Khmer Mythology: Secrets of Angkor [Paperback]

Vittorio Roveda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

The Khmer empire, which once extended across the whole of present-day Cambodia as far west as Burma and north into Laos, flourished for at least 500 years. During that time, many thousands of temples and shrines were carved with intricate stone reliefs of immense size, complexity and artistry. The author of this volume presents a study of these "stories in stone", explaining each scene, identifying the main features of each narrative and locating all the major reliefs in Cambodia which may be easily visited. Sites such as Angkor Wat and the Bayon glorify, not just the gods, the Buddha or Hindu epics, but also the wars and battles of kings, providing an insight into the lives of the Khmer people.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vittorio Roveda has had a multi-faceted career. He gained his first doctorate in geology and stratigraphy in the 1950s, but switched interests in the 1980s to studying Asian art history. He obtained his second doctorate on the carved reliefs of Angkor Wat in 2000. Since then he has written various papers on Khmer art and spent several months every year in Cambodia. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: River Books; 1 edition (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9748225372
• ISBN-13: 978-9748225371
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,324,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding the Angkor Reliefs, June 17, 2003

By 

Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Khmer Mythology: Secrets Of Angkor Wat (Paperback)

The great temples of Angkor are decorated with beautiful relief carvings that illustrate (mostly) Hindu mythology, with a few Buddhist and historical scenes. The sheer number and variety of reliefs is overwhelming; their length would total at least a mile or two, if laid end-to-end. It is hardly possible to see them all in one (or many) visits, let alone to know all the variety of subjects that they depict. And yet, Vittoria Roveda has done just that. It's quite an achievement.

The book is organized into two parts. The first part retells some of the myths that are most frequently illustrated at Angkor - stories of Rama, Krishna, Shiva, the Sea of Milk, etc. In part two, the author discusses the reliefs of each temple in turn. (An awkward consequence of this organization is that illustrations of the reliefs discussed in part two will often be found earlier in the book, in part one, and vice-versa, requiring much page-turning on the part of the reader.) In terms of coverage, while even Roveda could not include every possible scene in this book, I would be surprised if any but the most obscure have been left out; this is an amazingly complete effort, and the book is quite well illustrated.

This book will by enjoyed by readers who are interested in Khmer art and Hindu mythology; and those fortunate enough to visit Angkor will find this book to be enormously helpful in understanding and appreciating the reliefs that they will see there.

8 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must book for those who interest in Khmer's Art., October 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Khmer Mythology: Secrets Of Angkor Wat (Paperback)

This book describes a wide range of myths and belief behide the Ankor's architecture and art. The book shows that the auther have to sacrify his heart to study and conclude all discipline about Khmer Empire in to one... This is a must book for those who would like to study Khmer's Art in depth, not only the physical architecture or artifacts the you have seen.