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 ===Apsaras and devatas===
 [[Apsaras]], divine nymphs or celestial dancing girls, are characters from Indian mythology.  Their origin is explained in the story of the churning of the [[Ocean of Milk]], or [[samudra manthan]], found in the great epic [[Mahabharata]].  The widespread use of apsaras as a motif for decorating the walls and pillars of temples and other religious buildings, however, was a [[Khmer people|Khmer]] innovation.  In modern descriptions of Angkorean temples, the term "apsara" is sometimes used to refer not only to dancers but also to other minor female deities, though minor female deities who are depicted standing about rather than dancing are more commonly called "[[devatas]]."   Both apsaras and devatas are ubiquitous at [[Angkor]].  Depictions of true (dancing) apsaras are found, for example, in the Hall of Dancers at [[Preah Khan]] and in the famous bas-relief of [[Angkor Wat]] depicting the churning of the Ocean of Milk.  The largest population of devatas (around 2,000) is at [[Angkor Wat]], where they appear individually and in groups.<ref>See Glaize, ''Monuments of the Angkor Group'', p.37.</ref>
 
 ===Blind doors and windows===
 [[Image:Colonettesbanteaysrei.JPG|thumb|100px|Blind door with colonettes at [[Banteay Srei]].]]  Angkorean shrines frequently opened in only one direction, typically to the East. The other three sides featured fake or blind doors to maintain symmetry.  Blind windows were often used along otherwise blank walls.<ref>Glaize, ''Monuments of the Angkor Group'', p.40.</ref>
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 ===Apsaras and devatas===
 [[Apsaras]], divine nymphs or celestial dancing girls, are characters from Indian mythology.  Their origin is explained in the story of the churning of the [[Ocean of Milk]], or [[samudra manthan]], found in the great epic [[Mahabharata]].  The widespread use of apsaras as a motif for decorating the walls and pillars of temples and other religious buildings, however, was a [[Khmer people|Khmer]] innovation.  In modern descriptions of Angkorean temples, the term "apsara" is sometimes used to refer not only to dancers but also to other minor female deities, though minor female deities who are depicted standing about rather than dancing are more commonly called "[[devatas]]."   Both apsaras and devatas are ubiquitous at [[Angkor]].  Depictions of true (dancing) apsaras are found, for example, in the Hall of Dancers at [[Preah Khan]] and in the famous bas-relief of [[Angkor Wat]] depicting the churning of the Ocean of Milk.  The largest population of devatas (around 2,000) is at [[Angkor Wat]], where they appear individually and in groups.<ref>See Glaize, ''Monuments of the Angkor Group'', p.37.</ref>

===Bas-reliefs===
[[Bas-reliefs]] are individual figures, groups of figures, or entire scenes cut into stone walls, not as drawings but as sculpted images projecting from a background.  Narrative bas-reliefs are bas-reliefs depicting stories from mythology or history.  Until about the 11th century A.D., the Khmer limited their narrative bas-reliefs to the space on the [[tympana]] above doorways.  The most famous such bas-reliefs are those at the 10th century temple of [[Banteay Srei]], depicting scenes from [[Hindu mythology]].  By the 12th century, however, the Khmer were beginning to cover entire walls with narrative scenes in bas-relief.  At [[Angkor Wat]], the external gallery wall is covered with some 12,000 or 13,000 square meters of such scenes, some of them historical, some mythological.  Similarly, the outer gallery at the [[Bayon]] contains extensive bas-reliefs documenting the everyday life of the medieval Khmer as well as historical events from the reign of King [[Jayavarman VII]].  The [[Terrace of the Elephants]] and the [[Terrace of the Leper King]] are likewise known for their bas-reliefs.<ref>Glaize, ''Monuments of the Angkor Group'', p.36.</ref>
 
 ===Blind doors and windows===
 [[Image:Colonettesbanteaysrei.JPG|thumb|100px|Blind door with colonettes at [[Banteay Srei]].]]  Angkorean shrines frequently opened in only one direction, typically to the East. The other three sides featured fake or blind doors to maintain symmetry.  Blind windows were often used along otherwise blank walls.<ref>Glaize, ''Monuments of the Angkor Group'', p.40.</ref>
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