20.02.2008 to 28.02.2008
The way to Siem Reap was a very long one. We set off from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh for a 4-hour ride, from where we changed bus to head for Siem Reap. After two hours travelling the bus came to a stop, which shoujld have been a normal stop….but it did not turn out as such. The bus-driver announced that the clutch had gone and we had to wait for another bus to come all the way from Phnom Penh, which meant two hours waiting!!
Funnily enough, as a local confirmed to us, the bus stopped at a usual place, where, by mere chance, happened to have a van available if we wished not to wait that long. Given that we knew that Cambodia roads played that kind of tricks we opted to stay. More so when another bus stopped taking up a couple of locals and asked us for $10 to take us to Siem Reap when we had paid $13 for the Sihanoukville – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap ticket. After a long wait the bus came and the remaining part of the ride to Siem Reap was a gas-down one….we managed to make it there by 20:30. We headed right away to Pub Street where we should have met Sijs,…hoping we would still manage to meet…until we saw two arms waving at us from a bar and Sijs coming over to welcome us. It was so nice meeting again. We spent the rest of the night drinking at Angkor What? Bar and said good bye to Sijs (for the second time) as we going to leave for Bangkok the day after.
The following morning we changed guesthouse as the one Sijs was staying in was cheaper. A room for the two of us was only $4. We spent the morning at the market. From all the markets we have seen in Asia till now, this was one of the nicest, having a vast variety of silk, wood carvings, paintings and souvenirs. On our way back we met…..Sijs!!! Yes…he had missed the bus to Bangkok due to a late night, or early morning, depending on the persepective.
So that day we spent some more time with him. We headed together for some dinner at the Night Market and went round the nice stalls there and then went over to Sijs room and had some drinks there. We said our last goodbyes (this time for real) and went off to sleep.
The much awaited visit to the Angkorian temples arrived and we chose to describe this experience as one on its own….
Angkor Temples
Day 1 : Bayon – Baphoun – Terrace of Elephants – Phimeanakas – Preah Palilay – Tep Pranam – Terrace of the Leper King – Preah Khan – Neak Pean
We woke up at 05:00 in the morning to make a good time there. Our tuk-tuk was waiting for us and we headed towards Angkor Thom. On the way we saw Angkor Wat….it looked beautiful even in the dark. There were already a lot of tourists gathering there for the sunrise….but Bayon was a total different story. We had these magnificent temples all for ourselves!!! Just imagine, out of all the tourists who visit Angkor, which are in the region of two million a year, we managed to experience this temple alone. This fact couple with the sun just rising gave the place a magical and mystical feel. The silence and grandeur of this temple spoke by themselves. The two of us could not stop taking photos and we could just stop and try to imagine how it felt back in the days when this temple was built. The talent of the Khmer people is amazing….the carvings impressive.
Bayon
The Bayon takes an easy second place after Angkor Wat .The smile of the four-faced Bayon has become a world-recognized symbol of Cambodia. The towering faces, reaching up to four meters in height, adorn the Bayon Temple at the exact center of Angkor Thom in Siem Reap. As many as 216 faces on the 54 remaining towers, each represented one province of Khmer empire in the ancient time. The Bayon is now known to have been built by Jayavarman VII . 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.
From Bayon on it was a stroll to various temples….all of them beautiful. We particularly liked the terraces.
This is a very brief description of the temples we visited :
Baphoun
The Baphuon, a pyramidal representation of mythical Mt Meru, is 200m north - west of the Bayon. It was constructed by Udayadityavarman II (reigned 1049-65) and marked the center of the city that existed before the construction of Angkor Thom. The Baphuon is in pretty poor shape and is being restored by a French team, with much of the temple marked off-limits. It is approached by a 200m elevated walkway made of sandstone. The central structure is 43m high, but unfortunately its summit has collapsed (it may be restored). On the west side of the temple, the remaining wall of the second level was fashioned apparently in the 15th century into a reclining Buddha 40m in length.
