https://pratujournal.org ISSN 2634-176X Nine Deities Panel in Ancient Cambodia ផ្ទាំំ�ង ចម្លាាϋ់ 䟁�ពប្រាំ�厽ួន� អ ងគក្�ងុ 讶រ្យយធ揌៌ ខ្មែ�ែរ្យ 厽�殶ណ CHHUM Menghong Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (Cambodia) [email protected] Translation by: CHHUM Menghong Edited by: Ben WREYFORD, Pratu Editorial Team Received 5 November 2018; Accepted 19 August 2019; Published 8 April 2020 The author declares no known conflict of interest. Abstract: The nine deities panel has been found in large numbers and existed with several configurations of deities in ancient Cambodia. The oldest known example dates from the pre-Angkorian period and shows the navagrahas (nine celestial bodies) in a standing posture. The iconographic form differs on Angkorian-period panels, with the nine deities on their individual vāhana (mount). By reanalysing the iconography of the deities and the typological development of the panels, it is argued that this later group represents the navadevas, a term used to designate the combination of four grahas and fivedikpālas (guardians of the directions). This study also considers issues relating to the imagery’s meaning and significance, based on their iconographic and architectural contexts in Khmer temples. The colocation of the navadevas and related iconographic themes including Viṣṇu Anantaśayana, the grahas as seven ṛṣis, and the mātṛkās, clarifies that the imagery’s meaning relates to the celestial bodies, the directions and the notion of cosmological order. The panel was used both as a lintel above a temple doorway and installed inside the sanctum as an independent object near the image of the main deity, and appears to have been especially associated with shrines located in the southeast of a temple complex. The significance of the panel is suggested to relate to the idea of the temple as cosmic space. Keywords: Angkorian, celestial bodies, cosmological order, dikpālas, directions, iconography, mātṛkās, nava- grahas, navadevas, pre-Angkorian, seven ṛṣis, vāhana, Viṣṇu Anantaśayana 揌ូលន័យស䟁ង߁厽 ៖ 侶ស揌័យបុ殶ណ ផ្ទាំំ�ងចម្លាាϋ់ ឬខ្មែ្㿂រ្យខ្មែែលᯒលាក់ ᾶរ្យូ厽䟁�ពប្រាំ��厽ួនអងគប្រាំ្殼វ�ន䟁េប្រាំ厽�ះ䟁�ញើ ម្លានច�នួនសន្䮹ϋ សន្ធ់ និងម្លា ន �ប្រាំ揌ង​ផេ់ 䮟ងៗ ௒ុ ។ ផ្ទាំំ�ង ចម្លាាϋ់ ខ្មែែល ាស់ ᾶង​គេម្លាន ζល厽រ្យ䟁ចិ ᯁទ​ក្�ង ស揌័យ​មុន អងគរ្យ ខ្មែ ែល 徶េ䟁ប្រាំច ើន​គេ 習គ ល់ 䎶 ᾶ​​នព䮜䟁ប្រាំ௒ះ (ផ្ទាំζ យ ប្រាំ��厽ួន) ᯒលាក់​ក្�ង ζយ វζិ រ្យឈរ្យ។ ϋុ�ង ស揌័យអង គរ្យ ζយ វζិ រ្យ រ្យ厽ស់​ទេព䞶 ង� ប្រាំ��厽 ួន​នេះ ម្លាន ζរ្យ ផ្ទាំា ស់​ប្ូរ្យᾶ 䟁ប្រាំចើន �ប្រាំ揌ង ់ និងម្លា ន 架ន㿂 ជន� ិះ។ 㾶揌 រ្យយៈ ζរ្យវ 徶ិ េ សិϋ羶​ឡ�ងើ វញិ ​ដោយ 䟁ផ្ទាំ㿂្ើ 䟁ល​ទេវϋ䎶 នៃ​ទេព នើ揌ួយៗ និង ζរ្យវ វិ ្㿂ន៍�ប្រាំ揌ង ស់ ិល្ៈ រ្យ厽ស់ផ្ទាំំ�ងចម្លាាϋ់ទំង䟁នះ 䟁យងើ 讶ចសនិោុ ⾶ ន䎶 ប្រាំϋ殻揌䟁�ព䞶ង� ប្រាំ��厽 ួន អងគ䟁ៅស揌័យ អងគរ្យេឺᾶ នព䮜䟁�ពខ្មែែលស �䟁ៅ​ល�ើζរ្យ 厽ញ្ូ ល ௒ុ រ្យ玶ងផ្ទាំζ យច�នួន厽ួនអងគ និង䟁ោក​បលច�នួនប្រាំ��អងគ (䟁�ពខ្មែែ រ្យϋ羶​ទិស)។ ζរ្យស ិϋ羶​នេះϋ䟁ផ្ទាំ㿂្៏ 䟁លើអ្䮐ន័យ និង​តួ侶�ើ ស�޶ន់ ​ក្�ងζរ្យ 䟁ប្រាំ厽ើប្រាំ�ស់ ផ្ទាំំ�ង ចម្លាាϋ់ នព䮜䟁�ព​ក្�ង 習䮐 厽្យϋ揌ែប្រាំ�習� ខ្មែ�ែរ្យ 䟁ោយ វ徶ិ គ​ល�ើ​ទេវϋ䎶 និង​ទើ㾶ង� រ្យ厽ស់ ចម្លាាϋ់។ នព䮜䟁�ពម្លាន ​ទំ侶ϋ់��នងᾶ 揌ួយ ខ្មែ�䮟 䟁រ្យឿង​ទេវϋ䎶​ផ្䮟ងៗ​ដូចᾶ៖ ប្រាំពះវស្ិ � ្ំ� � ផ្ទាំζ យ​ក្�ង �ប្រាំ揌ង ᾶឥស់ ើ ប្រាំ��ពើរ្យអង គ និង​ទេពប្រាំស ើខ្មែែល ᾶ 厽រ្យបទ​គំិ និ្ សើ㿂អ�ពើ ⾶នសួេ៌ �ិស និង​លោϋ 䮶តុ។ ផ្ទាំំ�ង ចម្លាាϋ់ នព䮜䟁�ពប្រាំ ្殼វ�ន​គេ 䟁ប្រាំ厽ើ​ធ្វើ ᾶខ្មែ្㿂រ្យស ប្រាំម្លា厽ប្រាំចϋ់ 䟁ចញ ចូល និង្揌ζល់​ដច់ ខ្មែ្ឯង Pratu | Volume 1 | 2020 | Article 2 | 1–17 https://doi.org/10.25501/SOAS.00032560 CHHUM Menghong ក្�ុង្ួ厽៉揌⾷ ្ិ 䟁ៅខ្មែϋ្រ្យ រ្យូ厽䟁�ពសំំ޶ននន់ ប្រាំ�習� ᾶពិិ䟁សស䞶ϋ់ �ងនឹ䮹ងតួួ厽៉揌䟁ៅប្រាំជ殻 ង 讶䟁េុយ ននប្រាំϋ殻揌៍ ប្រាំ�習�។ 徶ពសំំ޶នរ្យ厽ស់ ់ ផ្ទាំំ�ងចម្លាាϋ់នេះះប្រាំ្殼វ�ន䟁ប្រាំ厽 ើϋ�ុងន័័យ 厽ញ្ជាាϋ់គំំនិ្ខ្មែែ ល សម្គាាលប្រាំ់ �習� ᾶទីើ㾶�ងនន 䟁ោϋ 䮶តុ។ 家ϋយេនា䮹ះ ៖ ស揌័យអងគរ្យ, ⾶នសួេ៌, 䟁ោϋ䮶តុ, 䟁ោϋ�ល, �ិស, 䟁�វϋ䎶, 䟁�ពប្រាំសើ, នព䮜䟁ប្រាំ௒ះ, នព䮜䟁�ព, ស揌័យមុនអងគរ្យ, ឥសើ ប្រាំ�ំពើរ្យអងគ, 架ន㿂ជន� ិះ, ប្រាំពះវស្ិ �្�ំ� Introduction or ten, namely Indra, Agni, Yama, Nairṛta, Varuṇa, Vāyu, Kubera or Soma, Īśāna, Brahmā, and Ananta.7 Stone panels bearing images of nine deities are Both the navagrahas and dikpālas are subsidiary to known in several forms from ancient Cambodia. the main deity and its temple. In Indian art the nav- They are often termed navagrahas panels, refer- agrahas appear in two main forms, as a group on a ring to the nine celestial bodies. However, studies lintel or independent panel, or as small secondary by scholars working in the 1950s and 1960s, includ- figures on panels dedicated to another deity, such 1 2 ing Kamaleswar Bhattacharya, Louis Malleret and as Viṣṇu Anantaśayana, Gaurī or Revanta.8 They are 3 Debala Mitra, proposed two different theories often placed over the doorway but sometimes inside regarding the identification of the figures. Bhat- the temple, locations related to the ritual protection tacharya and Malleret suggested that they repre- they afford the temple.9 Conversely, dikpālas usually sent a combination of celestial bodies (grahas) and appear in high relief on the temple structure or stone 4 guardians of the directions (dikpālas), while Mitra, panels, often the exterior wall associated with their conversely, suggested that they should be inter- respective direction, but also on the ceiling or other preted as representing only the navagrahas, as seen parts of the temple structure, again having an apot- 5 on panels from ancient India. Scholars therefore ropaic function.10 Similarly, in ancient Khmer culture, disagree on the identification of individual deities the nine deities ensemble occurs as a relief on mon- in these ensembles and consequently the interpre- olithic stone panels, temple walls and natural rock tation of the panels, which has led to the use of dif- surfaces, and as independent sculptures on a shared ferent terminology. Whether these deities represent pedestal with nine holes. grahas or dikpālas therefore remains unresolved. Images of the nine deities developed fully in Khmer We can begin by reviewing the differences between art during the Angkorian period, carved as a row of the navagrahas and dikpālas in ancient India. The figures in high relief, but the earliest known example navagrahas are nine celestial bodies commonly appears on a stone panel found at the pre-Angko- depicted together in a group, namely Sūrya (Sun), rian