Lesson plan
Baray
. A baray ( ) is an artificial body of water which is a common element of the architectural style of the Khmer Empire of Southeast Asia. The largest are the East Baray and West Baray in the Angkor area, each rectangular in shape, oriented east–west and measuring roughly five by one and a half miles. Historians are divided on the meaning and functions of barays. Some believe that they were primarily spiritual in purpose, symbolizing the Sea of Creation surrounding Mount Meru, font of the Hindu cosmos. Others have theorized that they were primarily practical, holding water for drinking and/or the irrigation of fields. It is possible that the function was a combination of these explanations, or others. The building of barays is similar to the Eastern Indian and Bangladeshi tradition of building large reservoirs called dighi.
Article summary
. A baray ( ) is an artificial body of water which is a common element of the architectural style of the Khmer Empire of Southeast Asia. The largest are the East Baray and West Baray in the Angkor area, each rectangular in shape, oriented east–west and measuring roughly five by one and a half miles. Historians are divided on the meaning and functions of barays. Some believe that they were primarily spiritual in purpose, symbolizing the Sea of Creation surrounding Mount Meru, font of the Hindu cosmos. Others have theorized that they were primarily practical, holding water for drinking and/or the irrigation of fields. It is possible that the function was a combination of these explanations, or others. The building of barays is similar to the Eastern Indian and Bangladeshi tradition of building large reservoirs called dighi.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.