Terrace of Elephants
Clearing by de Mecquenem in 1911 and H.Marchal in 1916. The terrace of the Elephants in its present form extends in length for over 300m – from the Baphoun to the terrace of the Leper King – though the two extremities remain imprecise in their layout and the terrace itself shows evidence of additions and alterations. The terrace faces on the Royal Square of the city of Angkor Thom. This area was the Royal Palace but the actual buildings were built of wood and havenot survived. The 350m long terrace which extend from Baphoun to the Terrace of Leper King, the Elephants Terrace was used as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king’s grand audience hall. As you stand here, we tried to imagine the pomp and grandeur of the Khmer empire at its height with infantry, cavalry, horse-drawn chariots and elephants parading across the Central Square in a colorful procession, pennants and standards aloft. Looking on is the god-king, crowned with a gold diadem, shaded by multiplied parasols and attended by mandarins and handmaidens bearing gold and silver utensils.
Phimeanakas
Meaning celestial temple. It is a Hindu temple in the Khleang style, built at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman (from 941-968), then rebuilt by Suryavarman II in the shape of a three tier pyramid as a Hindu temple. On top of the pyramid there was a tower.
According to legend, the king spent the first watch of every night with a Naga girl in the tower, during that time, not even the queen was permitted to intrude. Only in the second watch the king returned to his palace with the queen. If the naga who was the supreme land owner of Khmer land did not show up for a night, the king's day would be numbered, if the king did not show up, calamity would strike his land.
Preah Palilay
This delightful, small Buddhist shrine was built after the reign of Jayavarman VIII (13th or 14th century). The elongated rectangular shape of the tower is curious, as is the lack of facing on the tower's sides.
Tep Pranam
A long walkway with a Buddha figure at the far end. This temple was originally a Buddhist shrine in the 9th century under Yasovarman I, the king that moved the capital to Angkor. It was expanded over the years with 12th century balustrades, 13th century lions and significant post-Angkorian modifications and additions. The Buddha statue at the western end is made from reused material. It is unclear how long that particular Buddha has been there
Terrace of the Leper King
The terrace of the leper king lies just to the north of the Terrace of Elephants, aligned with it but standing separate. A mound of masonry about 25m across by 6 high, it is formed as a bastion with side that are lined in sandstone and entirely sculpted with figures in a high relief, juxtaposed and separated in seven registers – the uppermost of which has almost entirely disappeared. Although now standing isolated – joined only at its north and south by the start of some returning walls – it is probable that this motif was previously but one element in a vast composition, perhaps complemented with pools, that has evidently undergone alteration. The Terrace of the Leper King is a platform 7m high. On top of the platform stand a nude, though sexless statue. Legend has it that at least two of the Angkor kings had leprosy, and the statue may represent one of them. A more likely explanation is that the statue is of Yam, the god of death, and that the Terrace of the Leper King housed the royal crematorium.
Once we were over with Angkor Thom we visited two more temples : Preah Khan and Neak Pean.
Preah Khan
The temple of Preah Khan (Sacred Sword) is a good counterpoint to Ta Prohm, though it gets far fewer visitors. Preah Khan was built by Jayavarman VII (it may have served as his temporary residence while Angkor Thom was being built), and like Ta Prohm it is a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. The central sanctuary of the temple was dedicated in 1191, Preah Khan's role as a center for worship and learning. Preah Khan covered a very large area, but the temple itself is within a rectangular enclosing wall of around 700m by 800m. Four processional walkways approach the gates of the temple. These gates are flanked, gods carrying a serpent, as in the approach to Angkor Thom. From the central sanctuary, four long vaulted galleries extend in the cardinal directions. Many of the interior walls of Preah Khan were once coated with plaster held in place by holes in the stone.
Neak Pean
Located east of Preah Khan; 300m from the road, Neak Pean is a large square man made pond 70m each side bordered by steps and surrounded by four smaller square ponds. A small circular island with a stepped base of seven laterite tiers is in the center of the large square pond. Small elephants sculpted in the round originally stood on the four corners. Although Neak Pean is small and a collection of five ponds, it is worth a visit for its unique features. Most photogenic in the wet season when the pools are full.
Our day ended at around noon. We could have done more we guess but we where just satisfied with what we saw. Back at the internet café we downloaded the photos for the day…a total of 427!
We had an early night as the day after was another early wake up call….
