Guide to the Temples

<span style="font-size: large;">Guide to the Temples</span><br /> <br /> <b>Ak Yom </b><br /> Constructed: Late 8th - Early 11th century C.E. Religion: Hindu (Shiva)<br /> King/Patron:<br /> The historically important ruins of a small brick and sandstone temple in very poor condition. The earliest elements date from the pre-Angkorian 8th century. Inscriptions indicate that a temple dedicated to the Hindu ‘god of the depths’ was previously located on the same spot. Ak Yom is the earliest known example of the 'temple-mountain' architectural design formula, which was to become a primary design formula for many of the Angkorian period temples including Angkor Wat.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEist5SMEncLwouEOfCAW1Gb3jSNQdy9hvdK_PUyXeylIr0i28oTIIunVUp_-OBLWsg1hK_m6-s3rLuVvGU_-zWcNmNFt3dX4Iqi7G4ZvTnzyzIo-UFmjJ8asg_HUYlY6UGulfcCkdwbdGAM/s1600/angkor+thom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEist5SMEncLwouEOfCAW1Gb3jSNQdy9hvdK_PUyXeylIr0i28oTIIunVUp_-OBLWsg1hK_m6-s3rLuVvGU_-zWcNmNFt3dX4Iqi7G4ZvTnzyzIo-UFmjJ8asg_HUYlY6UGulfcCkdwbdGAM/s1600/angkor+thom.jpg" /></a></div> <b>Angkor Thom </b><br /> Constructed: Late 12th - Early 13th century C.E. Religion: Buddhism<br /> King/Patron: Jayavarman VII Style: Bayon Angkor Thom (Big Angkor) is a 3km2 walled and moated royal city and was the last capital of the Angkorian empire. After Jayavarman VII recaptured the Angkorian capital from the Cham invaders in 1181, he began a massive building campaign across the empire, constructing Angkor Thom as his new capital city. He began with existing structures such as Baphuon and<br /> Phimeanakas and built a grand enclosed city around them, adding the outer wall/moat. He then constructed some of Angkor's greatest temples including his state-temple, Bayon, set at the center of the city. There are five entrances (gates) to the city, one for each cardinal point, and the victory gate leading to the Royal Palace area. Each gate is crowned with 4 giant faces. The South Gate is often the first stop on a tour.<br /> <br /> <b>Angkor Wat</b><br /> Constructed: Early - Mid 12th century C.E. Religion: Hinduism<br /> King/Patron: Suryavarman II Style: Angkor Wat<br /> Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. Angkor Wat is the centerpiece of any visit to the temples of Angkor. At the apex of Khmer political and military dominance in the region, Suryavarman II constructed Angkor Wat in the form of a massive 'temple-mountain' dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. It served as his state temple, though the temple’s uncommon westward orientation has led some to suggest that it was constructed as Suryavarman II’s funerary temple. Other temples of the same style and period include Thommanon, Banteay Samre, Wat Atwea and Beng Melea, which may have served as a prototype to Angkor Wat.<br /> Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall measuring 1300 meters x 1500 meters. The temple itself is 1 km square and consists of three levels surmounted by a central tower. The walls of the temple are covered inside and out with bas-reliefs and carvings. Nearly 2000 distinctively rendered apsara carvings adorn the walls throughout the temple and represent some of the finest examples of apsara carvings in Angkorian-era art. But it is the exterior walls of the lower level that display the most extraordinary bas-reliefs, depicting stories and characters from Hindu mythology and the historical wars of Suryavarman II. It is in the viewing of the bas-reliefs that a tour guide can be very helpful.<br /> The first level of is the most artistically interesting. Most visitors begin their exploration with the bas-reliefs that cover the exterior wall of the first level, following the bas-reliefs counterclockwise around the temple. Bas-relief highlights include the mythological Battle of Kuru on the west wall; the historical march of the army of Suryavarman II, builder of Angkor Wat, against the Cham, followed by scenes from Heaven and Hell on the south wall; and the classic ‘Churning of the Ocean Milk’ on the east wall. The temple interior is not as densely carved as the first level exterior, but still sports hundreds of fine carvings of apsaras and scenes from Hindu mythology. A guide can be quite helpful in explaining the stories of the various chambers, statues and architectural forms to be found in the interior. At the upper-most of your tour of the temple, the central tower on the third level houses four Buddha images, each facing a different cardinal point, highlighting the fact that though Angkor Wat was constructed as a Hindu temple, it has served as a Buddhist temple since Buddhism became Cambodia’s dominant religion in the 14th century. Some say that it is good luck to pay homage to all four Buddha images before departing Angkor. The northern reflecting pool in front of Angkor Wat is the most popular (and crowded) sunrise location. The sun rises behind Angkor Wat providing a silhouette of the temple’s distinctively shaped towers against a colored sky. Some of the best colors appear just before the sun breaks over the horizon. The visual impact of Angkor Wat, particularly on one's first visit, is awesome. As you pass through the outer gate and get your first glimpse, its size and architecture make it appear two dimensional, like a giant postcard photo against the sky. After you cross through the gate and approach the temple along the walkway it slowly gains depth and complexity. To maximize this effect you should make your first visit in optimal lighting conditions, after 2:00PM when the sun is on the face of the temple. Do not make your first visit to Angkor Wat in the morning when the back lighting obscures the view.

