VisitAngkorTemples.com

Prepare for the divine inspiration! The temples of Angkor, capital of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire, are the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion. The Cambodian god-kings of old each strove to better their ancestors in size, scale and symmetry, culminating in the world’s largest religious building - Angkor Wat, and one of the world’s weirdest - the Bayon. The hundreds of temples surviving today are but the sacred skeleton of the vast political, religious and social centre of an empire that stretched from Burma to Vietnam, a city that, at its zenith, boasted a population of one million when London was a scrawny town of 50,000. The houses, public buildings and palaces were constructed of wood - now long decayed - because the right to dwell in structures of brick or stone was reserved for the gods.

The temples of Angkor are the heart and soul of the Kingdom of Cambodia, a source of inspiration and national pride to all Khmers as they struggle to rebuild their lives after years of terror and trauma. Today, the temples are a point of pilgrimage for ails Cambodians, and no traveler to the region will want to miss their extravagant beauty.

It is easy to spend as long as a week at Angkor, seeing the temples at a leisurely pace, returning to the principal attractions several times to see them at different times of day, and taking in newly emerging sites further a field. However, many travelers feel that four or five days is the ideal length of time to spend at Angkor. This is just about long enough to fit in all the highlights of the Angkor area, but even with only two days at your disposal you can pack in a lot (providing you make some early starts). One day at Angkor? Sacrilege! Don’t even consider it.

HIGHLIGHTS

Must see temple of Angkor activities:

• Stare in awe at the mother of all temples, Angkor Wat
• Succumb to the enigmatic smiles of the 216 giant faces of the Bayon, Angkor’s strangest temple
• Experience nature running riot at the mysterious ruin of Ta Prohm, the original Tomb Raider temple
• Marvel at the exquisite carvings adorning the tiny temple of Banteay Srei, the finest seen at Angkor
• Venture into the jungles of Cambodia to discover the River of a Thousand Lingas at Kbal Spean

Angkor Wat is simply unique, a stunning blend of spirituality, and symmetry, an enduring example of man’s devotion to his gods. Relish the very first approach, as that spine-tickling moment when you emerge on the inner causeway will rarely be felt again. It is the largest and undoubtedly the most breathtaking of the monuments at Angkor, and is widely believed to be the largest religious structure in the world. It is also the best-preserved temple at Angkor, as it was never abandoned to the elements, and repeat visits are rewarded with previously unnoticed details. It was probably built as a funerary temple for Suryavarman II to honor Vishnu, the Hindu deity with whom the king identified.

There is much about Angkor Wat that is unique among the temples of Angkor. The most significant point is that the temple is oriented towards the west. West is symbolically the direction of death, which once led a large number of scholars to conclude that Angkor Wat must have existed primarily as a tomb. This idea was supported by the fact that the magnificent bas-reliefs of the temple were designed to be viewed in an anticlockwise direction, a practice that has precedents in ancient Hindu funerary rites. Vishnu, however, is also frequently associated with the west, and it is now commently accepted that Angkor Wat most likely served both as a temple and a mausoleum for Suryavarman II.

Apsara
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PHNOM KROM

The temple of Phnom Krom, 12km south of Siem Reap on a hill over- looking the Tonle Sap lake, dates from the reign of Yasovarman I in the late 9th or early 10th century. The name means “Lower Hill” and is a reference to its geographic location in relation to its sister temples of Phnom Bakheng and Phnom Bok. The three towers, dedicated (from north to south) to Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma, are in a ruined state, but this remains one of the more tranquil spots from which to view sunset, complete with an active wat. The fast boats from Phnom Penh dock near here, but it is not possible to see the temple from beneath the hill. If coming here by moto or car, try and get the driver to take you to the summit, as it is a long, hot climb otherwise.

PHNOM BOX

Making up the triplicate of temple-mountains built by Yasovannan I in the late 9th or early 10th century, this peaceful but remote location sees few visitors. The small temple is in reasonable shape and includes two frangipani trees growing out of a pair of ruinous towers - they look like some sort of extravagant haircut when in full flower. However, it is the views of Phnom Kulen to the north and the plains of Angkor to the south from this 212m hill that make it worth the trip. The remains of a 5m linga are also visible at the opposite end of the hill and it’s believed there were similar linga at Phnom Bakheng and Phnom Krom. Unfortunately, it is not a sensible place for sunrise or sunset, as it would require a long journey in the dark to get here or get back.
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The fortified city of Angkor Thom (Great Angkor or Great City), some 10sq km in extent, was built by Angkor’s greatest king, Jayavarman VII (r 1181-219), who came to power following the disastrous sacking I the previous Khmer capital by the Chams. At its height, it may have supported a population of one million people in the surrounding region.

