Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is an amazing place. As you probably know, it is a UNESCO Historic Heritage site located near Siem Reap, Cambodia. The site consists of the ruins of temples, palaces, and other structures that were part of a large city that flourished during the middle ages. The temple known as Angkor Wat is the most famous and has given the site its name. The Angkor Wat image is a national icon, displayed on the Cambodian flag and reproduced on T-shirts, scarves, hats, jackets, shawls, fans, key chains, and countless other souvenir items.

My first visit to Angkor Wat was on December 7,  the morning of the Angkor Wat Half-Marathon. The route the runners take leads them through the historic site, past many of the famous ruins, and along roads leading from one building to the next. Ten or so PC volunteers ran in the marathon. The rest of us got up early too, in order to watch the sun come up over Angkor Wat and then applaud our friends as they came across the finish line. After that, we went to explore the ruins. If you're on Facebook, you've seen some of the pictures in this post before.

As it turned out, the light that day wasn’t great for getting sunrise pictures, but here are two of the better ones.

Here is a reflecting view of another temple (Bayon) in daylight.

Me with PCV companions (L to R) Katherine, Angela, Tricia

Below are some views of Angkor Wat from different sides and distances.

 Inside, there are so many interesting details that it's impossible to capture them all.  In the picture on the left below I'm standing between some beautifully carved sandstone pillars (seen from the outside in one of the pictures above) and a wall sculpture of several apsara (female spirits, often depicted dancing). The next two pictures are partial views of one of the interior basins, with fellow PC volunteer Yee in the foreground. I think the purplish hue is caused by my battery running down.

Built in the early 1100’s, the temple was originally created to honor Vishnu, the Preserver or Protector in the Hindu “trinity” (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) and wasn't associated with Buddhism until later. Friezes or bas-reliefs, which mainly depict stories from Hindu sources, decorate four of the temple's long walls. Unfortunately I’m not familiar with the stories, and once again I can only show snippets. Hopefully they give you an idea of the complexity and skill with which the stories are told.

 In most of the ruins, you find at least one (and often several) shrines where visitors are invited to make merit by lighting candles and joss sticks, praying before an image of the Buddha or other deity, and leaving a donation of money and sometimes also food and drink. The figures of the deities are often clothed, as in the photo below of a bodhisattva (compassionate being or spirit) who is worshipped in Mahayana Buddhism. As far as I understand, Mahayana Buddhism recognizes numerous bodhisattvas and was introduced to what is now Cambodia in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. Today, Theraveda Buddhism, which recognizes only one bodhisattva, Gautama Buddha, is practiced in Cambodia and in Thailand.

The shrines are ostensibly opportunities for visitors to make merit and show respect to the deity, but sometimes there may be a hidden agenda. In one of the ruins, two of us were approached by a tiny, nimble nun who beckoned us to follow her through a low doorway into an interior space. Inside was a small shrine. The nun handed us joss sticks and mimed what to do with them, then held up a plate with a greasy $2 bill on it. My reaction was something like "OK, she's conning us, but who cares," and I put a dollar on the plate (1 USD = about 4,000 Cambodian rial). Instead of thanking us, the nun pushed the plate back at us and tried to insist on $3! We refused and exited the room, resolving not to fall for that ploy again.

Having run out of battery after only about one and a half buildings on my first visit, I decided to go again two days later. This time, I knew some views I wanted to get and was more careful with my camera. Crossing a bridge on the way to Bayon temple, I took videos of the giants or gods (whoever they are) who guard the site. Some of them are rather the worse for wear. Some have had work done.

Below are still pictures of a couple of my favorites, on the opposite side of the bridge from those in the video. I wondered if the artists who did the reconstructive surgery were following the original (possibly from fragments that were partially reassembled) or whether they used their  imagination.

Don't ggt in this one's cross-hairs!

I thought about what it must have been like for the Europeans who came upon these ruins for the first time, when the area was much overgrown by jungle. How would it have felt running into these guys in that environment? Spooky, at least.

In contrast to the giants lined up on the bridge, who have a range of facial features and expressions, the faces on the towers within Bayon all look alike. Unlike Angkor Wat, which has large interior spaces, this temple is crowded with more than 30 towers, and almost every tower has four faces, one on each side (facing the four compass points), so no matter where you stand, a face is looking at you.

  

Whose face is it? Several sources I looked at say it is a bodhisattva called Avalokiteshvara who was worshipped in Mahayana Buddhism. Or it could be a likeness of King Jayavarman VII, who had the temple built in the late 12^th century, or both theories could be true.

Bayon temple also contains many beautiful bas-reliefs and sculptures; here are a few examples.

 Just to keep things interesting, a group of actors in costumes for traditional Khmer dance were available to pose for pictures – for a fee, of course.

Not to be missed is Ta Prohm, which you might know as a location for scenes in the film Tomb Raider.

The roots create an eerie atmosphere in the ruins, but they are just doing what comes naturally for these trees (we were told they are strangler figs). The roots have become so intertangled with the ruins that any attempt to remove them would cause the structures to collapse.

The site is not only attractive to tourists, but as a site for photographs for special occasions – for example, a bride, seen here choosing a good spot to pose for pre-wedding photos.

Finally, here is a Buddha image from Ta Prohm to remind us that it is a temple, after all.

There’s so much more to learn about this fascinating site. If you are interested, here is a link to a BBC News Magazine report (23 September 2014) about how laser technology has been used to discover the full extent of the medieval city that Angkor Wat and the other temples were part of.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29245289