2017-11 Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

Waiting for sunrise over Angkor Wat.

We boarded the bus this morning at 4:45 am in hopes of seeing a glorious sunrise at the Hindu temple complex of Angkor Wat. Surprisingly, we weren't the only ones queued for tickets at 5:15 am. Each of us needed to have our photos taken to be printed on our tickets. Then, we walked along the moat and found seats to wait for the sunrise behind the temples of Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, the clouds prevented any beautiful sunrise photos. However, we were able to get a photo of the temples reflected in the moat.

Walking toward the entrance of Angkor Wat

One of my misconceptions was that Angkor Wat is a Buddhist temple. We've seen so many Buddhist monks in Cambodia in their orange robes. However, in my few days in in the country, I've learned that the Khmer (what Cambodians call themselves) originally followed Hinduism. The Angkor Wat complex was built by the Khmer King Suryavarnam II, who reigned from 1113-1150 AD. Archeaologists and historians don't know exactly how long the temple took to build but use 37 years as an approximation, using the dates of Suryavarnam II's reign.

A lion sculpture used to stand on this pedestal at the entry gate

Giving up on sunrise, we walked across the moat on a floating bridge, which has only been in place for eight months as restoration work begins on the original bridge. The moat goes 5 km around Angkor Wat and was originally 1.5 meters deep. It is fed by both monsoon rains and the Siem Reap river, providing a first defense against any enemies.

Vishnu statue with 8 arms to protect from all 8 cardinal directions

At our first stop, our guide explained about the types of stone that Angkor Wat is built out of: sandstone and lava stone. The lava stone is porous and lighter. It was used for the bridge to the complex, as water could pass through it. The sandstone is quite heavy and came from 100 km away. One of the ways to transport it was to quarry it during dry season and leave it on a bamboo raft along the river bank. Then, when monsoon arrived, the river would flood and carry the sandstone to Angkor Wat. Other types of transportation for the stones included elephants and ox carts.

Dancing Apsara

What is really amazing to me is how much of the carvings, both bas reliefs and inscriptions into the stone, have survived all these years. Many statues have been stolen over the years; and, some are at the National Museum in Phnom Penh. Still, the amazing architecture and intricate decorations on the buildings remain. We saw a Vishnu statue and many, many dancing apsaras, in addition to bas reliefs adorning the walls. One section was a total of 900 meters, at a height of 3 meters, telling the story of Ramayana.

Bas relief sculpture of the story of Ramayana

At this point, we hadn't even passed the first wall of the complex; and, I was already very impressed! Our guide led us out to the main courtyard, pointing out a library on both sides of the stone sidewalk. The sidewalk had been built to slightly slope down from the center to both edges for rain to drain. Along the walkway, the railings were stones that were cut and fitted together.

Sidewalk stone railing

Still ahead of us, the three central towers of Angkor Wat rose. The entrance gate that we walked into was 35 meters high. The central tower of Angkor Wat is 65 meters high. Currently, there is a policy in Siem Reap that no one can build any building higher than 65 meters, leaving this tower to soar alone among the trees.

The three main towers still seem a long way away

Which brings us to an important point: there is no signage anywhere within Angkor Wat. I saw one total sign about a restoration project going on in one of the library buildings. The best way to enjoy this large complex is to hire a guide to explain it all. Our guide provided us with lots of information; and, I fear that I didn't catch half of it!

One of four water reservoirs

Once inside the largest building, we walked among the four water reservoirs, one at each direction (north, south, east west). The walkway between the water reservoirs represented the center of the universe. In order to keep the temple in balance, different reservoirs would be filled or drained throughout the year. In addition, the water kept in these reservoirs was thought to have medicinal properties.

View from the central tower

Now, it was time to summit the large tower. We queued to get a chance to climb the steep wooden steps that cover the original, narrow stone steps, which our tour guide said that people used to crawl up. The views from the top were spectacular!

View from the central tower

Quick Notes:
- go early (yes, pre-sunrise early)
- you'll need a guide because there is no information posted around the temple
- no limit on number of visitors per day, so it gets busy
- keep careful track of your pass -- even a tear in your pass will require that you purchase a new pass. We had to show our passes a couple times throughout our visit. This is the same pass that you'll use for the other temple complexes in the area.
- different pass options: 1 day, 3 day, 7 day

2017-10 National Museum of Cambodia

5th century AD stelae carved in Sanskrit and Old Khmer

The National Museum in Phnom Penh has quite a variety of artifacts on display. Even better, it has great informational cards in English with lots of background. Our guide kept telling us that the Khmer people had an empire long before the Thais or Laos, an empire that stretched from Burma to China. The pieces in the museum dated from the 5th century AD, including an stelae inscribed in both Sanskrit and Old Khmer languages.

Vishnu sculpture from 6th century AD, pre-Angkorian period

Reclining Vishnu from the 11th century (Angkorian period)

Which brings us to an interesting point: the Khmer (or, at least their kings) followed Hinduism. Thus the use of Sanskrit on inscriptions and the plethora of Hindu gods in their art. However, at the same time, the Khmer people (and their kings) also followed Buddhism. I’m not well-versed in either; however, sufficeth to say, there are also lots of Buddhas in their sculpture and art.

Buddha seated on naga, the seven-headed snake, 11th century

At the museum, the sculptures that caught my eye were those of Vishnu (Hindu) and the Buddha on “naga”, the seven-headed snake. There was also a very human statue of Jayarvanam VII, who embraced Buddhism completely. Instead of looking like a stylized or perfect royalty, this sculpture looks like an actual person.  We would visit two of his temples in Siem Reap: Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple) and Angkor Thom.

Jayarvanam VII, Angkorian period, turn of century (12th-13th)

In another room, there were detailed paintings of the Hindu Ramayana story. These intricately detailed panels tell the story that the Khmer call Reamker. Another room held an an entire collection of wooden Buddhas. (We were not allowed to photograph this room). There were also pottery and bronze items in other rooms and halls. Plus, there are some items from the previous Cambodia royalty, such as palanquins used to carry royalty. All in all, a very interesting museum.

Panel from Reamker, early 1900s