No Reservations Required
I was at the departure hall at the Kuala Lumpur Airport waiting to depart for Siem Reap when I met a family of five from Petaling Jaya. The daughter, looked late 30s asked where I was going to stay? She was rather surprised that I was travelling alone to a place that I have never been before without any reservation or knowing where to stay! I told her that I have had arrived at few cities before and only decided on where to stay after taking a short (taxi) ride, sort of get my bearing, and after having the opportunity to look around the city while finding a hotel within my budget and close to eating places. Then, I’ll check in. Well, of course I have read as much as I could about Cambodia before boarding the plane.
I found an English speaking taxi driver upon arrival at the airport. Had a quick tour of the city and checked in to a hotel near the old market area and many restaurants, including one called Little India, served mainly Pakistani food, run by a Bangladeshi family. There is hope for peace at least in a Cambodian kitchen! Siem Reap, means ‘Siamese Defeated’, serves as the gateway to the millennium-old temple ruins of the Angkorian-Era Khmer Empire. Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Angkor Archaeological Park encompasses dozens of temple ruins. Although seems like a sleepy, rural place, Siem Reap offers a good range of accommodation and some good restaurants make it a good place to unwind for a few days.
Angkor Wat , City Temple is a vast temple complex near Siem Reap, built in the 12th century by the king of the prosperous Khmer empire, as a royal temple dedicated to a Hindu deity. Angkor Wat is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture in Cambodia and is so grand in design that some ranked it one of the world’s seven wonders.
After the city of Angkor fell to invaders, Angkor Wat receded into the jungle but continued as a Buddhist temple and a pilgrimage site over the centuries. The lost city of Angkor first attracted the interest of Europeans in the 1800s after Cambodia was colonized by the French. Today, Angkor Wat continues to draw thousands of visitors from other parts of the world.
The city of Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The Khmer empire was one of the most prosperous and sophisticated kingdom in the history of South East Asia, and its prosperity was expressed through a wide range of architecture. The city was founded on political and religious ideas adapted from India, and the temples of Angkor were intended as a place of worship for the king and a way for him to ensure his immortality through identification with the Hindu gods.
There are dozens of temples ruins in the area so, we can plan temple itinerary depends on much time you have and your level of interest, though some temples are ‘must see’. I rented a car with a driver for a day, so, my itinerary was included the legendary ruins of Angkor Wat (plus sunset), South Gate of Angkor Thom, Central Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, East Mebon, Baphuan and a few more ruins.
Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century as a vast funerary temple that would hold his remains, symbolically confirming his permanent identity with Hindu God, Vishnu. Many of the bas-reliefs in the temple depict scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Hindu sacred texts that recount the adventures of two major incarnations of Vishnu. During its six centuries as the imperial capital, Angkor went through many changes in architectural styles and in religion, from the Hindu God Shiva to the Hindu God Vishnu, and finally to the Mahayana Buddhist deity Avalokitesvara.
By the late 13th century, the once frenzied pace of Angkor's architectural pursuits had begun to die down, and a more restrained type of religion was on the rise under the growing influence of Theravada Buddhism. At the same time, Angkor and the Khmer Empire were increasingly threatened and attacked by invading armies. By the 16th century, the golden age of Angkor was over and many of the great temples began to recede into the jungle.
After the city of Angkor fell to invaders, Angkor Wat receded into the jungle but continued as a Buddhist temple and a pilgrimage site over the centuries. The lost city of Angkor first attracted the interest of Europeans in the 1800s after Cambodia was colonized by the French. Today, Angkor Wat continues to draw thousands of visitors from other parts of the world.
The city of Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The Khmer empire was one of the most prosperous and sophisticated kingdom in the history of South East Asia, and its prosperity was expressed through a wide range of architecture. The city was founded on political and religious ideas adapted from India, and the temples of Angkor were intended as a place of worship for the king and a way for him to ensure his immortality through identification with the Hindu gods.
There are dozens of temples ruins in the area so, we can plan temple itinerary depends on much time you have and your level of interest, though some temples are ‘must see’. I rented a car with a driver for a day, so, my itinerary was included the legendary ruins of Angkor Wat (plus sunset), South Gate of Angkor Thom, Central Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, East Mebon, Baphuan and a few more ruins.
Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century as a vast funerary temple that would hold his remains, symbolically confirming his permanent identity with Hindu God, Vishnu. Many of the bas-reliefs in the temple depict scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Hindu sacred texts that recount the adventures of two major incarnations of Vishnu. During its six centuries as the imperial capital, Angkor went through many changes in architectural styles and in religion, from the Hindu God Shiva to the Hindu God Vishnu, and finally to the Mahayana Buddhist deity Avalokitesvara.
By the late 13th century, the once frenzied pace of Angkor's architectural pursuits had begun to die down, and a more restrained type of religion was on the rise under the growing influence of Theravada Buddhism. At the same time, Angkor and the Khmer Empire were increasingly threatened and attacked by invading armies. By the 16th century, the golden age of Angkor was over and many of the great temples began to recede into the jungle.
From the 15th to 19th centuries, Theravada Buddhist monks cared for Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in South East Asia.
European visitors to Cambodia towards the later end of that period were intrigued by the "lost city" of Angkor. After the French established a colonial regime in Cambodia in 1863, the entire site became a focus of scholarly interest.
Angkor's temple architecture was heavily influenced by Indian ideas. From the earliest days of the city, Angkor had been conceived as a symbolic universe structured according to Hindu cosmology. The city was accordingly built around a central temple on a hill, which symbolized Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The central tower of each temple also represented Mount Meru. The outer walls of the temple represented the mountains that were believed to encircle the cosmos.
The many waterways, canals and moats of Angkor served a dual purpose: they symbolized the waters of the cosmos and improved water control and rice irrigation. My rented car driver told me the reason for man-made waterways and canals was because crocodiles were kept in the waters for protection from intruders.
Angkor Wat consists of five central shrines, encircled by a moat and three galleries. On the west side of the complex a paved causeway, leading over the moat and under a magnificent portico, extends for a distance of a quarter of a mile to the chief entrance of the main building.
The first gallery has square pillars on the outer side and a closed wall on the inner side. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus rosettes; the closed wall is decorated with dancing figures. The outside of the inner wall is decorated with pillared windows, apsaras (heavenly nymphs), and dancing male figures on prancing animals. Apsaras are found on the walls of all galleries. From the first gallery a long avenue leads to the second gallery. This is reached via a raised platform with lions on both sides of a staircase. The inner walls of the second gallery contain continuous narrative relief. The western wall shows scenes from the Mahabharata epic.
The eastern half of the south gallery, the ceiling of which was restored in the 1930s, depicts the punishments and rewards of the 37 heavens and 32 hells. On the left, the upper and middle tiers show fine gentlemen and ladies proceeding towards 18-armed Yama, judge of the dead, seated on a bull; below him are his assistants, Dharma and Sitragupta. On the lower tier is the road to hell, along which wicked people are being dragged by devils. To Yama’s right, the tableau is divided into two parts separated by a horizontal line of garudas; above, the elect dwell in beautiful mansions, served by women, children and attendants; below, the condemned suffer horrible tortures.
The third gallery encloses the five shrines which are built on a raised terrace and are interconnected by galleries. The roofings of the galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in the heads of lions or garudas. Sculptured lintels and frontons decorate the entrances to the galleries and the entrances to the shrines.
The five central shrines have three levels, connected by numerous exterior staircases and decreasing in dimensions as they go up. The temple culminates in the sanctuary, a great central tower pyramidal in form. Towers also surmount the angles of the terraces of the two upper stages. Three galleries with vaulting supported on columns lead from the three western portals to the second stage. They are connected by a transverse gallery, thus forming four square basins. The western exterior forecourt of the main temple contains two "libraries," or smaller temple structures. The library on the left was renovated by a Japanese archeological team. The area surrounding the exterior moat is a lawned park, incongruous in Cambodia.
Khmer decorations, profuse but harmonious, consists chiefly in the representation of gods, men and animals, which are displayed on every flat surface. Combats and legendary episodes are often depicted; floral decoration is reserved chiefly for borders, mouldings and capitals. Sandstone of various colours and limonite were used. The stone was cut into huge blocks which are fitted together with great accuracy without the use of cement.
The central complex consists of three stories, each of laterite which encloses a square surrounded by intricately interlinked galleries. The corners of the second and third stories are marked by towers topped with pointed cupolas, rising 31m above the third level and 55m above the ground is the central tower, which gives the whole ensemble its sublime unity. At one time, the central sanctuary of Angkor Wat held a gold statue of Vishnu mounted on a garuda (half-eagle, half-human) that represented the deified god-king Suryavarman II.
