The main reason people go to Siem Riep is to see the temples of Angkor, of which there are around 1,000. With only a 4 nights, 5 days stay (with a day spent going to "child friendly sites"), we had to be judicious in our choice of temples to visit. We chose to visit 3 of these, Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom with its main temple, Bayon and Ta Phrom or as some local boys called it, Angelina Jolie's temple. On the way, we could not help but stop at some of the smaller temples, lying in ruins waiting for its turn to be restored,
There were also more nondescript temples, little more than a pile of rubble, dramatic nonetheless, overgrown by the trees of the forest.
And then there is Angkor Wat! Having seen pictures, video clips and a documentary on Angkor Wat, I was unprepared for my reaction upon catching my first glimpse of it, "in the flesh" so to speak. It was truly awesome! The sheer size of it, the 5 magnificent towers, rising like elaborate candles on a birthday cake, the surrounding moat from which one caught glimpses of Angkor Wat's reflected image, shimmering in the waters, left me speechless and in awe: of the king who envisioned this, and the artisans, engineers, and slaves who labored to bring it to life.
Even if the Khmers neglected or "forgot" some of their temples, Angkor Wat is and always has been a functioning temple. Built as a state temple by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century to honor Vishnu, Angkor Wat is believed to be the largest religious building in the world. It is supposedly a representation of Mt. Meru, home of the pantheon of Hindu Gods, much like Mt. Olympus was home to The Greek gods of old. But unlike cathedrals and churches like Notre Dame in Paris and St. Peter's in Rome, which were built as places of worship, places where people can go to commune with their God, Angkor Wat is literally a home for the gods, a castle that dwarfs even the most imposing of European castles and surounded by a moat of staggering proportions.
A knowledgeable guide informed us that like the other mountain temples, Angkor Wat is meant to be a miniature representation of the universe, with the highest tower representing Mt. Meru, surrounded by lower peaks represented by the other towers, in turn surrounded by the continents, which are the courtyards and the oceans which is the moat. And how does man get to this abode of the gods? Through the "rainbow bridge" represented by the seven headed cobra called naga.
Angkor Wat has four entrances. The western and eastern entrance have causeways that cross the 190 meter wide moat.
We entered through the western entrance, the main entrance, a very wide, very long avenue, in effect a "rainbow bridge" guarded by a naga on each side. This main entrance, like the eastern entrance is paved with sandstone which, according to our guide was quarried from Phnom Kulen, a mountain 50 kms away and brought to Angkor Wat via the Siem Riep River on rafts. Seeing the size of these blocks of sandstone makes you realize just how awesome an accomplishment this temple really is!
Before entering the main temple, one passes two buildings, (libraries in ancient times), on either side of this walkway.
The gallery in the main entrance is richly decorated with carvings, in fact carvings and bas relief sculputures can be found along most of the galleries. The carved area is immense around 600 meters in length and 2 meters high.
These bas reliefs may be the most famous creations in Khmer art and is a major attraction for scholars and photographers.
Some of these depict legendary battles, most however depict scenes from Vishnu myths and the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics.
There are also carvings on the tops of doorways . The lintel carvings I saw are rich in detail, intricate and deeply carved.
More interesting than these are the carvings of the Apsaras or "heavenly nymphs", of which there are reportedly over 3,000 of them each of them unique with identifying characteristics to set them apart, including some 37 differing hairstyles.
The main temple complex has three stories. The first level is basically a square, surrounded by interlinked galleries, accessed by doorways on top of wooden steps.
.JPG)
On this level, we came upon the Gallery of a Thousand Buddhas, Preah Poan (Angkor Wat moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use in the late 13th century). Unfortunately today there are only a handful of buddhas, many having been removed or stolen, and most of those left have had their heads or other body parts chopped off.
.JPG)
The size of this complex can be seen when one gets into the area divided into what must have been gigantic pools.
.JPG)
We walked around this level, passing through labyrinthian galleries.
Walking up to the second level, we emerged into an area where Buddha's statue was prominently displayed and where a buddhist monk urged us to have red thread tied around our wrists as a means to ensure our "good luck".
Continuing onto the third level can be difficult especially because of the heat and very high humidity. Once up there, however, there is a nice welcoming breeze and lots of ledges to rest and recover. There are towers on the four corners of this level.
And in the center rising 31 meters is the central tower. The upper level of Angkor Wat known as Bakan, can only be reached via very steep steps. Not for the faint of heart or for anyone who suffers from vertigo, climbing is done carefully, slowly and without looking down.
Beautiful views, surrounding cool breezes and a "yes I did it" moment is what awaits one at the top of this summit.
Going back down, we were too tired and hot to attempt the long trek back to our mini bus, so we lingered on the grounds, and were glad for it, coming across such scenes as this:
And this:
There were also more nondescript temples, little more than a pile of rubble, dramatic nonetheless, overgrown by the trees of the forest.
And then there is Angkor Wat! Having seen pictures, video clips and a documentary on Angkor Wat, I was unprepared for my reaction upon catching my first glimpse of it, "in the flesh" so to speak. It was truly awesome! The sheer size of it, the 5 magnificent towers, rising like elaborate candles on a birthday cake, the surrounding moat from which one caught glimpses of Angkor Wat's reflected image, shimmering in the waters, left me speechless and in awe: of the king who envisioned this, and the artisans, engineers, and slaves who labored to bring it to life.
Even if the Khmers neglected or "forgot" some of their temples, Angkor Wat is and always has been a functioning temple. Built as a state temple by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century to honor Vishnu, Angkor Wat is believed to be the largest religious building in the world. It is supposedly a representation of Mt. Meru, home of the pantheon of Hindu Gods, much like Mt. Olympus was home to The Greek gods of old. But unlike cathedrals and churches like Notre Dame in Paris and St. Peter's in Rome, which were built as places of worship, places where people can go to commune with their God, Angkor Wat is literally a home for the gods, a castle that dwarfs even the most imposing of European castles and surounded by a moat of staggering proportions.
 |
| 190m wide, 1.5 by 1.3 km moat |
 |
 |
| Eastern causeway |
 |
| sandstone paved western entrance |
The gallery in the main entrance is richly decorated with carvings, in fact carvings and bas relief sculputures can be found along most of the galleries. The carved area is immense around 600 meters in length and 2 meters high.
These bas reliefs may be the most famous creations in Khmer art and is a major attraction for scholars and photographers.
 |
| a guide explaining the wall carvings |
There are also carvings on the tops of doorways . The lintel carvings I saw are rich in detail, intricate and deeply carved.
More interesting than these are the carvings of the Apsaras or "heavenly nymphs", of which there are reportedly over 3,000 of them each of them unique with identifying characteristics to set them apart, including some 37 differing hairstyles.
The main temple complex has three stories. The first level is basically a square, surrounded by interlinked galleries, accessed by doorways on top of wooden steps.
.JPG)
On this level, we came upon the Gallery of a Thousand Buddhas, Preah Poan (Angkor Wat moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use in the late 13th century). Unfortunately today there are only a handful of buddhas, many having been removed or stolen, and most of those left have had their heads or other body parts chopped off.
.JPG)
The size of this complex can be seen when one gets into the area divided into what must have been gigantic pools.
.JPG)
We walked around this level, passing through labyrinthian galleries.
Walking up to the second level, we emerged into an area where Buddha's statue was prominently displayed and where a buddhist monk urged us to have red thread tied around our wrists as a means to ensure our "good luck".
Continuing onto the third level can be difficult especially because of the heat and very high humidity. Once up there, however, there is a nice welcoming breeze and lots of ledges to rest and recover. There are towers on the four corners of this level.
And in the center rising 31 meters is the central tower. The upper level of Angkor Wat known as Bakan, can only be reached via very steep steps. Not for the faint of heart or for anyone who suffers from vertigo, climbing is done carefully, slowly and without looking down.
Beautiful views, surrounding cool breezes and a "yes I did it" moment is what awaits one at the top of this summit.
And this:
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