31 January 2024
Ask any seasoned traveller what their top must-see destinations on their bucket list are and, in all likelihood, they will include at least some, if not all, of what is commonly recognized as the seven greatest wonders of the world: the Giza Pyramids, Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, the Roman Colosseum, Taj Mahal, Petra and…. Angkor Wat.
I have not been to them all, far from it, but I doubt that any of them will be able to match the feeling of my first glimpse of Angkor Wat. Surrounded by a vast moat, the temple must be one of the most inspired monuments ever conceived by the human mind. Yet it is only one temple among a hundred others in t
his vast complex, even though it is without doubt the most majestic awe-inspiring.
The city of Angkor served as the royal centre from which a dynasty of Khmer kings ruled one of the largest, most prosperous, and most sophisticated kingdoms in the history of Southeast Asia. From the last decade of the 9th century until the early years of the 13th century, the kings of Angkor ruled over a territory that extended from the tip of the Indochinese Peninsula northward to modern Yunnan province, China, and from Vietnam westward toward the Bay of Bengal.
During this entire period, these rulers utilized the vast resources of labour and wealth at their disposal to carry out a series of prodigious construction projects designed to glorify both themselves, their gods, and their capital city.
After the reign of King Jayavarman VII (1181–c. 1220), the power and vitality of the kingdom gradually waned. Finally, after the armies of the Tai state of Ayutthaya captured and sacked Angkor in 1431, the city was finally abandoned, and all that remained were the jungle-covered remnants of the ancient temples and the ruins of the once-magnificent system of reservoirs and waterways.
During the more than four centuries between the demise of the ancient city and the beginning of the modern period (i.e., mid-15th to-late-19th century), interest in Angkor was largely focused on Angkor Wat, which, having been taken over and kept largely intact by Theravada Buddhist monks, became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Southeast Asia.
Even during this period, however, a number of early European visitors to Cambodia showed a strong curiosity concerning the “lost city,” and, when the French colonial regime was established (1863), a group of French archaeologists and philologists initiated a comprehensive program of research, which yielded much of the knowledge now possessed about the history of the city. They also carried through out an arduous and painstaking program of reconstruction, through which the ancient complex of temples, reservoirs, and canals was partially restored.
Angkor was a centre for administration and for the worship of a divine monarch. The city was planned and constructed on the basis of religious and political conceptions imported from India and adapted to local traditions. From the time of Yashovarman I, Angkor was conceived as a symbolic universe structured according to the model provided by traditional Indian (Hindu) cosmology.
The city was oriented around a central mountain or pyramid temple (symbolic of Mount Meru, home of the gods) that was an architectural adaptation and completion of the one natural hill in the area, the Phnom Bakheng. In a similar manner, the central structure of each temple reflected the position of Mount Meru. The outer walls of each temple recalled the mountains that were believed to ring the edge of the cosmos, or world. The vast system of reservoirs, canals, and moats, which was one of the most notable features of Angkor, served primarily as a means of water control and rice irrigation, although it also represented the waters of the cosmos.
In the later history of the city, the central temples were completely architectural creations (i.e., pyramid temples), such as the Phimeanakas of Suryavarman I (reigned c. 1000–50) and the Buddhist temple of Bayon, which was the central temple built by Jayavarman VII when he gave the city, which was later known as Angkor Thom, or “Great City,” its more or less final form.
Many of the temples at Angkor were built in order to provide a locus for cults through which kings and other members of the royal family could be assured of immortality by becoming identified with Shiva or one of the other preeminent gods of the realm.
For example, Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II (r 1112–52) as a vast funerary temple within which his remains were to be deposited, thus symbolically confirming his permanent identity with Vishnu. Unfortunately, he was never buried there as he died in battle during a failed expedition to subdue the Dai Viet (Vietnamese).
The ultimate statement of Khmer architectural ingenuity, Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world and the perfect blend of symbolism and symmetry. Almost every inch of this immense complex is covered with intricate carvings and motifs. For example, inside the third enclosure at Angkor Wat are bas-reliefs running for hundreds of yards that depict scenes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, as well as a scene of Suryavarman holding court.
Hundreds of statues of apsaras (angelic dancers) also adorn the temple. Angkor Wat is also famous for having more than 3000 beguiling apsaras (heavenly nymphs) carved into its walls. Each of them is unique, and there are 37 different hairstyles for budding stylists to check out!
The sandstone blocks from which Angkor Wat was built were quarried from the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen, more than 50km (31mi) away, and floated down the Siem Reap River on rafts. The logistics of such an operation are mind-blowing, consuming the labour of thousands. According to inscriptions, the construction of Angkor Wat involved 300,000 workers and 6000 elephants. It was never fully completed.
The temple is the heart and soul of Cambodia and a source of fierce national pride. Unlike the other Angkor monuments, it was never abandoned to the elements and has been in virtually continuous use since it was built.
We only spent one day at Angkor, a week would be needed to see everything. Planning a visit to Angkor will always require you to make choices, the area is simply too large, the ancient sites too numerous, your day too short. You can of course return another time.
We focused on the so-called “short-circuit”, including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm (our favourite temple, also known because of its connection with “Tomb Rider” films).
We actually started the circuit in reverse, to avoid the morning crowds at Angkor Wat and it worked out very well, avoiding the big crowds, even though it was a very hot afternoon to walk around such a vast complex as Angkor Wat.
In addition, we were also able to visit some other temples and sites in that time - Preah Khan Temple, Banteay Kdei, Srah Srang (a man-made lake), three gates (South, Victory and East), Bayon Temple, the Terraces of the Elephants and Leper King, Phimeanakas (Royal Palace) and finished with Phnom Bakheng at sunset. We were very satisfied with our guide, who was very knowledgeable; a guide is really indispensable if one wants to understand why and how these temples were built.
Travelling back to Siem Reap that evening at dusk, our heads were full of images of these incredible remnants of a long lost civilization that both inspired and humbled us.
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