Visitors to Angkor Wat take away varied impressions of these amazing temples. Some gain insight into Buddhism or archaeology, and some relate their experience as connecting with the spiritual energy of the temples. The one common thread, though, is the visitors' impressions of sunrise and sunset.
The skies over Angkor always put on a show; if you time it right, you can see the dawn or the day's afterglow framed in temple spires or glowing off the main wat. Here are a few hints for catching the magic hours at the temples:
The sunrise and sunset views from the upper terraces of Angkor Wat itself are some of the best, though it's a tough climb for some. Ignore half-hearted entreaties by staff to leave after the first clears of the horizon at sunset; stay for the afterglow. It's a bit crowded, but the views from Phnom Bakeng (Bakeng Hill), just a short drive past the entrance to Angkor Wat,is stunning at both sunrise and sunset. It's a good little climb up the hill, and those so inclined can go by elephant. The open area on the eastern side of Banteay Kdei looks over one of Angkor's many reservoirs, this one full and a great reflective pool for the rising glow at sunrise.
For the best view of the temples but a hefty fee, you can see the sites from any angle you choose via Helicopters Cambodia.
Bayon
If you could only see two temples, they have to be Angkor Wat and Bayon. There are 37 towers (some say 54) but I didn’t count them. The giant face of Bayon has become one of the recognizable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. The towers, most but not all sporting four carved faces oriented towards the cardinal points. Who the faces represent is a matter of debate but they may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism’s compassionate Bodhisattva, or perhaps a combination of Buddha and Jayavarman VII. Bayon’s was Jayavarman VII’s state temple and in many ways represents the pinnacles of his massive building campaign. Its origins were somewhat obscure. Shrouded in dense jungle, it also took researchers some time to realise that it stands in the exact centre of the city of Angkor Thom. There is still much mystery associated with the Bayon - its exact function and symbolism – and this seems only appropriate for a monument whose signature is an enigmatically smiling face.
The eastward orientation of the Bayon leads most people to visit it early in the morning, preferably at sunrise, when the sun inches upwards lighting face after face with warmth. The Bayon, however, looks equally good in the afternoon, and if you stay for the sunset you get the same effect as at sunrise, in reverse.
The best Bayon are the bas reliefs on the exterior walls of the lower level and on the upper level where the stone faces reside. The bas reliefs on the southern wall contain real-life scenes from the historical sea battle between Khmer and the Cham. It is not clear whether this represents the Cham’s invasion of 1177AD or a later battle in which the Khmer were victorious. Even more interesting are extensive carvings of unique and revealing scenes of everyday life that are interspersed among the battle scenes, cockfighting, chess games and childbirth. There are also unfinished carvings on other walls, likely indicating the death of Jayavarman VII and the subsequent end of his building campaign. Some of the reliefs on the inner walls were carved at a later date under the Hindu King Jayavarman VIII.
Preah Khan
Preah Khan is a huge, highly explorable monastic complex. Full of carvings, passages and photo opportunities. It has served as a Buddhist monastery and school, engaging over 1000 monks. For a short period it was also the residence of King Jayavarman VII during the construction of his home in Angkot Thom.
Preah Khan means sacred sword, is a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. It is in a reasonably good state of
preservation, and restoration efforts has maintained, and even improved its state. Preah Khan covers a large area, but the temple itself is within a rectangular enclosing wall of around 700 and 800m. In harmony with Ta Prohm, which was dedicated to Jayavarman VII’s mother,Preah Khan is dedicated to his father.Like most of Jayavarman VII’s monuments, the Buddha images were vandalised in the later Hindu resurgence. Some Buddha carvings in the central corridor have been crudely carved over with Bodhisattvas, and in a couple of cases, a lotus flower and a linga.
Ta Prohm
This quiet, sprawling monastic complex is only partially cleared of jungle overgrowth. Intentionally left partially unrestored, massive fig and silk-cotton trees grow from the towers and narrow corridors offering some of the best ‘tree-in-temple’ photo opportunity. Ta Prohm is well worth an extended exploration of its dark corridors and open plazas.
There are some children at Ta Prohm who, for a small tip, will show you around. Most of them know the best spots for photography, and will lead you into courtyards you might spend all day trying to find
otherwise.This temple was one of Jayavarman VII’s first major temple projects. It was dedicated to his mother.
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