Angkor Wat Temples
Tourist Destinations in Cambodia
Angkor Wat
Built to honor the Hindu god Vishnu, is
the world's largest religious building and took some 50,000
artisans, workers and slaves, and nearly 40 years, to complete.
Virtually every surface in the maze of
chambers and courtyards is richly decorated with low-relief
scenes of legends, wars and everyday life, enhanced by carvings
of nearly 2,000 apsaras, or celestial dancers. The amazing
structure as a whole is best viewed in soft light.
The Bayon
At the centre of Angkor Thom (literally
"Great City"), which forms the heart of the Angkor
complex as it is today. This inner city is surrounded by
a moat, and approached at the four cardinal points via huge
stone gates and causeways flanked by statues of gods and
giants. The Bayon forms a three-tiered pyramid with 54 towers,
each dominated by over 200 huge, 4-metre high, mysterious
faces facing out to the north, south, east and west. Each
mystically serene countenance, with closed eyelids and faint
smile, represents a Bodhisattaya (fully enlightened being)
who delays entry into Nirvana to aid the spiritual development
of others.
The structure is rich in decoration, detailing
scenes from battles, religious rituals, and everyday life.
On approaching from a distance, it resembles a rather formless
initially disappointing jumble of stone, but inside, the
visitor discovers a maze of galleries, towers and passageways
on three different levels. Under the sightless gaze of the
ever-present faces, it is here, particularly if alone, that
many tourists experience a feeling of profound spiritual
awe. There are several other sites of interest within Angkor
Thom, including the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace
of the Leper King. At its height, the city had a population
of nearly one million, and its 9 square km area was comparable
in size to anything in Europe at that time.
Ta Promh
If Angkor Wat and the city of Angkor Thom
are best known for grandeur and majesty, then to the east,
the temple and monastery of Ta Promh wins hands down for
sheer dramatic effect. Unlike most other monuments, Ta Promh
has been left the way it was originally found. The ancient
structure is thus still gripped by massive strangler fig
and banyan tree roots ("spongs") giving the feeling
of discovering the archeological treasure for the first
time.
Faced with this extraordinary image, it
is easy to relive the emotions of the French naturalist
Henri Mouhot when he came across it hidden in the jungle
in 1860. At its peak, over 70,000 people, including high
priests, monks, assistants, dancers and laborers, populated
this vast 600-room monastery. The structure measures 145
by 125 meters and contains a maze of courtyards and galleries,
many impassable because of the dense overgrowth of creepers
and roots.
Prah Kahn
Another temple that has been left to creeping
jungle, with huge trees and multi-coloured lichen infiltrating
the structure's stone corridors and often gloomy interiors.
Although it is not as visually arresting as Ta Prohm, this
fascinating temple is formed in a cross by a long 200-metre
central passageway cut by another wide perpendicular corridor.
Both of these have networks of smaller passages, which themselves
open to breezeways, courtyards, and rooms of all sizes.
Although the central portion is fairly clear, exploring
the outer passageways becomes increasingly adventurous with
fallen stones, surreal looking tree roots, and tiny apertures
leading into almost pitch dark interiors.
Banteay Srei
Approximately 25 kilometres from the main
complex, this relatively small 10th century monument in
pink sandstone is dedicated to Shiva. Its perfectly proportioned
decoration and detail with exquisite sculptures, lintels,
and friezes, makes it one of the oldest and most aesthetically
beautiful.
Almost every surface is a masterpiece of superb
detail, each one it seems, more beautiful than the one before.
Phnom Bakheng
Built on the highest hill in the area and
offering spectacular views, especially at dawn and sunset,
this small but attractive temple makes an ideal start or
end to the day's sightseeing, although most tourists congregate
here toward dusk
East Mebon Temple & The Baray Lakes
One of the Khmers' most notable hydrological
accomplishments were the West and East Barays, huge, perfectly
rectangular artificial lakes covering 14 and 16 square km
respectively, and used to irrigate thousands of acres of
surrounding farmland. A temple was built in the middle of
each lake, and since East Baray was drained, the East Mebon
Temple is now easily visited. West Baray (2 km wide &
8 km long) is still filled with water. The boat service
is accessible to the west Mebon Temple which is in the middle
of the west Baray. East Mebon, however, is a fascinating
site, best known for the almost life-size stone elephants
on the corners of its tiers. Since each one appears to have
been hewn from a single block of stone , the task of carving
and transporting such huge pieces must have been tremendous.
Smaller stone figures flank the stairways leading up to
the central elevated platform. From here, the bed of the
lake, now fertile paddy, stretches below you in every direction.
The Ruluos Group
Lying approximately 10 km from Siem Reap
town, is a cluster of three 9th century temples, namely
Prah Ko, Bakong and Lolei. Being the oldest in Angkor, and
ostensibly the site of the capital at that time, they are
interesting in their own right, particularly Bakong, which
is the best preserved of the three. Stairways lined with
stone lions lead up the five tiers of the pyramid shaped
structure, terminating in a sanctuary on top. Eight small
sanctuaries also encircle the base, an architectural concept
common to many other Angkor temples.
Angkor - Some Amazing Facts
1. Built from 879-1191 AD at the zenith
of the Khmer civilisation, the temples represent one of
the world's most amazing and enduring architectural achievements.
2. Angkor had a population of over one
million, and was the spiritual centre for the Khmers until
it was abandoned after being sacked by the Thais in 1431.
The ruling Khmer God-kings controlled a vast territory in
the twelfth century, extending south, to the Mekong delta
in present-day Vietnam, north into Laos, and west over large
tracts of what is now Thailand. In its heyday, 1.
3. The surviving structures today are but
a fraction of the whole stunning picture, which included
a huge city whose wooden buildings - houses, markets, shops,
palaces, and public buildings - have long since been destroyed
by war and time.
4. The best preserved, and most visited,
are Angkor Wat, the Bayon, and Ta Prohm, which were first
restored by the French, who established an Angkor Conservancy
in 1908.
Angkor
- One of the wonders of the oriental world and
a UNESCO world heritage site, needs at least
3 days for a visit.
Classic 3 - 5 Day tours include accommodation,
fees and guides.
3Days-Angkor
4Days-Angkor
3Days-Cambodia/Angkor
5Days-Cambodia/Angkor
See all Tour/Packages in Cambodia
If you are interested in a half or full day excursion you also coud check out this page: Siem Reap/Angkor Excursions.
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