Angkor was the center of the Khmer empire, which flourished for some 550 years from around 800 to 1350. The Khmer dominated the region from modern day Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
We hired a car driver and guide from our hotel. Blame him, not my memory, for any errors in the following. Most of the temples in Angkor were built in the 1100s without the help of machines. The stones ranged in size from one ton to 15 tons and came from a region some 37 kilometers from the temple site. Primary laborers included slaves captured from the surrounding areas and elephants. The stone was either floated down the river on bamboo rafts, carried by groups of men using long wooden handles, or dragged by teams of elephants. The temple walls have intricate carvings that depict scenes of contemporary life or tales of historical or religious significance. The earlier temples were dedicated to the Hindu gods, while later Khmer kings had converted to Buddhism, and dedicated their temples to Buddha.
This photo is in front of Angkor Wat, the most well-preserved (restored) of the temples. Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. This one started as a Hindu temple and was converted to a Buddhist temple.
The following photo shows one of the galleries of stone carvings in Angkor Wat. These carvings depict a struggle between the gods on the right-hand-side against demons on the left-hand-side in a tug-of-war for the soul.
After a climb up a very steep stairway, we arrived in the center tower complex. This is a photo of the center tower which contains four interlocking chapels. This tower is just above our heads in the first photo. Only the king was allowed to meditate and pray in the center tower. Each chapel has a different set of statues for the different gods of the applicable religion.
We next drove to Angkor Thom, which is the largest and most enduring of the capital cities in the Angkor area. Our driver stopped to allow us to walk into the west gate of the complex. The cities contained stone temples, but also wooden structures where the people actually lived. All of this was enclosed by stone walls for security against invading armies. The walls surrounding Angkor Thom were some 4 meters high (12-13 feet). This photo shows us beginning our walk down the bridge toward the west gate. Note the big heavies coming up behind us on the left. The bridge is lined with statues of demons on the right and gods on the left depicting the tug-of-war of choices in life.
Reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Arc, much of the architecture in the Angkor area is based on the four directions and location of celestial bodies. This passage in Angkor Thom was built to shine the spotlight on a certain area at the spring and fall equinox. Depicted in the spotlight, this 7th day of May, is my own personal angel.
This photo shows some of the carvings on one of the 48 Angkor Thom towers, of which 36 are still standing. The central area of this temple contains four 6-foot deep pools that were filled when the king visited for meditation and prayer. The pools were about 15 meters by 15 meters by 2 meters, and were filled bucket-by-bucket in the days before indoor plumbing. It seems the work of a slave is never finished!
Here we are with Angkor Thom temple, and many of its 36 towers, in the background.
Our last temple visit was to Ta Prohm Temple, otherwise known as the Jungle Temple. All the temples in the Angkor area were overtaken by the jungle when the Khmer people left Angkor for Phnom Phen in the 1500s. Over the years, the Angkor area reverted to a small village and the great temples faded into folklore. Rediscovery of the ancient temples is attributed to a Frenchman in 1860, which is when the huge task of refurbishment and rebuilding began. All of the temples had been reclaimed by the jungle. Ta Prohm has been mostly left as it was found with huge banyan trees growing out of the stone. The movie Tomb Raider was filmed on location in the Ta Prohm Temple. The following photos are some that Sandy took at the temple.
Note the size of the tree relative to the woman standing in front.
While we haven't seen the movie, our guide told us that this is the tree and doorway Angelina Jolie stood in when she played the Tomb Raider. The doorway in the center of the photo is a full-sized doorway, which shows the immense size of the tree. The tentacle-like branches are actually downward growing roots of a strangler fig tree that has taken over from a host tree.
This tree is growing on the stone roof of a gallery in Ta Prohm. The fellow in orange is a young Buddhist monk from near the Thailand-Cambodia border who is in the temple area on a pilgrimage. All these temples continue to be operating temples complete with Buddha statues and areas for prayer. It is kind of weird that we are allowed to walk around snapping photos. But I guess it is little different from visiting the Vatican in Rome.
At this point we were hot and templed-out, so to speak. I asked the guide if he could show us how typical Cambodian villagers live, and he took us to a local village. We were lucky in that there were two celebrations going on in the village. The first was a celebration of completing the building of a villager's home. All the people who helped build the home were chanting for good tidings for the family and home. The second was a village-wide celebration of the beginning of the rainy season with food, music, dancing, and of course beer. This photo shows a typical home that includes a house on stilts, a cow for breeding, meat and fertilizer, a small rice paddy, a banana patch, a mango grove, and palm trees. Rice will be planted when the rains come to flood the area and fertilized with the cow dung. The cow will be slaughtered for meat, and the calf raised for next year's fertilizer and meat. The stilts keep the home above the water level. The banana trees are cut down after the fruit is picked and regrow every year from root sprouts. Finally, the mango and palm trees produce mangos and coconuts.
