Cambodia. 12th century.

The eastern approach to the main western entrance. 

Cambodian monarchs made exacting calculations to determine the kingdom's essential power-point; and there they erected the royal temple. This mysterious "point-zero" also functioned as the fundamental reference point to which all-subsequent centres were aligned. Thus, the linga of the king became the primal locus not only of the immediate geographic locale, but also by extension the entire universe. By erecting temple-mountains to enshrine the royal linga, each succeeding king was essentially constructing a personal quincunx or "four-cornered force-field" in the form of a religio-architectural mandala of universal alignment, power and protection. But mandalas, we should note, are more than just "microcosmic mirrors of the universe." Indeed, mandalas are "receptacles" of the gods. And as Mircea Eliade carefully reminded us, in Vedic India the gods "descended into the altar."

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