is very interesting.It is the book of the book to completed what all about angkor mysteries.I strong;y recommended for the academic recherche.