Harshavarman III
Hierarchy classification:
Anotations
Scope note:
Refers to the period named for the reign of King Harshavarman III (1066-1080 CE) in the early Angkor empire, characterized by rapid expansion and city planning. Monuments of the period evolved into distinct functional or symbolic types. The first of these types was the temple-mountain, a structure built on the summit of a hill or mountain as a terraced pyramid that housed a central sanctuary in which an image symbolizing the king's power was placed. The other type was a temple built on level ground and based in design on Indian and Cambodian temples. Both temple types generally featured brick, laterite, or sandstone construction, groups of interior sanctuaries, and corbelled arches. Sculpture of this period typically included examples of the Koh Ker style (second quarter of the tenth century) and the Banteay Srei style (second half of the tenth century), featuring relief sculpture depicting a series of Indian legends and architecture associated with the coordination of space between enclosures and terraces, and the style of the Khleangs (late 10th to the early 11th century), featuring a range of foliage motifs on temple tympana and figures of youthful and often dimpled deities dressed in thin, clinging fabric and adorned with jewelry.