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"Khmer Costumes & Ornaments: After the Devata of Angkor Wat" by Sappho Marchal. Plate XXX.

Book Review of Costumes of the Devata of Angkor Wat by Sappho Marchal

A mystery. How is it that in 1927, a 23-year-old woman understood more about the diversity of the 1,800 devata goddesses at the Khmer temple of Angkor Wat than mainstream scholars would see for the 80 years?

Equipped with nothing but a pad of paper and a pencil, Sappho Marchal was the first person to begin a quantitative analysis of the symbolism encoded in the royal female portraits immortalized in Angkor Wat. Who are these women? What hierarchy do they represent? Chances are the answers to these questions are portrayed in Sappho’s clear drawings.

Douglass rendered Angkor Wat's western entrance in 1927 in this 10 7/8" x 14 1/2" etching. Courtesy US Library of Congress.

From America to Angkor the Artistic Odyssey of Lucille Douglass

In 1927, American artist Lucille Douglass wrote the lines below…who would suspect that she would remain at Angkor Wat for all eternity?

“Angkor is one of the really great experiences of my life-a more intellectual than emotional experience — not that it left me cold, quite the contrary — but it was more of an uplift — an inspiration.

“Our stay — longer than most tourists — was all too short — Angkor Wat alone requires years of study — living with understanding — a few days seems but a mockery.

“I have never had a place affect me so peculiarly. . . . I shall go back for a time as long as I can stand it and do further study on the spot.

“You see the ruins are set in the midst of the jungle — which held them in its clutches for so many centuries that it still seems jealous of them.”

gkor Temples - The Guidebook is the most comprehensive guide available for travelers.

The Best Angkor Guidebook is Focusing on the Angkor Temples

For exploring the temples of Cambodia the best Angkor guidebook is Michel Petrotchenko’s “Focusing on the Angkor Temples – The Guidebook.” In addition to detailed descriptions and historical information, it’s packed with full color images, maps, diagrams and temple site plans that puts a tremendous amount of information at your fingertips, whether you’re an expert or a first time visitor.

Rajarani Temple Indian Devata of Orissa

Rajarani Temple Indian Devata of Orissa

Set like a gem among fertile ricefields, the 11th century Rajarani Temple is a breathtaking example of of Orissan style. It is also an immediate architectural predecessor of the Khmer Empire’s greatest monuments.

Two Khmer Devata Goddesses in Sikhoraphum Thailand

Two Khmer Devata Goddesses in Sikhoraphum Thailand

Just one hundred miles to the south, the Khmer civilization sanctified thousands of female images on the walls of their most important temples, both Hindu and Buddhist. But here, in what is now modern day Thailand, only two devata remain, fulfilling a mysterious spiritual mission long since forgotten.

Khmer Devata Goddesses at Thommanon Temple the Gate of Victory

Khmer Devata Goddesses at Thommanon Temple the Gate of Victory

The small, elegant Khmer temple of Thommanon is located just outside the Gate of Victory that gives access to the ancient walled city of Angkor Thom from the east. Directly to its south is the small temple of Chau Say Tevoda, currently under restoration.