1. Angkor Wat History lesson written with the help of Wikipedia!
Angkor Wat is a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863.
The monument was made out of enormous amounts of sandstone that had to be transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 25 miles (40 km) to the northeast. The stone was presumably transported by raft along the Siem Reap river. This would have to have been done with care to avoid overturning the rafts with such a large amount of weight. According to our guide they used 385 635 workers, 2000 sculptors, 700 rafts and 4000 elephants to build the temple!
Angkor Wat lies 5.5 km north of the modern town of Siem Reap. It was built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. This temple is the best preserved at the site. it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. They are normally build facing east! Angkor Wat gradually moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. It is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle. This is important as you will see in the pictures of the other temple where the trees have taken over!
Some of the first visitors to this temple have commented on it's beauty and grandeur....
"it is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of."
" It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome"
2. The Bayon temple was our second stop. It was build by another kind and came after Angkor Wat. Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century it stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. The interesting thing about this temple was it's large stone faces and the mixture of Buddhist and Hindu symbolism. After the King's death, his successors modified the symbols in accordance with their own religious beliefs. The Bayon's most distinctive feature are the huge stone faces. The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes.
3. Ta Prohm - Where they filmed tomb raider.
After the fall of the Khmer empire in the 15th century, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found. This means there are trees growing around and on top of the temple ruins. This is a spectacular sight and I just couldn't stop taking pictures! When conservation efforts began in the early 20th century a decision was made to leave this one alone as a a "concession to the general taste for the picturesque" Good call folks! This is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. Ta Prohm was singled out because it was "one of the most imposing [temples] and the one which had best merged with the jungle, but not yet to the point of becoming a part of it".[5] Nevertheless, much work has been done to stabilize the ruins, to permit access, and to maintain "this condition of apparent neglect.
Please note, Wikipedia gets credit for all of this, which is largely a copy paste job... I couldn't keep it all straight in my head, thanks Wikipedia, credit where credit is due.
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Location:Siem Reap, Cambodia
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