Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom

Saw amazing stuff today - absolutely mind-boggling in terms of both its history and physical presence in terms of its size and incredible ancient architecture - totally unbelievable to the human eye! But just magnificent to behold, Angkor Wat = Holy City (Angkor) Buddist Monestary (Wat).

It was originally a hindu shrine to Vishnu - built by distant cousins of the Champa that built My Son - but the king that built Angkor Wat defeated the Champa in Cambodia and Thailand. It was built between 1130 and 1153 to serve as as a holy capital city and eventually as the king's funerary temple. It is surrounded my a moat and enclosed by a laterate wall.. Its centerpiece are 5 incredible towers representing the heavenly peaks of Mt Meru - the tallest of which was the home of Vishnu. During its heyday as many as 450K people lived in and around it.

Angkor Wat, like all temples in the area flip-flopped between Hinduism and Buddism depending on the beliefs of the Khmer rulers. It was converted to a Buddist temple some time in the 16th century. Currently, none of the temples in the area are officially used as religious centers - they exist only for the tourists.

I got a driver and guide to start out at 6AM to avoid crowds and heat. Great that there were few tourists around! Just look at and enjoy my pictures. In real life - they are hundreds fold more magnificent!







Some of the interior bas-reliefs found throughout the complex. These are the Apsara - heavenly nymphs or angelic dancers.- which I kinda like the sound of!


More incredible stuff - you can get idea of scale - that's little ole me in the center!





I really liked both this shot - captured the mystic of the place.

Angkor Tom or Grand Angkor (Angkor = Holy City + Tom or Thom = large) was built by a Khmer king as his royal palace around 1200. It is a walled compound surrounded by a 100 meter wide moat. Inside are some of Angkors most famous monuments; Bayon, the Terrace of Elephants, and the Terrace of the Leper (supposedl) King. I got really confused going through this labyrinth - so can't give much detail re pics.

the famous bridge leading to the south (main) gate to Angkor Tom (also spelled Thom - but Cambodians do Tom).. Note balustrades of giants handling nagas a mystical multiheaded serpant. The gate archway depicts elephants plodding towards you topped by the Budda of Compassion.


Angkor Tom's bridge leading south



The Bayon was the King's temple and lies at the center of Angkor Tom. It is comprised of 54 towers and 216 smiling faces - all different but all are said to resemble the king's facial features. Complementing the faces are intricate bas-reliefs depicting daily life of the king and bloody battles with the Chams.



More of the Bayon kings temple's smiling faces!



I'm not exactly sure which temple this is - but the were beautiful!


the Baphuon, built around 1050, is a 3-tiered temple pyramid with incredible bas-relief.


The Terrace of the Elephabts is 350 meters long elevated up to 20 ft above a huge paved field where up to 40+K subjects would gather. The King would sit on a platform in the center of the terrace. The king would use it as a reception platform and his armies of warriors mounted on elephants and horses on either side of the terrace with him in an elevated area in the center would welcome dignitaries.and hold court over his subjects.
The attached pics are of the bas-reliefs at the base of the terrace facing the "audiences".



built to honor a king who supposedly died of leprocy.


the Baphuon was built about 1050AD. It is a 3-tiered temple noted for its bas-reliefs - of which these are an example.

Building Facts - The core of many of these temples are made out of lava-type stone and the exteriors out of sandstone. These materials were mined some 200+ kilometers away. In the wet season the materials were broght to construction sites on bamboo rafts down the Siem River. During the dry season thousands of elephants brought the stone to the construction sites. It's interesting to note that they were constructed of rough-quaried stone and the carving done after the main structures were built - leaving no room for any errors/mistakes! .Kings conscripted thousands for years to build them. Most of the structures were painted - inside and outside. Red was a favorite interior color and is still present/preserved in the interiors of some structure.. Gold, evidently paint not leaf, was a favorite exterior color - I saw no preserved exterior colors. Many of the buildings in the complexes were used for storage - food as well as the kings' paraphanalia like huge parasals (sp?), elephant regalia, weapons and, in some cases, they were used as huge treasure warehouses!

I hiked about 12 mi today in 94+ degrees and humidity. I came back to the hotel room at noon to shower and change - then went back out again <- that's why 2 different t-shirts! Also - a $100 travelers check literally disolved in my pocket bc of perspiration - going to be tough getting that made up!

Tomorrow it's the famous "Lara Croft Temples" - so stay tuned!