Angkor Wat - Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

I’ve always been fascinated with ancient marvels particularly the Angkor Wat “the city of temples”. It’s amazing how the early Khmer civilization in the 9th to 15th centuries built magnificent monuments and hydraulic structures that withstood the test of time.

Like uncovering a great mystery, tracing the rhyme and reason behind the ancient structures is a riveting journey to the succession of Khmer kings who were considered divine by their constituents and created a larger than life legacy etched in stone --- which seemed like movie stills taken out of a full scale Hollywood production to reflect their Buddhist or Hinduist beliefs, political struggles with neighboring countries, rich mythologies and symbolisms, cultural heritage and everyday life in the intricate architecture and elaborate carvings of the ancient temples.

How to Get There and Explore the City of Temples

Prior my trip to Siem Reap, the resort town which is the gateway to the Unesco World Heritage site of Angkor Wat, I booked an English-speaking tour guide through https://www.angkorwatdaytour.com/ 

The 2-day itinerary was ideal for its thoughtful sequence of exploring the significant temples without the overcrowded tourists. The package included an airconditioned van to go around the sprawling archeological temples, hotel pick-up and drop-off, cold water in a cooler, and cold wipes since it was humid even during my trip in September.

The tour guide was well-informed and provided relevant background, cultural and religious significance of the temples and carvings; tips on how to observe solemnity and invoke your wishes in key sacred places; interesting trivia on the bas reliefs, and some humorous stories on the carvings in certain areas and also advised on the best spots for photo ops.

The first order of business is to get the Angkor pass in order to visit the temples in the Angkor archeological complex. This is a separate fee that I and all the tourists need to personally process and pay. At the ticket counter, my digital photo was taken for inclusion in the printed pass. There are options for a one day up to a seven-day pass. Since the temples are religious monuments, all visitors are reminded to wear appropriate clothing - pants and shirts (not revealing the shoulders).  For updated ticket rates and admission hours, visit this website: https://www.siemreap.net/visit/angkor/practical/hours-admission/

Day 1 Tour

Angkor Thom – Temple of Enigmatic Smiles

The first stop of my day one tour on a Friday is Angkor Thom (Great City). It is one of the largest Khmer cities and founded by King Jayavarman VII in the 12^th century. This capital of Angkor until the 17^th century is estimated to have a total area of 900 hectares but most of it is now covered in forest.

The South gate bridge is lined-up with an impressive parallel avenue of Hinduist gods and Asuras (demons) as a symbolism of the Bhagavad Purana’s Churning of the Ocean of Milk and across the moat the imposing four-faced serene smiling faces of Padmapani (embodiment of Buddhist compassion) are directed at each cardinal direction. It’s a glimpse of the Khmer empire’s shift from Hinduism to Buddhism.

Bayon Temple

At the center of Angkor Thom is the Bayon or face temple which functioned as the state temple of Jayavarman VII.  If there’s anything more enigmatic than Da Vinci’s Monalisa, it would be the 216 gigantic smiling faces of Padmapani which adorned the 54 gothic towers. Exuding power and benevolence, the awe-inspiring iconic visages are situated in the three levels of the Bayon. Walking in the different levels of the Bayon is a varied experience of looking straight into, looking up or sideways to the all-seeing faces of Padmapani.

The bas reliefs at the outer wall depict the panoramic scenes of the Khmer empire’s military might in epic battles won against the Chams and King Jayavarman VII’s magnificence and power as he reigned over his constituents and how daily life transpired.

Ta Prohm - “Tomb Raider” temple

The mystical and poetic appeal of Ta Prohm is mainly attributed to its current state of flux wherein nature is on the verge of reclaiming its stake upon the temple grounds as trees intertwine with the ruins and the disarray is marked by rubbles of collapsed structures. This “rawness” is preserved in Ta Prohm courtesy of the Ecole Fracaise d'Extrême-Orient, just the way it was when the French archeologists rediscovered the abandoned temples in the 19th century. 

I had the feeling that I was on a great breakthrough of discovery at Ta Prohm. It was also a thrill to visit the site where Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) plucked a bunch of Jasmine in front of a gopura or entrance pavilion embraced by silk cotton trees and strangler fig trees.

Ta Prohm is a Mahayana Buddhist royal monastery and university built in Bayon-style by King Jayavarman VII and dedicated to his mother in the 12th century. The primary deity of the temple is Prajinaparamita, the “Perfection of Wisdom” and was carved in the likeness of his mother. The temple proper covers one hectare out of 60 in a progression of three concentric gallery enclosures inside a moat.

The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is currently led by the Archeological Survey of India and APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap.)

Banteay Kdei “Citadel of Chambers” 

This is also a Buddhist temple on a smaller scale than Ta Prohm but with the same Bayon architectural style as it was built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. 

The ruins are enclosed in a laterite outer wall with four entrance pavilions accentuated by the now familiar Face Towers. Within the interiors, I was Immersed in the labyrinth of corridors and courtyards that led to towers and the intricate carvings of dancing Apsaras (celestial nymphs) on the pillars. 

Sunset at Phnom Bakheng 

It’s a relaxing trek amid a lush forest on the way to Phnom Bakheng which is perched atop a hill. As I came closer to the temple though, I took extra care in the narrow steps to reach the summit.

