2011, DEC 15: CAMBODIA, ANGKOR THOM-B

After leaving Bayon, we passed by the Terrace of the Elephants, which served as a viewing platform for royal parties. Its name comes from the elephant statues and friezes, which adorn the face of the terrace.

The Terrace of the Leper King is next. It is decorated with dramatic bas-reliefs. Some people believe it was used for cremation of members of the royal family.

Then we walked over to Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm, meaning the Brahma, it was a Buddhist monastery. A Sanskrit inscription states that it had 18 great priests, 2,740 officials, 2,202 assistants, and 615 dancers, details its wealth.

It was built by King Jayavarman, in the late 12th century, in honor of his mother. Satellite temples were also built to honor his father, guru, and elder brother. All family members were personified as Buddhist deities

Ta Prohm has been deliberately left in much the same condition in which it was found, with gigantic trees growing everywhere, twisted around pillars and other structures.

Delicate stone carvings and bas-reliefs of temple guardians, dancers, deities, and scenes from Buddhist mythology decorate its walls, doorways, pillars, and lintels.

2011, DEC 15: CAMBODIA, ANGKOR THOM-A

This morning we left for Angkor Wat monuments. Having remained undiscovered until a French naturalist stumbled onto them in 1861, they are the major tourist attraction in the area.

Angkor Wat Archaeological Park is a 37-mile complex of temples, palaces, passageways and moats. It is the world’s largest religious monument complex ever constructed.

At the ticket booth, we posed for mandatory photographs. Photos are printed directly on the tickets, so that officials can verify the identity of the ticket-holders, at entry point to each part of the vast archaeological complex.

Mr. Muy, our guide advised us that, because of the light conditions, we should start our sight-seeing at Angkor Thom and do Angkor Wat in the afternoon.

Angkor Thom covers over a square mile and consists of several renowned sites. Literally meaning “the great city,” it was part of the new capital city built by Jayavarman VII (1190), after the nearby Angkor Wat had been sacked by Champs from Central Vietnam, about 27 years after the death of its builder, Suryavarman II.

Like other sites in the Angkor Wat complex, the mythical Hindu story about the Creation of the Universe, marks each entry to the site. The right side of the causeway leading to the gate has gods
holding the tail of the serpent, Sesh Nag, while on the left side demons hold the serpent’s head ready to start churning the Celestial Ocean of Milk.

We entered the site through the South Gate.

The 148-ft high central temple of Bayon, is the main attraction of the area. Although it is a Buddhist temple, its construction adheres to the Hindu cosmology.

It has four huge smiling stone faces, one for each compass point. There are 51 smaller towers, each with its own four faces.

The walls bear bas-relief scenes of celestial dancers as well as...

...legendary and historic events.

There is also a Buddha shrine.

All sorts of visitors come here.

Before reaching our next stop, we encountered some shops, and a group of musicians.

2011, DEC 15: CAMBODIA, ANGKOR WAT

After a quick lunch at Blue Pumpkin, an on-site restaurant, Mr. Muy directed us to Angkor
Wat.

Angkor Wat, which literally means City Temple, is the grandest of all Angkor sites, and represents the best of Khmer architecture. Monuments here have been built with hand-carved sandstone blocks, brought from mountains about 25 miles away. The nearby palace and city habitations, built of perishable material, have disappeared.

Built in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat was the chief temple, in the capital of Khmer Empire. It took about 40 years to build it.

It was sacked by the Champ invaders from central Vietnam, sometime after the death of Suryavarman II. Also over the centuries, nature has taken its toll. But it received considerable restoration in the 20th century.

Originally a Hindu temple, in the late 13th century, Angkor Wat gradually transitioned to Theravada Buddhism. There is a shrine dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, at the first level of this 4-spired temple.

Also, there are two Buddha shrines at the upper levels.

The walls are decorated with the celestial male and female figures, devatas and apsaras.

The inner walls of the outer gallery display large-scale scenes, which depict episodes from the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The temple is an ascending progression of three levels leading to the inner sanctum. One has to climb sets of steps to go up to each higher level. The highest point of the temple is the more than 650-ft high. It is reached by a staircase of 40 high steps.

In the evenings, just as visitors come down the top staircase, performers from a local dance group, dressed in their traditional costumes, are available to pose with them for a photograph, for a small fee.

Fortunately hawkers are confined to certain areas

But monkeys roam all over the complex.They do not seem to be bothered by throngs of visitors.

We waited for the sunset to take pictures of the temple reflected in the pond in front. Unfortunately, the sunset was not very impressive that evening.

The four spires of the 670-ft high main temple are believed to be the most spectacular feature of the Angkor Wat complex. Its towers are shaped like lotus buds and are surrounded by courts and passageways.