The Temples of Cambodia

There are over 1,000 temples in Cambodia...and some of the best known ones are located near Siem Reap.  Visiting these temples was the main reason we chose to spend a month in this part of Cambodia.  This past week, Lance and I purchased a week long pass and spent our first day visiting Angkor Thom and Bayon temple.  

Angkor Thom ( The Great City,) and Bayon Temple

Angkor Thom is considered the last great capital of the Khmer empire.  Bayon, the state temple located within the city, at one time had 54 Gothic towers that were decorated with 216 giant smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara.  Avalokiteshvara is an enlightened being who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. During the past centuries some of these towers have crumbled, but the ones that remain have faces that seem to look down from every angle inside the temple, showing power and control...and a little humanity.  The Bayon temple demonstrates the change in the Khmer empire from Hinduism to Buddhism.  

Along with the giant heads, you can find famous carvings located on the outer wall on the first level of the temple.  These bas-reliefs (sculptures in which shapes are carved so that they are only slightly higher than the flat background,) show vivid scenes of everyday life in 12th century Cambodia.  It was one of the most fascinating things for me to see during our visit to the temples.   

One of several roads leading to Bayon Temple.

The gate to enter Bayon Temple

A few examples of the many bas-reliefs found on the outer wall located on the first level of the temple.

The gothic towers and smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara.

After departing Bayon temple we hiked past two other buildings...one which had archaeologists busy excavating part of the site.  

As we worked our way toward the parking lot, we saw the Terrace of the Elephants.  This was a platform used by one of the Khmer kings to view his army.  Our guide told us that it was also used by the king to view elephant fights. 

Vesna, our official guide for the day that shared some of the history about what we were seeing.
He traveled with us throughout the day.

Next, it time to meet up with our Tuk Tuk driver, Borai, and travel to Ta Prohm.  

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university built during the late 12th and early 13th centuries.  After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century, it was abandoned and neglected for centuries.  Today most of it is still in the same condition that it was found in the early 21st century, with trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle attempting to swallow it up. 

An Angkor scholar, Maurice Glaize, said the decision was made to not restore the temple, but to leave it as it was found because "it was one of the most imposing (temples) and the one which had best merged with the jungle, but not yet to the point of becoming a part of it."   However, in recent years, much work has been done to stabilize the ruins, and permit safe access to the site.  In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting temples to visit...and one of my personal favorites.      

Ta Nei Temple and Preah Khan Temple

After a day of rest, we resumed our exploration and paid an early morning visit to Ta Nei temple.  This is a small, unrestored temple inside a forest.  Gibbon monkeys are also known to be found in this area...but we did not spot any during our visit.  This temple was Lance's personal favorite because there were no other tourists there during our brief visit.      

The worker that can be spotted in the background is busy sweeping leaves.
A great effort is made to keep all the temples free of debris.

Next we traveled to Preah Khan temple.  It is much larger than Ta Nei...and seems to have had some restoration work done on many of the buildings.  

Below is a picture of Borai.  He was our favorite Tuk Tuk driver, and for $20.00 we got to have him for the entire day.  Borai is a kind and gentle soul...soft spoken and a delight to be around.  He taught himself English by watching You Tube.  At the end of our second day of temple exploration we treated him to lunch.