Temple Tours Here is Part 1
Angkor Wat
The first temple I went to was the world famous Angkor Wat. The complex is really huge and surrounded by a man made water ditch. You have to cross a stone bridge and pass through the entrance which itself is grand to get into the complex. The temples are in the center. you will have to walk a bit to reach them , the complex is that big.
One reason you should better avoid tours is that you travel on schedule. You can arrange a time to be picked up with your Tuk-Tuk driver, but it's not so great if you miscalculate the time needed. I had 2 hours to see Angkor Wat, but I really could have spent more time here. But it was enough for a first look. I've visited Angkor 3 times in total during my stay. At noon, sunset and sunrise. You should definitely watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. If there is a sunrise to be watched then it's here. It's totally worth the early wake up. The sun rises directly behind Angkor Wat. Therefore it's the time to be there.
Angkor Wat closes around 6 pm when it starts to get dark, so you can't enter the temples at that time. The sunset is not as impressive as the sunrise, as the sun sets opposite to Angkor Wat. If you can manage to get to the other side of the temple you might see the sun going down behind the temple.
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One tip if you want to see the sunrise. When I went there it already got quite bright while I was on my way. When I was at the temple I thought I had missed it, that's how bright it already was. There were even people returning disappointed, as they had not seen what they hoped for. But luckily there are people who know it better. Most of them Japanese tourists, fully equipped to get the perfect shot. It takes time for the sun to appear behind the temple, as it's quite high. So don't worry if you start to think that you might have missed the spectacle. Wait till the sun starts to come up behind the temples and you'll see the morning red.
Videos
Pictures
Wiki
Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត) is the largest Hindu at first, then Buddhist temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, then Buddhist.[citation needed] The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia,[1] appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian Architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (नगर).[2] Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds", derived from the Pali word "vatta" (वत्त).[3] Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok (Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit), after the posthumous title of its founder.
Here a Documentary about Angkor Wat
Angkor Thom
The next temple complex on the list was Angkor Thom. That's the one with the many where you'll see the famous Bayon Temple. That's the one with the many stone faces.
Be careful when you visit temples. There are people who will try to guide
you. When I entered Angkor Thom I met a Cambodian who told me that he's
studying English at University. Thinking that we were just conversing I
walked a bit with him. Soon, but too late, I realized that he was
giving me a guided tour. It wasn't what I asked for but I couldn't tell
him to leave me alone. At the end I gave him 5 dollars, as it did not
feel right to chase him away. There are few more temples around Bayon Temple
which are not as known but really worth a look.
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You can see lot's of wild monkeys walking around Ta Prohm. These monkeys are used to humans but still wild, so be careful if you want to feed them.
Most of these "tour guides" are no official guides. They are average Cambodians with some knowledge. no guarantee if what they tell you is right or not.
Wiki
Angkor Thom (Khmer: អង្គរធំ; literally: "Great City"), located in present day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north.
Angkor Thom was established as the capital of Jayavarman VII's empire, and was the centre of his massive building programme. One inscription found in the city refers to Jayavarman as the groom and the city as his bride.
Angkor Thom seems not to be the first Khmer capital on the site, however. Yasodharapura, dating from three centuries earlier, was centred slightly further northwest, and Angkor Thom overlapped parts of it. The most notable earlier temples within the city are the former state temple of Baphuon, and Phimeanakas, which was incorporated into the Royal Palace. The Khmers did not draw any clear distinctions between Angkor Thom and Yashodharapura: even in the fourteenth century an inscription used the earlier name.The name of Angkor Thom—great city—was in use from the 16th century.
The last temple known to have been constructed in Angkor Thom was Mangalartha, which was dedicated in 1295. Thereafter the existing structures continued to be modified from time to time, but any new creations were in perishable materials and have not survived. In the following centuries Angkor Thom remained the capital of a kingdom in decline until it was abandoned some time prior to 1609, when an early western visitor wrote of an uninhabited city, "as fantastic as the Atlantis of Plato" which some thought to have been built by the Roman emperor Trajan. It is believed to have sustained a population of 80,000–150,000 people.
Ta Prohm
The last one in the small circuit is Ta Prohm. It's a bit farther away than Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom but still easy to reach with a bicycle. This is the temple I actually liked the most. This temple was left in a more natural state, meaning that the trees that have grown on the temple walls over the last hundreds of years have been left the way they were found. It's in the middle of the jungle, with these huge trees growing on top of the ruins. This gives this temple a special charm. You might know the temple from the movie Tomb Raider.
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Wiki
Ta Prohm (Khmer: ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara (in Khmer: រាជវិហារ). Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992. Today, it is one of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region. The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is a partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap).
Foundation and expansion. In 562 A.D., Jayavarman VII embarked on a massive program of construction and public works. Rajavihara ("monestary of the king"), today known as Ta Prohm ("ancestor Brahma"), was one of the first temples founded pursuant to that program. The stele commemorating the foundation gives a date of 562 A.D. Jayavarman VII constructed Rajavihara in honor of his family. The temple's main image, representing Prajnaparamita, the personification of wisdom, was modelled on the king's mother. The northern and southern satellite temples in the third enclosure were dedicated to the king's guru and his elder brother respectively. As such, Ta Prohm formed a complementary pair with the temple monastery of Preah Khan, dedicated in 1191 A.D., the main image of which represented the Bodhisattva of compassion Lokesvara and was modelled on the king's father. The temple's stele records that the site was home to more than 12,500 people (including 18 high priests and 615 dancers), with an additional 800,000 souls in the surrounding villages working to provide services and supplies. The stele also notes that the temple amassed considerable riches, including gold, pearls and silks. Expansions and additions to Ta Prohm continued as late as the rule of Srindravarman at the end of the 15th century.
When visiting the temples there will be many merchants trying to sell you souvenirs. Many of them are young children about 10 years at most. The more temples I visited the younger the merchants seemed to become. I had the Idea that the children were being exploited by their parents to make the money for them, as tourists are more likely to buy from a young girl then from a grown up man. The following days there were no children at the temples and I wondered why. Well the answer was straightforward. The children were at school. My first two days in Cambodia had been a weekend. I was glad when I realized that. And the same day I came across a school full of children. I learned that schools in Cambodia are for free for every child, however, they need to have a school uniform, otherwise they are not allowed to attend the lectures. These uniforms they have to buy for themselves, they are not provided by the state, and for an average Cambodian family they are quite expensive. So you see, when you come across a child who tries to sell you something and tells you that it needs the money for school, then it hasn't got to be a lie. Of course, there might be some black sheep among them. Some might see this as child labor, but this is more comparable to our kids delivering newspapers and getting some extra pocket money. After all, they do not work in mines as in India.
This link leads to Part 4
Part 3 will be revised!
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