Bayon's rattle drum
For almost 15 years, I (Patrick Kersalé) explored Khmer temples, some of them, like Angkor Wat and the Bayon, almost centimeter-square by centimeter-square. I specifically looked for a representation of a rattle-drum in the hands of Hindu priests, figures of which there are hundreds of representations, but to no avail. In desperation, I decided, for the first time on July 3, 2020, to use other means of investigation: the quest for possible information stored in the Unified Field!
My archaeomusicological approach
As part of my archaeomusicology research, I based my work primarily on material resources, including iconography (mainly based on temple bas-reliefs), epigraphy (which comprises around 1,600 texts, although few of them deal with music and instruments), as well as objects. As far as the ḍamaru was concerned, I had several bronze artifacts from official archaeological excavations, as well as from chance finds. However, for this particular instrument, I had never found an iconographic representation. At this stage, there were two possibilities: either there was no representation at all, or I hadn't yet discovered one. It's worth noting that, prior to this research, no one else had asked this question.
The discovery
On July 3, 2020, I connect to the Unified Field. In just a few minutes, I get a kinesthetic answer to my closed questions: "There is a representation of a rattle-drum on a pediment in the inner southeast quarter of the Bayon temple." On the morning of July 4, accompanied by two witnesses, I set off for the site. As soon as we arrived, my friend, nicknamed "Garuda's Eye", identified an unusual object on a pediment in the southeast quarter, on the east side. I'd never paid much attention to this mostly destroyed pediment.
The quality of the carving is crude. It appears to be a "remnant" of the period of Shivaite reaction that followed the death of King Jayavarman VII. The center of the pediment seems to have been destroyed by water erosion, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Buddhist images were destroyed by Shivaite Brahmins. On the left stands a brahmana whose carving is rather crude. He is holding an object consisting of a handle, topped by a cylindrical piece. On the face of the cylinder are two parallel vertical lines; on his left is a trace that could be that of a whipping ball. Of course, in the making of this type of object, the cord and the ball are the weak points that have not survived the ravages of time, if they ever did. The position of the two hands is unlike anything else known in Angkorian sculpture.
Given the position of the hands, it seems that it's the right hand that imparts the rotational movement, the left simply holding the drum in position. I've done this myself with a similar-sized object, and it works perfectly.
To find out more about this instrument and this discovery, click here.