Angkor Temples

Angkor Wat

We started our day at Angkor Wat (Angkor's main temple build between 1113 and 1150. The temple is surrounded by a large moat, the towers are meant to represent Mount Meru, the center of the universe. The temple is well preserved compared to others in the area, largely because of its solid foundation, volcanic rock over tamped earth. The temple itself is that same volcanic rock, covered with sandstone, which is softer to carve. I was surprised how well preserved the bas-relief carvings are throughout. The temple faces west, such that the sun passes directly through the doors on the equinoxes. As you enter, the balustrades are in the form of a 7 headed snake, naga - a respected animal in both Hindu and Buddhist religions. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation and protection. The walls of the temple are carved with the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. . The most famous being the Churning of the Sea of Milk where good and evil are fighting for immortality.

We briefly visited a 5th grade class, school had just started for the year. The top students in each class also serve as teacher aides. The ages in this class were from ages 10-15.

Ta Prohm

Next we visited Ta Prohm, built in 1186 as a Buddhist temple. Here there was no volcanic stone foundation and the sandstone used was very porous so moss and trees have taken over the temple. Trees are only removed with great care, since the stone foundations easily fall with the trees. Afterwards we had a home hosted lunch. The 18 year old daughter who spoke some English served as our hostess. Her mother cooked the lunch, fish soup, chicken and cashews, curry fish, and vegetables and a sweet desert made from sticky rice flour with a sugar palm center, dusted with coconut. We learned how to make this desert.

The Faces of Bayon Temple

In the afternoon, we visited Angkor Thom, a 3x3 km. complex with 47 temples. The entrance has 54 asuras or demons on one side and 54 devas or gods on the other on the entrance rampart over a moat. We spent most of our time at the Bayon temple with its 216 stone faces. It is believed that the temple was gilded with gold. Here the carvings were historical in nature: battles between the Khmer, Vietnamese, and Chinese as well as scenes of cooking and fighting. We finished the tour at the Terrace of the Elephant, which was the facade for the royal palace. The palace itself was made of wood, so nothing remains.

Dinner included a shadow puppet show played by children from a local orphanage