site of Sambor Prei Kuk, dating to around the Candra or Soma (Moon), Maṅgala or Aṅgāraka 7th century CE (Figure 1).11 On this panel, the nine (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Bṛhaspati or Guru (Jupiter), deities are depicted standing and without their Śukra (Venus), Śani or Śanaiścara (Saturn), Rāhu and vāhana (mount, vehicle), with the exception of Rāhu, 6 Ketu. The dikpālas, on the other hand, guarded spe- whereas the numerous Angkorian period representa- cific directions and most commonly numbered eight tions show them seated on their respective vāhana (Figures 2–7). The iconographic contexts are compa- rable with India, as is the relationship between Viṣṇu Acknowledgements: This article was developed from an MA Anantaśayana and the nine deities, and the location thesis, submitted to SOAS University of London in September of the nine deities on the lintel above a doorway. 2017. I would like to thank Prof. Christian Luczanits for his guid- ance, and Ben Wreyford for his helpful comments. However, the representation of the individual deities 1 differs on the panels in Cambodia. While the first BHATTACHARYA, K., “Notes d’iconographie khmère I–IV” [Notes on Khmer Iconography I–IV]. two figures in the ensemble can usually be identified 2 MALLERET, “Contribution a l’étude du thème des Neuf Divinités” as Sūrya and Candra, and the last two as Rāhu and [Contribution to the Study of the Motif of the Nine Deities]. Ketu, as in Indian representations, the remaining five 3 MITRA, “A Study of Some Graha-Images of India.” between them are not as easy to name. This high- 4 BHATTACHARYA, K., [Notes on Khmer Iconography I–IV], 191–93; lights the question, first raised by Bhattacharya and MALLERET, [Contribution to the Study of the Motif of the Nine 7 WESSELS-MEVISSEN, Gods of the Directions in Ancient India, 1. Deities], 228. Both scholars presented their identifications of 8 deities on several panels in tables in their articles. HAQUE and GAIL eds., Sculptures in Bangladesh, 56–60 & 74–78. 9 5 STUTLEY, The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography, 101. MITRA, “A Study of Some Graha-Images of India,” 27–30. 10 6 ESSELS EVISSEN This list follows MEVISSEN, Ādityas, Grahas, and other Deities of W -M , Gods of the Directions in Ancient India, 1. 11 Time and Space on Sūrya Sculptures, 1 n.4. BHATTACHARYA, K., [Notes on Khmer Iconography XI], 91–94. Page 2 Pratu | Volume 1 Nine Deities Panel in Ancient Cambodia Figure 1. Navagrahas panel from Sambor Prei Kuk, ca. 7th century. Stone. Kompong Thom Museum, 391. Photograph by Chhum Menghong (CC BY-NC 4.0). Malleret, of whether it is appropriate for the Cambo- ninth — are in fixed positions.13 The deity in the first dian examples to be identified as navagrahas, or as position is seated on a chariot pulled by horses, and dikpālas, or if another designation should be used. therefore identifiable as Sūrya. The second deity can Notably, it is clear from epigraphic sources that both be identified as Candra, sitting on a square seat or the navagrahas and dikpālas were known from the pedestal.