Srah Srang, ‘royal bath’ is a small reservoir (baray) south of the Eastern Baray. The baray is embellished by a laterite and sandstone platform with access stairs to the water.
Symbol of Khmer political strength a new baray was ordered by every powerful Angkor king. The Khmer constructed what has been termed a hydraulic city with canals, wide moats, and barays the huge rectangular reservoirs formed by the raising of dikes in such a way that the water, always at an higher level than the ground, was distributed by gravity via irrigation canals.
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Their function remains controversial, despite their central role in fields irrigation some scholars argue against the irrigation theory. Each baray has a temple at the centre, and there are many allusions to the religious and curative properties of the sacred water that flowed from the Kulen Hills. Until further evidence for irrigation is given, it is considered likely that the barays fulfilled ritual purposes. The temple mausolea were built to represent Mount Meru, home of the gods, while the barays and moats might represent the encircling oceans. This interpretation is supported by the clear relationship between the Jayatataka baray with Neak Pean temple in its center and Anavatapta the sacred lake of Buddhism, the mythical source of four great rivers, the Ganges, Indus, Syr Dar’ya, and Tarim.
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