Prasat Kravan

Tenth century Hindu sanctuary with bas reliefs etched in brickwork

5 Sanctuary towers of Prasat Krovan

Name Prasat Kravan Date 921 King Built by a high positioning cleric amid the rule of King Harshavarman I Location South of Banteay Kdei and the Srah Srang baray Nearby Banteay Kdei, Prasat Bat Chum, Srah Srang baray

The Prasat Kravan is a mid tenth century Hindu landmark. It comprises of a line of five block towers constructed firmly together set on a low stage situated towards the East.

The landmark found a couple of kilometers East of Angkor Wat was devoted to Vishnu, the Supreme God of Hinduism. The Prasat Kravan is one of only a handful few Angkor sanctuaries that was not worked by a King, but rather by a high positioning Hindu cleric.

The towers are of marginally unique size, the focal pinnacle being the biggest, the towers on either side of it to some degree littler, the external towers being the littlest. In the inside of the focal and Northern pinnacle is various models made specifically in the brickwork of the towers, an exceptional component in Angkor, which is frequently found in the Cham sanctuaries of Vietnam.

In the 1960's the Prasat Kravan was reestablished by the EFEO, utilizing however much as could reasonably be expected the first materials. New stones are set apart with a "CA" engraving. A fundamentally the same as sanctuary named Prasat Neang Khmau is found in Takeo region, South of the capital Phnom Penh. Here, two block towers of fundamentally the same as design were worked around an indistinguishable time from the Prasat Kravan.

The five haven towers

The landmark is encased by a channel, which is crossed by a little highway in the Western segment of the sanctuary grounds. East of the towers is an extensive cruciform porch, which may have been the place a passage door was which was most likely worked out of wood or other perishable material since nothing of it remains today.

Before each of the haven towers is a stairway that was watched by lion statues, some of which still remain. The passage entryway of the focal pinnacle contains etched Dvarapala watchman figures set in specialties. An engraving on the doorpost of the 3½ meter wide focal pinnacle says that a statue of Vishnu was committed here in the year 921. The focal asylum is as yet finished with its unique four levels, the Southern haven has two of its levels remaining, the other three have none.

Bas relief of Vishnu

Bas reliefs of the focal asylum 

The inside of the focal asylum contains three bas reliefs of Vishnu, etched straightforwardly into the block divider. One of the reliefs delineates a story from the Bhagavata Purana, an antiquated Hindu story beginning from India. The scene indicates "the three monster ventures of Vishnu". In the story, Vishnu comes to earth in the state of the diminutive person Vamana. Vishnu asks for Bali, King of the Asura evil presences, to be given a plot of land he could cover with three strides. When the King consented to the demand, Vishnu uncovers his genuine size and controls and with three stages covers the whole universe.

Different reliefs demonstrate an eight equipped Vishnu encompassed by a substantial number of admirers in 6 lines, and Vishnu on his mount Garuda. The North pinnacle indicates models of Lakshmi, Vishnu's associate. This haven contained a platform and was potentially devoted to Lakshmi.