Ak Yum
| Ak Yum | |
|---|---|
|
Ruin of the temple | |
  Ak Yum Location within Cambodia | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 13°25′28″N 103°46′36″E / 13.42444°N 103.77667°E |
| Country | Cambodia |
| Province | Siem Reap |
| Locale | Angkor |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Gambhiresvara |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Khmer (Kompong Preah style[1]) |
| History and governance | |
| Date built | 2nd half of the 8th century AD |
Ak Yum (Khmer: ប្រាសាទអកយំ) is an ancient temple in the Angkor region of Cambodia.[2]:350,352 Unfortunately, there is no clear evidence of which Khmer king built it or of which king modified it. Stone carrying inscriptions, including one with a date corresponding to Saturday 10 June 674 AD during the reign of king Jayavarman I. One inscription dated to the very beginning of the 11th century, shows that the temple dedicated to Gambhiresvara "God of the Depths" or "Hidden Knowledge".[3] The first structure on the site was a single-chamber brick sanctuary, probably constructed in the latter part of the 8th century, scholars believe. Later it was remade into a larger stepped pyramid structure, with a base approximately 100 meters square. The expansion probably took place in the early 9th Century during the reign of King Jayavarman II, who is widely recognized as the founder of the Khmer Empire. When the West Baray reservoir was built in the 11th Century, Ak Yum was partially buried by the southern dike.
The site was excavated in the 1932 under the direction of archaeologist George Trouvé.
A number of bronze statuettes have been found here, both Brahmanic and Buddhist (the latter including Lokesvara and Maitreya).
References
- Higham, Charles. The Civilization of Angkor. University of California Press 2001. p. 96
Coordinates: 13°25′29″N 103°46′37″E / 13.4246°N 103.777°E