A Note on the Shvetadvipa of Angkor

By : Sachchidanand Sahai

Page No: 167-171

Abstract
Svetadvipa, literally meaning "White Island" is a notion from Vedic cosmology, referring to a transcendental island in the Milk Ocean where Lord Vishnu sits. This paper outlines an ocean-like vast water body — the West Baray — considered to the abode of Vishnu,constructed in the 11th century AD in Angkor in Cambodia. While citing the inscriptional evidences from Preah Khan, an attempt has been made to highlight the significance of the West Baray in the context of Angkor.

Author:
Dr. Sachchidanand Sahai
Bualuang ASEAN Chair Professor, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand
Advisor to Apsara Authority, Siem Riep, Cambodia
Former Chair, Department Ancient Indian and Asian Studies, Magadh University, Bodh Gaya
Former National Professor of Epigraphy, Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/SEAR.2024.49.11