A week in Cambodia -11/18/2023-11/24/2023

Siam Reap-11/23/2023

Day 6- Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat complex is a vast religious complex comprising of more than a thousand buildings, and it is one of the great cultural wonders of the world. Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious structure, covering some 400 acres and marks the high point of Khmer architecture. Built in the first half of the 12th century by King Suryavarman II (reigned 1113–c. 1150) as a spiritual home for the Hindu god Vishnu.

Though just one of hundreds of surviving temples and structures, the massive Angkor Wat is the most famous of all Cambodia’s temples and appears on the nation’s flag. The temple is an architectural triumph laden with artistic treasures like the bas-relief galleries that lined many walls and tell enduring tales of Cambodian history and legend.  Unlike many historical sites, Angkor Wat was never truly abandoned, it actually fell gradually into disuse and disrepair and remained a unique architectural marvel in the world.  It was “rediscovered” in 1840s by the French explorer Henri Mouhot, who wrote that the site was “grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome.”

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 Entry and exit to Angkor Wat can only be accessed from its west gate.

The west entrance begins with steps leading to a raised sandstone terrace in the shape of a cross at the foot of the long causeway.

Looking straight ahead, one can see at the end of the causeway, the entry gate with three towers of varying heights and with collapsed upper portion.

Hallway  with baluster windows inside the corridor.

Closer view of the baluster windows.

Aspara (voluptuous women that inhabited the heavens) carving at the entrance.

Undoubtedly, one of the most celebrated features of Angkor Wat is the incredible bas-relief friezes that line the inner walls of the outer gallery.

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Battle of Kurukshetra located in the South Wing of West Gallery.

The story is coming from the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The Kauravas are advancing from the left and the Pandavas from the right both heading to their mutual destruction..

Our tour guide joked that Louis Vuitton stole the design of the flower logo from Angkor Wat.

Raging battle depiction of a fight between the Kaurava and Pandava armies.   The Kaurava warriors are moving from left to right, and then Pandava warriors are from right to left.  The commanders are on the chariots.

The interior is very well preserved.

Bas Relief Galleries offers a glimpse of the day to day life during the heyday of the Khmer civilization through its intricate carved numerous bas reliefs carves on its galleries depicting scenes bases mostly on Hindu epics, Rayamyana and Mahabharate, and ancient Hindu texts. 

The reliefs sculpted on the western section of this southern galley commemorate a series of historical events from the reign of King Suryavarman II, the founder of Angkor Wat in the 12th century.

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 As the brief inscription engraves next to the image of Suryavarman II identifies this King by this posthumous name.  Paramavishnuloka, the reliefs themselves are thought to have been sculpted shorty after his death.

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Galleries full of amazing bas reliefs.

The bas reliefs sculpted shows an army commander standing majestically over an elephant.  He is holding a shield with left hand and an unknown object with his right hand.

The Gallery of Bas-reliefs, surrounding the first level of Angkor Wat, contains 12,917 square feet of sandstone carvings.

The bas reliefs sculpted on the eastern section of this southern galley represent the 37 Heavens and the 32 Hells derived from Indian traditions.

The bottom portion is hell and as you can see the punishment of sinners is gory and elaborate.

This is the upper lever

The middle portion depicts the bhoomi (earth)

Yama's court on the South Gallery.  In Hindu mythology, Yama is of the Ashta Dikpalas (guarding of the eight directions) and is responsible for guarding the South which makes him the lord of the south. 

The relief covers most of the inner wall of all four sides of the gallery and extend to seven feet from top to bottom.

Churning of the Sea of Milk in the South Wing of East Gallery.

The classic of Hindu mythology, showing Vishnu atop a tortoise with 92 asuras on the left and 88 devas on the right using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea in a great battle to release the elixir of life.

Closer view of the Churning of the Sea of Milk carvings.

The outer gallery leading to the main temple.

The layout of courtyards, galleries, and towers facilitates the flow of visitors and provides designated spaces for different activities, such as prayer or ceremonial processions.

The sandstone blocks from which Angkor Wat was built were quarried from the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen, more than 31miles away, and floated down the Siem Reap River on rafts. The logistics of such an operation are mind-blowing, consuming the labor of thousands. According to inscriptions, the construction of Angkor Wat involved 300,000 workers and 6000 elephants.

Causeway leading to the five sandstone towers that rise above the temple enclosures.

Closer view of the main central towers.

The central tower representing the mythical Mount Meru, the center of the Hindu universe and home of the god Brahma and the Devas, and the surrounding four its smaller peaks.

Stairways leading to one of the 4 corner towers.

Wooden staircase in the Middle galleries.

Wooden staircase leading to the North Library.

Going up the stairs...

The library is totally in ruins.

I am sitting on the second floor of the outer terrace of the library.

Hoa did not want to go up so he stays in the courtyard.

The whole group in front of the library.

Next...Angkor Wat Continuation