Yasovarman I

Refers to the style and period of the early Angkor empire associated with the rule of King Yashovarman I (889-900 CE). The style of this period is characterized by the prominence of religious temples as city centers and the embryonic development of the temple into five-tiered pyramid structures built of sandstone, surmounted by sandstone tower-sanctuaries in quincuncial arrangements, and featuring subsidiary shrines, libraries, galleries, and gopuras. Temples of this period also developed into complex structures whose design featured Indian-influenced chronological symbolism and seasonal cycles. Decorative arts and sculpture in the period exhibited the endeavors of Yashovarman I to represent his kingdom as a model of the cosmos and symbolic center of the world. Sanctioned artistic productions featured high relief sculptures of guardian figures and celestial beings and bas relief carvings of foliage swirls and jewel bands that surround figures of deities.