Photo Gallery Siem Reap Tourism site What to see & do Guide to the Temples

Guide to the Temples Ak Yom  Constructed: Late 8th - Early 11th century C.E. Religion: Hindu (Shiva) King/Patron: The historically impo...

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Ancient Temple

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Photo Gallery</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Constructed: Mid 12th - Early 13th century C.E. Religion: Buddhist King/Patron: Jayavarman VII Style: Bayon Of similar design to the later Jayavarman VII temples of Preah Khan and Banteay Kdei, this sprawling monastic complex is only partially cleared of jungle overgrowth.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Intentionally left partially unrestored, massive fig and silk-cotton trees</div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H8tjYgZzedIE5ULxBJ-cKjFzmuhsU8qQ2sbwCVda2M6tskpjEVHk7W2Nv6qxZjHMJjP9BWQFTxechL9pJdEXjC1RBArxE-ONHR2jfzz2K0iiK-qkQ_C0NbDhcnXSJQqtINQ5HAEwYE3p/s1600/taprohm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H8tjYgZzedIE5ULxBJ-cKjFzmuhsU8qQ2sbwCVda2M6tskpjEVHk7W2Nv6qxZjHMJjP9BWQFTxechL9pJdEXjC1RBArxE-ONHR2jfzz2K0iiK-qkQ_C0NbDhcnXSJQqtINQ5HAEwYE3p/s400/taprohm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> grow from the towers and corridors offering a ‘jungle atmosphere’ and some of the best ‘tree-in-temple’ photo opportunities at Angkor. Ta Prohm is well worth an extended exploration of its dark corridors and open plazas. This temple was one of Jayavarman VII's first major temple projects. Ta Prohm was dedicated to his mother. (Preah Khan, built shortlyin the same general style, was dedicated to Jayavarman VII’s father.) Ta Prohm was originally constructed as a Buddhist monastery and was enormously wealthy in its time, boasting of control over 3000 villages, thousands of support staff and vast stores of jewels and gold. Of the monastic complex style temples, Ta Prohm is a superior example and should be included in almost any temple itinerary.</div> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Barays </b></span><br /> A ‘baray’ is a water reservoir - an area of land where dikes have been raised to catch and hold water. Beginning in the 9th century, the construction of massive barays and other such grand projects became one of the marks of Angkorian kingship. There are four major barays in the area. When the barays were constructed, an island temple was set at the center of each. The first major baray to be constructed was Indratataka by Yasovarman I, measuring 3.8km x 880m and completed in 889AD when the capital was still at Hariharalaya near Roluos. Lolei (Roluos Group) sat on an island in the middle. Construction of the second major baray, the East Baray (Yashodharatataka,) began almost immediately after. At 7.8km x 880m it was almost five times larger than the Indratataka. Almost 50 years later, the temple East Mebon was constructed on an island in the center. The third and largest baray (8km x 2.2km) is the West Baray built in the early 11th century. Unlike the others, the West Baray is still partially filled, creating a sizable lake. The temple ruins of West Mebon sit on an artificial island at the center of the baray (requiring a short boat ride to visit.)<br /> The last baray (Jayatataka) was constructed by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. It is considered to be the baray of Preah Khan though it is Neak Pean that actually sits at the center. The function of barays is a matter of academic debate. Some argued the barays did not serve an agricultural purpose but were maintained solely for political/religious reasons. Conventional wisdom has it that the barays were part of a giant waterworks used to irrigate the rice paddies and provide water for year round cultivation, though they certainly served a political and religious function as well.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bayon </b></span><br /> Constructed: Late 12th century C.E. Religion: Buddhist<br /> King/Patron: Jayavarman VII Style: Bayon<br /> If you see only two temples, Angkor Wat and Bayon should be the ones. The giant stone faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. There are 37 standing towers, most but not all sporting four carved faces oriented toward the cardinal points. Who the faces might represent is a matter of debate but it has been argued it may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva, or perhaps a combination of Buddha and Jayavarman VII. Bayon was the Jayavarman VII's state-temple and in many ways represents the pinnacle of his massive building campaign. It appears to be, and is to some degree, an architectural muddle, in part because it was constructed in a somewhat piecemeal fashion for over a century. The best of Bayon are the bas-reliefs on the exterior walls of the lower level and on the upper level where the stone faces reside. The bas-reliefs on the southern wall contain real-life scenes from the historical sea battle between the Khmer and the Cham. It is not clear whether this represents the Cham invasion of 1177AD or a later battle in which the Khmer were victorious. Even more interesting are extensive carvings of unique and revealing scenes of everyday life that are interspersed among the battle scenes, including market scenes, cockfighting, chess games and childbirth. Also note the unfinished carvings on other walls, likely indicating the death of Jayavarman VII and the subsequent end of his building campaign. Some of the reliefs on the inner walls were carved at a later date under the Hindu king Jayavarman VIII. The surrounding tall jungle makes Bayon a bit dark and flat for photographs near sunrise and sunset.<br /> <br />

Photo Gallery Siem Reap Tourism site Ancient Temple

Photo Gallery Constructed: Mid 12th - Early 13th century C.E. Religion: Buddhist King/Patron: Jayavarman VII Style: Bayon Of similar de...

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