Angkor: After eating breakfast at the hotel, we were picked up by our guide and driver and headed north of Siem Reap to the Angkor region, capital of the Khmer Empire from 802 until 1431, when its people fled to Phnom Penh to escape Siamese (Thai) invaders. Angkor laid largely abandoned and its temples overrun by jungle growth until they were rediscovered during the French occupation, when restoration projects were started. Massive restoration is ongoing to this day. We stopped at the visitor center and purchased a one-day pass, allowing access to all the archeological sites within the Angkor region.
Angkor Thom: Our first stop after purchasing our passes was within Angkor Thom (Big City), which served as the last capital city of the Khmer Empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII, and includes such sites as Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Phimeanakas, Baphuon, and Bayon. Most of the structures within Angkor Thom were built much earlier, but they were enclosed by a large moat and walls in the late twelfth century, unifying them as a single city. Much of the Angkor region architecture is decorated in Hindu themes, the main religion at the time of its construction. The decorations remained even after the country's conversion to Buddhism in the thirteenth century, when the Hindu temples were converted to Buddhist temples.
Terrace of the Elephants: The first site we explored within Angkor Thom was the Terrace of the Elephants, named for the elephant carvings in its walls. The terrace is connected to Phimeanakas and was used by King Jayavarman VII during public ceremonies and for viewing his armies.
Terrace of the Leper King: Next to the Terrace of the Elephants is the Terrace of the Leper King. Although built in the twelfth century, it got its name from the fifteenth century discovery of a statue at the site covered with moss, giving it the appearance of a person with leprosy. The statue is that of the Hindu god Yama, the god of death, which leads many to believe the terrace was used as a royal cremation site. A replica of this statue sits on the terrace today.
Phimeanakas: Proceeding on foot through a gopura, or an entrance building located in the walls surrounding the temple, past the bathing ponds used by guests to the temple, we arrived at Phimeanakas (Celestial Temple). Built at the end of the tenth century by king Rajendravarman, and subsequently rebuilt in the twelfth century by king Suryavarman II, Phimeanakas was built in a Temple Mountain scheme. Like most of the temples of Angkor, the central tower is a symbolic representation of Mount Meru, a mythical sacred mountain in Hinduism considered to be the center of the universe and the home of the gods. The land surrounding the temple represents the earth and, finally, the moat around the temple complex represents the sea.
Baphuon: Continuing past Phimeanakas, we arrived at Baphuon, built in the mid-eleventh century by Udayadityavarman II and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the destroyer or transformer. The Khmer practiced the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, so many of their temples are dedicated to Shiva. The unstable land and the yearly transitions between wet and rainy seasons caused much of the temple to collapse.
In the fifteenth century, the temple was converted to a Buddhist temple and a large reclining Buddha was constructed at the back, or west side, of the temple. Access to the temple itself was forbidden as it undergoes restoration. Restoration began in 1960, but was interrupted by the reign of the Khmer Rouge, when all records of the positions of the stones were lost. Most of the stones still lay scattered around the temple, awaiting identification and proper placement back on the temple as it is reconstructed.
Bayon: Continuing south within Angkor Thom, we came upon Bayon, the main temple during the reign of Jayavarman VII, built at the end of the twelfth century. On the outer walls of the temple are bas-relief carvings of varying mytholigical, historic, and everyday life events, including that of the Apsara dancers. The most prominent feature of the temple is the multitude of smiling faces of Lokesvara adorning the many towers clustered around the main peak. Lokesvara is one of the most revered buddhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. The Khmer practiced Mahayana Buddhism before converting back to Hinduism and then finally to Theravada Buddhism. Most towers contain four faces, one looking in each cardinal direction.
Angkor Wat: After our visit to Bayon, we met up with our driver for the short ride out of Ankgor Thom to Angkor Wat (Temple City). Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II during the early twelfth century. Unlike other Khmer structures, which always face east toward the rising sun, representing birth and life, Angkor Wat faces west, toward the setting sun. It is for this reason that it is thought it may have been built as a tomb for King Suryavarman II. However, it was not finished before his death, and remains incomplete to this day, so he was never entombed there. It is believed he was taken elsewhere for temporary burial, but that location remains a mystery.
Of the hundreds of Apsara carvings at Angkor Wat, all unique in hair style, posture or costume, only one is showing her teeth as she smiles. Our guide pointed it out, so we didn't have to search the entire grounds for it. The outside of the walls of the lowest tier of the temple are carved with eight bas-reliefs, two per wall, each depicting one major Hindi legend. There are a total of three tiers in Angkor Wat, but the uppermost tier was closed to tourists.
Angkor Wat is one of the best preserved sites at Angkor because it was continually occupied even when other areas were abandoned. Buddhist monks were still living there until the French built housing for them next to the temple while they restored it. The monks never moved back into the temple.
Ta Prohm: After taking a break for lunch, we continued our sightseeing by driving to Ta Prohm (Old Brahma), originally known as Rajavihara (King's Monastery). King Jayavarman VII had this monastery and university built in the late twelfth century in the Bayon style (many faces of Lokesvara). Unlike the other ruins, Ta Prohm has undergone virtually no restoration, and many trees can be seen growing out of its ruins. Although several of the other sites of Angkor were included in the movie as well, our guide liked to call this the "Tomb Raider" temple.
Ta Keo: Ta Keo (Old Glass) may be one of the first temples to be constructed entirely of sandstone, and was built by Jayavarman V around the end of the tenth century or beginning of the eleventh. Later temples were constructed with a foundation of laterite, a hardened clay, and clad in sandstone, as the laterite was unsuitable for carving. Ta Keo is also notable by its lack of bas-relief carvings. Legend has it that lightning struck the main tower as the carving began. This was seen as a bad omen from the gods and all work was stopped.
Thommanon & Chau Say Tevoda: Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda are a pair of Hindu temples built directly across the street from each other. Thommanon was built in the end of the eleventh century and Chau Say Tevoda in the mid-twelfth century. They are very similar in design, except Chau Say Tevoda has additional gopuras and a library. The gopuras and libraries are common architectural elements in Khmer temples. The library probably functioned more as a shrine than as a repository of manuscripts.
South Gate: Back in the van, we re-entered Angkor Thom through the Victory Gate, used by the King's army when returning from victorious battle, and proceeded until we reached the Terrace of the Elephants, where the king greeting his returning army. There are a total of five gates leading into the walled city of Angkor Thom. Apart from the Victory Gate, there is also the North Gate, the South Gate, the East Gate and the West Gate. We stopped on our way out of the South Gate and inspected the gate as well as the railings of the causeway spanning the moat surrounding the city.
On the left side of the causeway are 54 devas (gods) pulling the tail half of the Vasuki, the king of serpents, and 54 asuras (demons) on the right side pulling the tail half. In legend, they were locked in a 1000 year tug-of-war with Vasuki wrapped around Mount Mandaranchal. By pulling back and forth, the ocean was churned by Mount Mandaranchal until many treasures emerged, including the nectar of immortality. The devas and asuras fought over the nectar until, with the help of Vishnu, the devas prevailed and became immortal after consuming the nectar. The Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the best-known stories of Hinduism and a bas-relief of the episode can be found within Ankgor Wat.
Phnom Bakheng: Our last stop within Angkor was at Phnom Bakheng, where we climbed the only major hill of the area until we reached the temple at the top. The temple was the first Hindu temple at Angkor, built by Yasovarman in the ninth and tenth centuries. It was also built in the Temple Mountain style. It is a very popular tourist destination in the evening for its view of Angkor Wat and the setting sun. We were there early and waited until after the sun had set before joining the horde of people descending the hill. We returned to our hotel for dinner and then retired for the night.