Centred on the Bayon, Angkor Thorn is enclosed by a jayagiri (square wall) 8m high and 12km in length and encircled by jayasindhu (moat) 100m wide, said to have been inhabited by fierce crocodiles. This is yet another monumental expression of Mt Meru surrounded by the oceans.

The city has five monumental gates, one each in the northern, western and southern walls and two in the eastern wall. The gates, which are 20m in height, are decorated with stone elephant trunks and crowned by four gargantuan faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara facing the cardinal directions. In front of each gate stands giant statues of 54 gods (to the left of the causeway) and 54 demons (to the right of the causeway), a motif taken from the story of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk illustrated in the famous bas-relief at Angkor Wat. The south gate is most popular with visitors, as it has been fully restored and many of the heads (usually copies) remain in place. However, this gate is on the main road into Angkor Born from Angkor Wat, and it gets very busy. More peaceful are the east and west gates, found at the end of uneven trails. The cast .gate was most recently used as a location on Tomb Raider when the bad guys broke into the “tomb” by pulling down a giant (polystyrene!) apsara. The causeway at the west gate has completely collapsed, leaving a jumble of ancient stonal sticking out of the soil like victims of a terrible historical pile-up.

The Southern gate

In the centre of the walled enclosure are the city’s most importaint monuments, including the Bayon, the Baphuon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas and the Terrace of Elephants.

BAYON

Unique even among its cherished contemporaries, Bayon epitomizes the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s legendary king, Jayavarman VII. It’s a place of stooped corridors, precipitous flights of stairs and, best of all, a collection of 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 coldly smiling, enormous faces of Avalokiteshvara that bear more than a passing resemblance to the great king himself. These huge heads glare down from every angle exuding power and control with a hint of humanity - this was precisely the blend required to hold sway over such a vast empire, ensuring the disparate and far-flung population yielded to his magnanimous will. As you walk around, a dozen or more of the heads are visible at any one time – full -face or in profile, almost level with your eyes or staring down from on high.
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TA PROHM

Ta Prohm is undoubtedly the most atmospheric ruin at Angkor and should be high on the hit list of every visitor. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it has been left to be swallowed by the jungle, and looks very much the way most of the monuments of Angkor appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. Well, that’s the theory, but in fact the jungle is pegged back and only the largest trees are left in place, making it manicured rather than raw like Beng Mealea. Still, a visit to Ta Prohm is a unique, other-world experience. The temple is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root systems. If Angkor Wat, the Bayon and other temples are testimony to the genius of the ancient Khmers, Ta Prohm reminds us equally of the awesome fecundity and power of the jungle. There is a poetic cycle to this venerable ruin, with humans first conquering nature to rapidly create, and nature once again conquering humans to slowly destroy.

Built from 1186 and originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII. It is one of the few temples in the Angkor region where an inscription provides information about the temple’s dependents and inhabitants. The numbers quoted really are staggering, although possibly include an element of exaggeration to glorify the king: close to 80,000 people were required to maintain or attend at the temple, among them more than 2700 officials and 615 dancers.

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The monuments of Roluos, which served as Indravarman l’s (r 877-89) capital, Hariharalaya, are among the earliest large, permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of the age of Khmer classical art. Before the construction of Roluos, generally only lighter (and less-durable) construction materials such as brick were employed.

The temples can be found 13km east of Siem Reap along NH6 near the modern-day town of Roluos: Preah Ko is 600m south of NH6, while Bakong is 1.5km south of the highway. There are contemporary Buddhist monasteries at both Bakong and Lolei. For those who aren’t traveling much beyond Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, it may be worth venturing into the genuine Cambodian town of Roluos for a refreshing drink.

PREAH KO

Preah Ko was erected by Indravarman I in the late 9th century, and was dedicated to Shiva. The six prasat (stone halls), aligned in two rows and decorated with carved sandstone and plaster reliefs, face east; the central tower of the front row is a great deal larger than the other towers. Preah Ko has some of the best surviving examples of plasterwork seen at Angkor and is currently under restoration by a German team. There are elaborate inscriptions in the ancient Hindu language of Sanskrit on the doorposts of each tower.

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 Angkor is one of Southeast Asia’s top-rated destinations, yet it’s still vastly underrated. The ancient group of temples most accessible from the Cambodian city of Siem Reap is unforgettable, jaw-dropping and worth every second and penny you might spend to get there. Before reading any further, I suggest you start planning your trip.

Okay, got your tickets? Good. Now get ready to view one of the most impressive sights on earth. The immense stone temples of the Angkorian era were built between the 9th and 13th centuries and thanks to the work of dedicated archaeologists and conservation efforts, many of them still stand today in good condition.

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