Publisher's Synopsis
This massive and comprehensive volume is the culminating publishing event of the author's lengthy and meticulous research into Khmer mythology, its messages and meanings. From around 800 to 1300, the Khmer empire stretched across a vast swath of Southeast Asia; its powerful rulers built magnificent temples to glorify their reigns, and adorned them with carved stone work of immense size, complexity, and artistry. In statuary, myriad pediments and lintels, and many miles of bas-relief walls were portrayed the lives and legends of Hindu gods, adopted and transformed from Indian sources, and Buddhist themes. Professor Roveda has previously published on the motifs and mythology of the Khmer stonework in the Angkor area; this monumental volume incorporates that work as well as his researches on the great Khmer monuments flung across Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, and is illustrated with over 1800 color images in text and on a supplementary CD.
