Editing Khmer architecture (section)

==Materials==
Angkorian builders used [[brick]], [[sandstone]], [[laterite]] and wood as their materials. The ruins that remain are of brick, sandstone and laterite, the wood elements having been lost to decay and other destructive processes.
===Brick===
The earliest Angkorian temples were made mainly of brick. Good examples are the temple towers of [[Preah Ko]], [[Lolei]] and [[Bakong]] at [[Hariharalaya]], and Chóp Mạt in [[Tay Ninh]]. Decorations were usually carved into a stucco applied to the brick, rather than into the brick itself.<ref>Freeman and Jacques, ''Ancient Angkor'', p. 27.</ref> This was because bricks were a softer material, and did not lend themselves to sculpting, as opposed to stones of different kinds such as the Sandstones or the Granites. However, the tenets of the Sacred Architecture as enunciated in the Vedas and the Shastras, require no adhesives to be used while building blocks are assembled one over the other to create the Temples, as such bricks have been used only in relatively smaller temples such as Lolei and The Preah Ko. Besides, strength of bricks is much lesser as compared to the stones (mentioned here-in) and the former degrade with age.

Angkor's neighbor state of [[Champa]] was also the home to numerous brick temples that are similar in style to those of Angkor. The most extensive ruins are at [[Mỹ Sơn]] in [[Vietnam]]. A Cham story tells of the time that the two countries settled an armed conflict by means of a tower-building contest proposed by the Cham King [[Po klaung garai|Po Klaung Garai]]. While the Khmer built a standard brick tower, Po Klaung Garai directed his people to build an impressive replica of paper and wood.

===Sandstone===
The only stone used by Angkorian builders was sandstone, obtained from the [[Phnom Kulen|Kulen mountains]]. Since its obtainment was considerably more expensive than that of brick, sandstone only gradually came into use, and at first was used for particular elements such as door frames. The 10th-century temple of [[Ta Keo]] is the first Angkorian temple to be constructed more or less entirely from Sandstone.<ref>Freeman and Jacques, ''Ancient Angkor'', p. 26.</ref>

===Laterite===
Angkorian builders used laterite, a clay that is soft when taken from the ground but that hardens when exposed to the sun, for foundations and other hidden parts of buildings. Because the surface of laterite is uneven, it was not suitable for decorative carvings, unless first dressed with stucco. Laterite was more commonly used in the Khmer provinces than at Angkor itself.<ref>Freeman and Jacques, ''Ancient Angkor'', p. 29.</ref> Because the water table in this entire region is well high, Laterite has been used in the underlying layers of Angkor Wat and other temples (especially the larger ones), because it can absorb water and help towards better stability of the Temple.

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="6">
File:Preah Ko 1.jpg|[[Preah Ko]], completed in 879 CE, was a temple made mainly of brick.
File:Ta Keo 01.jpg|[[Ta Keo]], a temple built in the 10th century, was constructed more or less entirely from sandstone.
File:Prasat Prang Ku Somboon-006.jpg|Prasat Prang Ku in [[Sisaket Province|Sisaket]], [[Thailand]], was built with laterite.
</gallery>