Asian Art and History

Lecture

Asian Art and History The Art and Narratives of Angkor

Vasudha Narayanan, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Department of Religion, University of Florida

Built in the 12th century CE, Angkor Wat was the largest Hindu temple in the world. After noting the historical and religious contexts for the deities and narratives seen in Angkor, we will discuss the art and architecture of this breathtakingly magnificent temple. Although Angkor Wat is in some ways similar to a small eighth-century temple in Kanchipuram, India, and draws from the canons of Hindu temple architecture, this structure is visionary and a testimony to the Khmer genius and their innovative art and engineering. Angkor is also a model of Vaikuntha, where the Hindu deity Vishnu abides, and Cambodians still call it Preah Vishnulok, or the sacred world of Vishnu.

This presentation is part of the Asian Art and History series.

Image: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap.

Vasudna Narayanan

Vasudha Narayanan

Vasudha Narayanan is Distinguished Professor, Department of Religion, at the University of Florida, a past President of the American Academy of Religion, and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was educated at the Universities of Madras and Bombay in India, and at Harvard University. Her fields of interest are the Hindu traditions in India, Cambodia, and America; visual and expressive cultures in the study of the Hindu traditions; and gender issues. She is currently working on Hindu temples and traditions in Cambodia.

Her research has been supported by grants and fellowships from several organizations including the Centre for Khmer Studies, the American Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities (multiple years), the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the American Institute of Indian Studies/ Smithsonian, and the Social Science Research Council.