Angkor Thom is near the better-known Angkor Wat and almost as impressive. The complex was built as a royal city.The Philadephia Inquirer
Sun, Jan. 20, 2008
SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Frequent travelers call it "temple fatigue," the wave of exhaustion that sets in when you've seen one (or five) ruins too many.
It comes with the territory here. Not only is Siem Reap home to Angkor Wat, one of the world's largest religious monuments; the area also houses more than 300 other monuments, all beautiful and significant, in various stages of decay. If you take in too many at once, even the most intricate carvings can seem mundane.
But there's nothing like immersion to understand the complex history of the Khmer people. At one time, their empire spread from modern-day India to Vietnam, encompassing both Buddhist and Hindu faiths. One king, Jayavarman VII, commissioned hundreds of stone structures throughout the country, all within 30 years (although Angkor Wat, which graces Cambodia's flag and currency, was built by a predecessor, Suryavarman II).
So even if your feet hurt, your shirt is damp with sweat, and you feel you never want to see another temple again, somehow you need to find the energy to visit just one more.
Here are a few of the must-see sites at Siem Reap, all covered by a $40 three-day pass:
Angkor Wat. The early-12th-century structure is as immense and awe-inspiring as it looks in pictures. Both a capital and a temple honoring the Hindu god Vishnu, Angkor Wat is too large to take in all at once. We toured in the morning, avoiding the crowds, and then returned at dusk to see the iconic three stone towers bathed in golden-hour light. Definitely a See-You-Before-You-Die sight.
Angkor Thom. Just up the road from Angkor Wat and built almost a century later, Angkor Thom is almost as impressive. A former royal city, the Angkor Thom complex is most famous for the Bayon, a Buddhist temple that features enormous faces carved from stone. There are plenty of other monuments here, too; we especially liked the South Gate, with a row of stone angels and demons holding a large naga (snake) on either side of the road.
Ta Prohm. If you've seen Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, you're familier with Ta Prohm, also known as the "jungle temple." Here you can see what happens when nature goes unchecked: Huge trees have engulfed the buildings and crushed the walls with their roots. Despite the crowds, it's an otherworldly sight and eerily romantic; Don and I both picked this one as our favorite.
Banteay Srei. Off the beaten path in the countryside, Banteay Srei is the oldest of the temples we visited (one guidebook placed its consecration date at 967 A.D.). It was also tinier and perhaps the most beautiful, because of the intricate carvings of Aspara dancers and Hindu gods. We particularly loved how the red sandstone appeared pink in the morning light.
- Chris Gray
Sun, Jan. 20, 2008
SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Frequent travelers call it "temple fatigue," the wave of exhaustion that sets in when you've seen one (or five) ruins too many.
It comes with the territory here. Not only is Siem Reap home to Angkor Wat, one of the world's largest religious monuments; the area also houses more than 300 other monuments, all beautiful and significant, in various stages of decay. If you take in too many at once, even the most intricate carvings can seem mundane.
But there's nothing like immersion to understand the complex history of the Khmer people. At one time, their empire spread from modern-day India to Vietnam, encompassing both Buddhist and Hindu faiths. One king, Jayavarman VII, commissioned hundreds of stone structures throughout the country, all within 30 years (although Angkor Wat, which graces Cambodia's flag and currency, was built by a predecessor, Suryavarman II).
So even if your feet hurt, your shirt is damp with sweat, and you feel you never want to see another temple again, somehow you need to find the energy to visit just one more.
Here are a few of the must-see sites at Siem Reap, all covered by a $40 three-day pass:
Angkor Wat. The early-12th-century structure is as immense and awe-inspiring as it looks in pictures. Both a capital and a temple honoring the Hindu god Vishnu, Angkor Wat is too large to take in all at once. We toured in the morning, avoiding the crowds, and then returned at dusk to see the iconic three stone towers bathed in golden-hour light. Definitely a See-You-Before-You-Die sight.
Angkor Thom. Just up the road from Angkor Wat and built almost a century later, Angkor Thom is almost as impressive. A former royal city, the Angkor Thom complex is most famous for the Bayon, a Buddhist temple that features enormous faces carved from stone. There are plenty of other monuments here, too; we especially liked the South Gate, with a row of stone angels and demons holding a large naga (snake) on either side of the road.
Ta Prohm. If you've seen Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, you're familier with Ta Prohm, also known as the "jungle temple." Here you can see what happens when nature goes unchecked: Huge trees have engulfed the buildings and crushed the walls with their roots. Despite the crowds, it's an otherworldly sight and eerily romantic; Don and I both picked this one as our favorite.
Banteay Srei. Off the beaten path in the countryside, Banteay Srei is the oldest of the temples we visited (one guidebook placed its consecration date at 967 A.D.). It was also tinier and perhaps the most beautiful, because of the intricate carvings of Aspara dancers and Hindu gods. We particularly loved how the red sandstone appeared pink in the morning light.
- Chris Gray
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