It is because of the foresight of three kings that we can actually see what was worn at the royal court in Angkorian times. Indravarman I showed us the haute couture of the 9th century, and Sūryavarman II and Jayavarman VII showed us that of the 12th.
This statue of Shiva flanked by Umā and Gangā once stood in front of the Bakong, in the Roluos group of temples. But it is believed to be Indravarman I, with his principal queen Indradevī on his right and his second queen on his left. How do we know which queen is which? Indradevī has 13 folds in her skirt, the lesser queen has 12. And we would expect Indradevī to be on the king’s right. (The statue has since been moved to a warehouse in Angkor Conservation for safekeeping.)
Photo by George Holton, from Science Source Stock Photos and Video
As you can see, there is no pattern in the textiles; the fashion is in the folding. And immediately we have a mystery. We see ikat in India three centuries earlier, in the Ajanta Caves. But we don’t see pattern in textiles at Angkor until early in the 12th century. But wait… the royals here are wearing no jewelry. They may have been at a ceremony where spartan dress was mandated. Is that why we see no pattern in the clothing? Nope. If pattern in textiles had already reached Angkor, we would see it on the mythical yakshī guarding the sanctums at the Preah Ko and Lolei temples.
Note that the king’s clothing is completely different than the queens’. We can see his pants clearly; we will see this style again in the centuries that follow.
In the 10th and 11th centuries we have only bas relief of mythical yakshī to look at, on the temples. To say that any mortal wore what they did would be like looking at the Statue of Liberty and concluding that fashionable women in 19th-century Manhattan wore togas.
Enter Sūryavarman II. He brought Ashavali brocade in from India, first in strips and then in sashes. With the help of fashion designer Gunjan Jain (Vriksh Designs) and Ashavali sari producer Paresh Patel (Royal Brocades), and a research grant from the Victoria and Albert Museum (Karun Thaler Fund), I discovered this in 2025. And documented it in What the Queens Wore - the Silk of Angkor. (For more photos on this website click the Research Grant tab, then click The Origin of Cambodian Brocade.)
This is Sūryavarman II’s fourth queen in the Southern Gallery of Angkor Wat. The three “tails” draped over the sides of her palanquin are her Ashavali sashes. The gold antique sari border gives you an idea of what they would have looked like. Now look at her left thigh - we can see that she’s wearing something like short pants that end above the knee. Somewhat like Indravarman I’s, but made of what looks like striped brocade (the pattens are all Ashavali). Sūryavarman II’s generals also wear short pants with Ashavali sashes - unisex fashion! The emperor himself appears to be wearing the same, but although his Ashavli sashes can be seen clearly, his lower garment has eroded (to see a photo click the Most Astonishing Discoveries tab, then click, Most Astonishing).
In the reign of Jayavarman VII we see a shift to a long skirt with an Ashavali sash running down the front. This is Queen Jayarājadevī in the Preah Khan temple. At the bottom of her skirt we see an Ashavali strip, the precursor of the Ashavali sash.
The floral design in her skirt is the Royal Poinciana pattern, which I found in northwestern India.
We don’t know if the skirt was brocade, painted, ikat, embroidered, or something else entirely; I am continuing my research. Archana Shastri, former director of the Mekong Ganga museum in Siem Reap, thinks the fabric may have been painted; I think she might be right.
This is the only Angkorian sculpture that I know of where we have a clue to what color the fabric was. I believe the flowers were red and white, for reasons explained in Through the Eyes of a Queen and What the Queens Wore.
And what were the men wearing? Do we still see unisex clothing? No. Below you see Jayavarman VII at Banteay Chhmar. He’s wearing what appear to be short pants made of Ashavali brocade, with Ashavali sashes.
And the fish-tails for which Angkorian sculpture is so famous? Mythical - no one ever wore them. How do we know? We never see them on morals (with the possible exception of a queen portrayed as a goddess). Oh, and how about weave that’s curved? Same thing. An impossible number of folds in the skirt? That’s a semi-divine yakskī. Folds that run sideways? That’s a yakshī, too. Floating sashes (not attached to the skirt)? Yakshī. Metal hair ornaments that float ethereally in the air instead of hanging straight? Yakshī. So now you’re an expert!
Sūryavarman II also showed us the clothing of working people attached to the palace. In the Southern Gallery of Angkor Wat we see his messengers, fan bearers, palanquin bearers, and people carrying food and drink to the royal Vishnu pūjā. And outside of the galleries, we see what the 1860+ devatā (temple and palace staff) wore for dress occasions.
Jayavarman VII showed us the clothing worn by commoners on a wall of the Bayon.