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ANGKOR TEMPLES |
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Angkor Wat |
Angkor Thom and Bayon |
Ta Phrom |
Phnom Bakheng |
Banteay Srei |
Big and Small Circuits |
Phnom Kulen |
Rolous Group |
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Angkor Wat
There are few places anywhere on earth
to match the splendor of Angkor Wat. The
temple is one of the largest monuments to
religion ever built and is truly one the
wonders of the world. Believed to have been
constructed as a temple and mausoleum for
King Suryavarman II at the peak of the Khmer
empire in the first half of the 12th
century, Angkor Wat is probably the
best-preserved of the Angkorean temples. As
with other Angkorean temples and walled
cities such as Angkor Thom, the central
theme of Khmer architecture revolved around
the idea of the temple-mountain.
By the time building on Angkor Wat was begun
early in the 12th century, this had been
elaborated to a central tower surrounded by
four smaller towers. The central monument
represents the mythical Mount Meru, the holy
mountain at the centre of the universe,
which was home to the Hindu god Vishnu. The
five towers symbolise Mount Meru's five
peaks. It is difficult to express in words
the enormous scale of Angkor Wat, but it can
be explained in part by a look at the
dimensions of the complex. The temple is
surrounded by a moat which makes the one
around the Tower of London, built at roughly
the same time, look like nothing more than a
garden trench.
At 190 metres wide and forming a rectangle
measuring 1.5 km by 1.3 km, it is hard to
imagine any attacking force overwhelming the
defences. But the moat was more than just a
defensive bulwark, in line with the temple's
Hindu origins it represented the oceans of
the world. A rectangular wall measuring 1025
metres by 800 metres borders the inner edge
of the moat. There is a gate in each side of
the wall, but unusually for the mainly
Hindu-influenced Angkorian temples, the main
entrance faces west. This entrance is a
richly decorated portico, 235 m wide with
three gates. However, the temple's greatest
sculptural treasure is its 2 km-long
bas-reliefs around the walls of the outer
gallery and the hundred figures of devatas
and apsaras. This intricately carved gallery
tells stories of the god Vishnu and of
Suryavarman II's successes on the
battlefield. The whole complex covers 81
hectares. |
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Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom was built by Cambodia's
greatest builder, Jayavarman VII. This ten
square kilometer city is enclosed by an
eight meter high wall and encircled by a
hundred meter moat said to have been
inhabited by fierce crocodiles. There are
five twenty meter high gates in the wall in
each of the North, West and South walls and
two in the East Wall. Access is via
causeways over the moat that are flanked by
the statues of fifty four Gods on the left
and fifty four devils on the right, all
seemingly engaged in a game of tug of war.
Bayon is located in the geographical
heart of Angkor Thom. The fifty four tower
temple is a quite remarkable sight.
Initially the temple seems to be a shapeless
mass of grey and brown stone but as one
approaches one realizes that each of the
towers is in fact carved and there are over
two hundred huge enigmatic faces of
Avalokitesharva bearing down on you wherever
you turn. The Bayon is easily the most
popular sight after Angkor Wat and no visit
is complete without a trip to see this
amazing and unique temple. |
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Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm was built in the late 12th
century by Jayavarman VII as a shrine to his
mother and is another must for anyone coming
to Siem Reap. As a monastery there were
nearly three thousand priests here including
eighteen high priests. Ta Prohm is
unforgettable due to the massive trees that
were left here intentionally by the
archeologists working on the site. While
clearing back the forest it was decided to
leave them in place to serve as a reminder
of how the original discovers found it and
other temples. Many of the trees have grown
around and through the remains, and soar
high above the temple. This temple, along
with those of the Bayon and Angkor Thom form
the core of any visit to Siem Reap |
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Phnom Bakheng
Phnom Bakheng served as the temple
mountain of the first city of Angkor as
opposed to the previous center of Roluos.
The capital built on a lone hill offers
panoramic views of Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom
and the surrounding areas. It is best
visited in the late afternoon for a
spectacular sunset or in the early morning
for sunrise over Angkor Wat. |
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Banteay Srei
While some of the temples are impressive
because of their sheer size, Banteay Srei
stands alone in the quality of its
construction and decoration. Its pink
sandstone wall are decorated with what some
consider to be the best carving of all and
in an amazing state of preservation. Built
in 967 and dedicated to Brahma it is located
twenty five kilometers North of Angkor Wat. |
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Big and Small Circuits
The Small Circuit takes in several of
the major and minor temples in the area.
Beginning at Angkor Wat and running for
seventeen kilometers the circuit takes in
the major elements of Angkor Thom, Ta Phrohm,
and Banteay Kdei, and some of the minor but
interesting temples such as the Baphoun, The
Terrace of the Leper King, The Terrace of
the Elephants, the Twelve Prasats, Spean
Thma and Sras Srang before returning to
Angkor Wat.
The
twenty-six kilometer Grand Circuit is
an extension on the little circuit but
taking in Preah Khan, Preah Neak Pean to the
Eastern Mebon and the various monuments like
Ta Som, Preah Rup, before returnin to Angkor
Wat and is highly recommended for anyone
spending three or more days in the complex.
The Big Circuit encompasses a good
representation of the rich variety of
architecture here. |
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Phnom Kulen
Phnom Kulen is widely regarded as the
birthplace of the ancient Khmer empire and
is some forty eight kilometers from Siem
Reap. This hilltop site has the country's
largest reclining Buddha and it was here
that the King Jayavarma II proclaimed
independence from Java in 802 A.D. It has
only just returned to government hands after
the fall of the Khmer Rouge and is currently
fairly inaccessible due to the poor state of
the roads especially in the rainy season.
Cutting through the area is the River of
1000 Lingas. Just five cm under the water's
surface over 1000 small carvings are etched
into the sandstone riverbed while further
downstream larger blocks of stone are carved
with Apsaras, Vishnu, and other figures. All
the sandstone used in the construction of
Angkor was quarried here. |
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Roluos Group
Roluos Group was the capital of
Indravarman I (877 to 889). These were the
first temples built to last and are made of
brick with some carved plaster reliefs. The
group is made up of the three temples of
Preah Ko, Bakong, and Lolei. Many of the
later temples in the Angkor group are based
on these earlier temples though rather then
brick. |
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