Last year during a long weekend, we went to Cambodia to visit the Angkor Temples (it was during my year working as a french teacher in Thailand), and it was just amazing!!! We had an excellent driver (he was the kindest person we met, but to be honest, all the peoples we met in Cambodia were just amazing, and they are always smiling!!!) who stopped us in many places!!!! On Saturday, we made what they called the little tour….which was impressiv….
We first made a stop to pay the entrance fee, and we took the 3-day ticket with was $62 (instead of for one day, which is $37). Most of the temples are open from 7 Am to 5: 30 PM (Angkor Temple opened for sunrise, you don’t want to miss a chance to take a photo at this time!)
We started with the famous Angkor Wat, which was built in the late 12h century during the Suryavarman II reign. It is the largest temple in Angkor. Following traditions, the palace would have been to the north of the actual temple. The temple proper combines two significant features of Khmer architecture: a pyramid and concentric galleries. Pyramide, which in most cases were created using stepped terraces, dated back to the 8th century Ak Yum and the better known 9th-century Bakong and were the Khmer method of symbolizing the center of the Hindu universe, Mount Meru in the form of a temple mountain. Galleries, however, evolved later, around the beginning of the 11th century: they were the natural succession to a growing number of annex buildings surrounding the sanctuary. About the symbolism, the towers represent the mountain’s peaks, and it is the full expression of religious symbolism, which is a microcosm of the Hindu universe.
Then we went to Angkor Tom, where we saw the Bayon temple. This temple was built in the late 12th and 13th centuries. It is one of the most enigmatic and powerful religious constructions in the world. The temple is extremely complex both in terms of its structure and meaning, having passed through different spiritual phases from Pantheon to the Gods, Hindu worship, and Buddhism. It uses, uniquely a massive face towers to carate a stone mountain of ascending peaks. There are some disputes about the number of towers. They were original 49 towers but perhaps 54? Today, they are 37 standing. Most are carved with four faces on each cardinal point, but sometimes, there is just one or two. The central tower has many more.
The place was just incredible, and all these faces seem just as a quiet smiley face. I loved this place!!!!
We continued our tour, and we made a stop at Baphuon Temple, which was built in the middle of the 11th century. This enormous temple mountain was the state temple of the Yasodharapura from King Udayadityavarnam II. It is still sufficiently impressive, and it was recently restored. You can get these descriptions by the Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan: North of the Golden Tower at a distance of about two hundred yards, prises the Tower of the Bronze, higher even than the Golden Tower a truly astonishing spectacle, with more than ten chambers at its base. For now, the restoration is not done, but the bas relief panels are beautiful!!!
Then we stopped at Chao Say Tevoda, which was built in the middle of the 12th century. Just across the road from Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda is another minor temple of the Angkor Wat period, though in a more ruined state. Recently, its restoration has begun by the Chinese. This temple appears to have been built towards the end of Suryavarman II’s reign.
Ta Keo temple was built in the late 10th/ early 11th century. This giant temple-mountain who is in the tradition of the Bakhenf and Pre Rup. It was the first one entirely built in sandstone. The location chosen for the state temple of Javavarman V was the West edge of the great East Baray. Javavarman here broke the tradition by not planning it in the center of his new capital. Ta Keo was designed as a representation on earth of five peaked Mount Meru: the Mountain with Golden Peaks.
We continued to Ta Prohm temple (who is famous because of one of the Tomb Raider film). It is the temple where you can see all these trees which grow into the temple and just pushed away from the stone. Quite amazing!!! And this place is just so peaceful.
It was build between the 12 and 13th centuries. Ta Prohm features a set of concentric galleries with corner towers and gopuras, but many with many other additional buildings and enclosures. The complexity of its layout is increased by its partly collapsed state, with trees interlaced among the ruins. According to its stele, which until recently was in situ, the principal divinities of Ta Prohm were installed in 1186 to transfer merit to the king’s mother. The chief deity, Prajnaparamita, the Perfection of Wisdom, was carved in her likeness.
Ta Prohm’s original name was Rajavihara, the royal monastery. In the initial plan for Ta Prohm, 260 divinities were called for, and many more were added later. It was the temple chosen by the Ecole Francaise d’Extrême Orient to be left in its natural state as an example of how most of Angkor looked on its discovery in the 19th century.
Then we went to Banteay Kdei temple, which was built between the late 12th century to the early 13th century. This temple was probably built over the site of another temple dating from the 10th century under the reign of Rajendravarman. It is a small temple, but he looked like a lot like the other one with a central sanctuary and a nice terrasse: Srah Srang. The small dam of Srah Srang has retained its water for more than nine centuries and offers a beautiful, tranquil resting place. Climbing on the steps up to the terrace is a surprise, and we didn’t expect that!!!! The lake is gigantic…but with very little water….very impressive!!!!
Finally, we just went back to the hotel and enjoyed the pool!!!!!
