Today is our big day and Mr. Sam is waiting in front of the hotel at 04:45, our breakfast boxes in hand we are on our way in the darkness. He delivers us to the parking lot in short order and with some semi clear instructions, flashlights in hand we march off into the darkness….soon we see some guards who check our passes and pass some coffee stations with young ladies beseeching us to buy some coffees….around us dozens of flashlights can be seen as people head down the avenue, across the moat on a floating bridge up some stairs and through a gate and then down a long at the end of which there are two ponds…we choose the left side and secure a spot in the 2nd row….luckily the young folk in front of us are sitting down so we have an unobscured view…..of at the moment nothing as it is pitch black…..
Angkor Wat is a temple complex and one of the largest religious monuments in the world, on a site measuring over 400 acres, with outer walls that stretch for 3.6 kilometres. Along the sides of the temple are detailed bas reliefs mainly showing epic Hindu stories.
Constructed originally as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple, towards the end of the 12th century. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The whole area stretches out over 400 square kilometres around Siem Reap and has more than a thousand temples (in various states of disrepair). It’s impossible to see everything in a short visit – but we are cherry picking the “best” sites, so hope to make the most of it …
We have about 45 minutes to wait as gradually the sky starts taking on wonderful hues of pink, blue and purple…
For the next hour or two we clambered around this temple …..click pics to enlarge…
After returning to the car Mr. Sam drove us Ta Prohm considered to be the undisputed capital of the “Kingdom of the Trees”. It has been left untouched by archaeologists except for the clearing of a path for visitors and structural strengthening to stave of further deterioration. Unlike many of the other large sites, which have been restored, this has been largely left to show the effects of time. It was used as a set for the Tomb Raider movie and that’s only increased its popularity.
Ta Prohm is among the largest of the monuments in the Angkor complex, a Sanskrit inscription on stone, still in place, gives details of the temple. The area around it was composed of 3,140 villages housing 79,365 people to maintain the temple including 18 great priests, 2,740 officials, 2,202 assistants and 615 dancers.
We then headed 25 km in a north-east direction to Banteay Srei, a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It is a rather small temple but renowned for its intricate decoration carved in pinkish sandstone that covers the walls like tapestry. It did not disappoint !!
We the then headed back about 40 minutes to Angkor Thom which was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century. It was a fortified city enclosing residences for priests, officials of the palace and the military, as well as buildings for administering the kingdom. These structures were built of wood and have perished but the remaining stone monuments testify that Angkor Thom was indeed a “Great City”. Inside the city there are a number of temples significant in their own right.
To give one a sense of the scale the city was built in a square, each side of which about three kilometers (1.9 miles) long, a laterite wall 8 meters (26 feet) in height around the city enclosing an area of 145 hectares (360 acres). A moat with a width of 100 meters (328 feet) surrounds the outer wall. An entry tower and along causeway bisect each side of the wall except on the east where are two entrances.
Inside the city as mentioned above there were a number of temples we visited, the most impressive being Prasat Bayon constructed in the late 12th century to early 13th century, by King Jayavarman VII, dedicated to Buddhism. The architectural scale and composition of Prasat Bayon exudes grandness in every aspect. Its elements juxtapose each other to create balance and harmony….describing it is difficult and although pictures help it is another of those historic edifices which defy description and call for one to visit in person….
The Prasat Baphuon built in the mid-11th century, is a three-tiered temple mountain built dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. There’s not so much the need for exploring at the Baphuon, as there is the need for climbing. It’s a tall temple with steep staircases on each side (although you can’t access them all). The Baphuon has been the subject of many years of restoration work but is now in a fairly good condition. From the top you get a great view over the ancient city of Angkor Thom, of which the Baphuon is a part.
Along the back side of the temple you can see a reclining buddha built into the wall:
Just outside the Prasat Baphouan is the Terrace of the Elephants, part of the walled city and used by Angor’s king as a reviewing stand for ceremonies. Most of the original structure was made of organic material and has long since disappeared. Most of what remains are the foundation platforms of the complex. The terrace is named for the carvings of elephants on its eastern face which is some 350 meters long …impressive. Note the elephant head protruding from the wall in the second picture, with a tusk reaching the ground…..these “heads” repeated themselves along the length of the wall…
Finally we exited the complex via the South Gate (there are four) . The bridge across the moat has on one side a row of gods, and on the other demons, expressing welcome or displeasure respectively as they watch your approach……
…..and headed for “home”, a heck of a day, which we enjoyed immensely….
Great