Muang Tum
Encyclopedia
Prasat Hin Muang Tum is a Khmer temple
in Prakhon Chai district
, Buri Ram Province, Thailand
. It is primarily in the Khleang and Baphuon
styles, which dates its primary phases of construction to the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The primary deity was Shiva
, although Vishnu
was also worshipped there.
Like most Khmer temples, Muang Tum is orientated towards the east. It has a flat concentric plan, with a central sanctuary and two libraries surrounded successively by an inner enclosure, ponds, and an outer enclosure. The ponds between the enclosures are an unusual feature of the temple, as is the central sanctuary, which is not elevated and has its towers arranged in rows of three and two rather than in a quincunx. All the towers except the central one have been restored.
Kala
are particularly prominent in the lintels
of the temple. They are the best available aid in dating the structure, but the mix of styles (Khleang and Baphuon
) makes accurate dating impossible. Several of the lintels on the outer gopuras are unfinished.
A small baray, probably contemporaneous with the temple, lay to the east, while a later, larger baray survives further north between Muang Tum and Phanom Rung.
Architecture of Cambodia
The period of Angkor is the period from approximately the latter half of the 8th century AD to the first half of the 15th century. If precise dates are required, the beginning may be set in 802 AD, when the founder of the Khmer Empire , Jayavarman II pronounced himself universal monarch and...
in Prakhon Chai district
Amphoe Prakhon Chai
Prakhon Chai is a district in the southern part of Buriram Province, northeastern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Ban Kruat, Lahan Sai, Chaloem Phra Kiat, Nang Rong, Mueang Buriram, Phlapphla Chai of Buriram Province and Prasat of Surin Province.-Administration:The district is...
, Buri Ram Province, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It is primarily in the Khleang and Baphuon
Baphuon
The Baphuon is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is the archetype of the Baphuon style...
styles, which dates its primary phases of construction to the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The primary deity was Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, although Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
was also worshipped there.
Like most Khmer temples, Muang Tum is orientated towards the east. It has a flat concentric plan, with a central sanctuary and two libraries surrounded successively by an inner enclosure, ponds, and an outer enclosure. The ponds between the enclosures are an unusual feature of the temple, as is the central sanctuary, which is not elevated and has its towers arranged in rows of three and two rather than in a quincunx. All the towers except the central one have been restored.
Kala
Kala
Kala may refer to:In Hinduism:*Kāla , a Sanskrit word for "time"*Kalā: 64 arts*Kala Bo, a Hindu consort goddess*Kirtimukha: a fierce guardian faceIn culture*Kala , a character in the Tarzan novels*Kala , a 2007 Indonesian film...
are particularly prominent in the lintels
Lintel (architecture)
A lintel can be a load-bearing building component, a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. It is often found over portals, doors, and windows.-Structural uses:...
of the temple. They are the best available aid in dating the structure, but the mix of styles (Khleang and Baphuon
Baphuon
The Baphuon is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is the archetype of the Baphuon style...
) makes accurate dating impossible. Several of the lintels on the outer gopuras are unfinished.
A small baray, probably contemporaneous with the temple, lay to the east, while a later, larger baray survives further north between Muang Tum and Phanom Rung.