Phnom Bakheng is Hinduist temple symbolizing mount Meru in the form of a temple mountain. It was built in the late 9th century and dedicated to Shiva (the third God in the Hindu triumvirate) during the reign of Yasovarman. The temple has five tiers and seven levels which symbolizes the seven Hindu heavens Later on, it was converted to a Buddhist temple but the remnants for this is hardly visible.

The number of visitors to Phnom Bakheng is limited to 300 at a time, good thing the tour guide advised that it is best to get to the area about 4pm and I made it to the cut-off. 

Atop the temple mountain, the expansive sunset view overlooking the historic city of Siem Reap is worth the wait. It’s like being in the Lara Croft movie scene - the one where she was looking through her binoculars when she arrived in Cambodia. It would be nice to have a digital camera with good lenses to be able to zoom in to Angkor Wat from this perspective.

Day 2 Tour

Sunrise at Angkor Wat, the World’s largest Hindu temple

On a Saturday, I woke up early at about five in the morning to get to the archeological complex’s ultimate architectural masterpiece of epic proportions and rich details --- Angkor Wat, and like many tourists, I got a perfect spot for the sunrise over the grandest and most elegant Khmer temples and its magnificent reflection on a lake.  

Considered the largest religious monument in the world, the 200-hectare Angkor Wat was built by Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as capital of his empire and state temple dedicated to Vishnu. Its architecture reflects a vivid reflection of heaven on earth – a microcosm of Hindu cosmos. It’s a pyramid of three levels, each one enclosed by an expansive gallery with four entrance pavilions and corner towers. At its summit is a quincunx of five towers.

This city of divine temples represents Mt. Meru with its five peaks – in Hinduist mythology, this is the center of the universe and home of the Gods. The climb to the steps of central shrine is similar to the experience of scaling up the mountain. The succession of galleries around the temple mountain represents the mountain ranges that surround Mt. Meru. This temple complex is surrounded by a vast moat, an analogy to the ocean encircling the celestial mountains. Unlike other temples in Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is oriented to the West and is said to be due to Vishnu’s association to this direction.

The Bas Reliefs

I further explored Angkor Wat’s exterior walls of the third enclosure with its expansive carved areas which is 600 meters in length and 2 meters in height. I took my time to soak in this Khmer art form in bas reliefs from West to East galleries which showcased the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, Hinduist mythologies on the judgement of Yama and portrayal of heaven and hell, life of Krishna, Bhagavata-Purana’s great creation myth of the Churning of the Sea of Milk, and victory processions of Suryavarman II. 

Cruciform Cloister

Within the interiors of the galleries, it’s interesting to see the almost 2,000 carvings of Apsaras on the walls. Groups of these heavenly nymphs were carved in different stages of royal dance and demure expression.

On the southside of the cruciform cloister that connected the galleries from the first to the second level, I was immersed in a different experience as I ventured in the temple’s gradual transformation into a Buddhist site while keeping intact its Hinduist origins since the later part of the 12^th century.

There are a few remaining seated and standing Buddha statues in the pilgrimage area known as the “Hall of the Thousand Buddhas.” Most of the statues were already destroyed by the ravages of history.

I saw a Buddhist priest in this area and joined the blessing of pilgrims.

Pre Rup - Hinduist temple

It drizzled in the afternoon and yet I couldn’t miss the trip south of Eastern Mebon to the mountain shaped Pre Rup temple. Armed with an umbrella and still far from the surge of the sunset crowd for which this state temple is known to attract, I explored a different era of Khmer empire.

Pre Rup temple was built during the reign of King Rajendravarman II in 961 and as a state temple, it was the center of the capital during its time. It’s not for the faint of heart, I climbed the steep steps up the three tiers of the pyramid to fully appreciate its Hinduist inspired architectural details, magnificent scale and harmonic hues of laterite, brick and sandstone. The guide mentioned that most tourists visit this site and go to its upper terrace in the early evening for its good view of the sunset.

Banteay Srei Known as ''Citadel of Women'' and ''Jewel of Khmer Art''

About 20 minutes from Pre Rup temple and approximately 32 km Northeast of Siem Reap, the final stop of the tour is a visit to Banteay Srei which means ''Citadel of Women'' or ''Citadel of Beauty.'' This is an appropriate description of the incomparable Hinduist temple marked by intricate and refined three-dimensional carvings on pinkish-hued stones.

Banteay Srei is dedicated to Shiva and commissioned in the second half of the 10th century by Yajinavaraha, one of King Rajendravarman's counselors and who was also the teacher of future King Jayavarman V.

Though miniature in scale compared to the other temples in Angkor, the well-preserved Banteay Srei is impressive as the ''Jewel of Khmer Art.'' Almost every inch of the temple is adorned with exceptional carvings. Restoration work for this temple was done from 1931 to 1936 with the technique of anastylosis, which later on was also used as a method in the preservation of the Bayon temple.

This square-shaped temple has an Eastern and Western entrance, the former being more accessible through a causeway. Its inner libraries, galleries, and three central towers are designed with male and female deities and larger than life depictions of scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.