For pictures click here:
Day 2 : Banteay Srei – East Mebon – Pre Rup – Banteay Kdei – Ta Prohm
Another early start and an hour trip to our first destination for the day : Banteay Srei. Though the road was still a little bit dark and cold it was lovely. It’s an amazing experience to be in the park and surrounding villages when both nature and humans are starting to wake up. We are always amazed at the simplicity of these people and the way they live…especially the kids…they are lovely. Though we did not go to a particular spot to watch the sunset we still managed to watch a beautiful sun rising warming its surrounding with its first rays.
We were lucky again as we were the first ones to arrive at the temple. A couple of people where there when we were nearing our visit. This temples is called ‘the jewel of the Mekong’ and rightly so. The carvings here are exquisite. It is believed that a woman carved this temple due to the delicacy of its carvings. Banteay Srei has some of the nicest carvings we have seen out of our whole visit at Angkor…though we still had to go to Angkor Wat.
Banteay Srei
A 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction.
For pictures click here:
Before our final stop at Ta Prohm we visited:
East Mebon, for pictures click here:
Pre Rup, for pictures click here:
and Banteay Kdei, for pictures click here:
As expected Ta Prohm was full of tourists, but the most tedious things was these groups of Taiwanese, Korean, etc who were just stopping infront of the temple, taking photos and being loud. It was beyond them that we were in one of the most beautiful Angkorian temples. The two of us could not help to stop and admire the amazing scene we were seeing in front of us……
Ta Prohm
A unique charm….the strength of the jungle is impressive, massive roots manage to up heave the temple’s stones, disfiguring or enriching (depending on one’s perspective) this temple. Most of the temple is in ruins and extensive works are being carried out to restore it.
After ascending the throne of Cambodia in 1181 A.D., Jayavarman VII embarked on a massive program of construction and public works. Rajavihara ("royal temple"), today known as Ta Prohm ("ancestor Brahma"), was one of the first temples founded pursuant to that program. The stele commemorating the foundation gives a date of 1186 A.D.
Jayavarman VII constructed Rajavihara in honor of his family. The temple's main image, representing Prajnaparamita, the personification of wisdom, was modelled on the king's mother. The northern and southern satellite temples in the third enclosure were dedicated to the king's guru and his elder brother respectively. As such, Ta Prohm formed a complementary pair with the temple monastery of Preah Khan, dedicated in 1191 A.D., the main image of which represented the Bodhisattva of compassion Lokesvara and was modelled on the king's father.
The temple's stele records that the site was home to more than 12,500 people (including 18 high priests and 615 dancers), with an additional 80,000 souls in the surrounding villages working to provide services and supplies. The stele also notes that the temple amassed considerable riches, including gold, pearls and silks.[3] Expansions and additions to Ta Prohm continued as late as the rule of Srindravarman at the end of the 13th century.
We headed back to town and spent again some time at the internet to sort the day’s photos….750 in all!!
For pictures click here:
Day 3 : Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat was what we expect and much more. We watched the sun rising behind these magnificent temples and the scene was magical….it was one of those moments in one’s life where times seems like stopping and you are thrown back in centuries, reliving the days when Angkor Wat was at its most splendour.
We took our visit nice and easy as we wanted to absorb everything we could. We strolled in Angkor Wat gardens, we admired the beautiful carvings and the astonishing bas-reliefs, we watched in awe the fascinating design of this temple and wondered at the ability of the persons who designed it and who managed to create what we can now see today.
The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113–c. 1150). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown, but it may have been known as Vrah Vishnulok after the presiding deity. Work seems to have ended on the king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished. In 1177 Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kilometres to the north.
In the 14th or 15th century the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.
One of the first Western visitors to the temple was Antonio da Magdalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of". However, the temple was popularised in the West only in the mid-19th century on the publication of Henri Mouhot's travel notes. The French explorer wrote of it:
An 1866 photograph of Angkor Wat by Emile Gsell.
"One of these temples—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo—might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."
Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, was unable to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site.
Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century, mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues.
The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of every Cambodian national flag since the introduction of the first version circa 1863—the only building to appear on any national flag.
For pictures click here:
