ANGKOR WAT

ANGKOR WAT

Angkor Wat means "the temple that is a city," folks, the name says it all.  In Angkor Wat area, there are hundreds of temples that span for miles and miles, the biggest being Angkor Wat itself, which is the world's largest religious building.  For a one day pass to the temples, you have to pay $20USD and they're very serious about checking your ticket (guards check it at the entrance to most of the temples). In fact, you take a photo on the spot, which goes onto your ticket.  Apparently, if you're caught without a ticket, it's a $100USD fine!  The local hotel chain, Sokha Hotels (which is part of a local petroleum conglomerate called Sokimex, thank you Lonely Planet,) takes 17% of the revenue.  Only 10% goes to Aspara Authority, the organisation that oversees the preservation.  But most of the revenue is returned to the Finance Ministry.  Go figure.

The amazing thing about visiting these temples, is you can climb all over them!  It's like a free for all, once you're in.  Not like at the Parthenon where you wouldn't dare to touch it.  There are endless passageways to explore, dark tunnels, narrow hallways, steep stairways.  Sometimes I was the only one in a dark enclave of the tunnel.  It was even spooky at times.  But it was amazing to be able to touch and explore these temples.  To get to experience them in all their magic and glory.

The temples I saw:

Angkor Wat:  the iconic one.  Decorated with apsaras (heavenly nymph) carved into the walls.  It is said (by Eleanor Mannikka in her book "Angkor Wat:  Time, Space, and Kingship" that "the spatial dimensions of Angkor Wat parallel the lengths of the 4 ages (Yuga) of Classical Hindu thought."  Also, in the Angkor Wat temples are bas reliefs, depicting characters from the Ramayana, Battle scenes, mythology, etc.

                     

Angkor Thom:  It's in the Bayon style (giant faces carved into it); Angkor Thom means, "Great Angkor" or "Great City."  It's enclosed by a jayagin (or, square wall) and encircled by a moat (jayasindhu).  So, I explored teh Bayon, which is part of Angkor Thom, "It's a place of stooped corridors, precipitous flights of stairs, and... a collection of 54 Gothic towers decorated with 216 coldly smiling enormous faces of Avalokiteshvara that bear more than a passing resemblance to the great King himself." (i.e. Jayavarman VII)  Thanks again, Lonely Planet.

Ta Prohm:  also known as the "Tomb Raider Temple," because apparently Angelina Jolie was filmed there for the film, "Laura Croft:  Tomb Raider."  This was the spookiest of temples.  It had a lost in the jungle feel to it... dare I say, it exuded a certain aura?  LP says, "the temple is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root systems."  It was originally a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII.  Towers, closed courtyards, and narrow corridors; some clogged with piles of carved stone blocks dislodged by the roots of decayed trees.  The trees are very prevalent when you're there.  They're ominous.