This post is the second half of a busy day at Angkor in Cambodia and our visit to the famous Angkor Wat. Built by Khmer King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is the largest religious site in the world. But first, we went to lunch. After lunch we came back to our hotel for a siesta and a swim. Nice & necessary, as the sweltering heat is exhausting. (And at this point my battery needed a charge.) Here’s a taste…

Back on the bus, we went to the namesake, the star of the show, Angkor Wat. Dating back to the 12th century, Angkor Wat has a long history. Originally built as a Hindu temple complex, it became a Buddhist temple complex, and represents both religions spectacularly. While it was never lost and thus was not really discovered, Frenchman Henri Mouhot made Angkor famous. After the rule of Pol Pot‘s Khmer Rouge, since peace treaties and the take over of Hun Sen and the Cambodian People’s Party, in the last 20 years tourism to Angkor has grown enormously. While that might not be great for the site nor the environment, it has been very good for the local economy. Anyway, some pix of Angkor Wat…

This set of pix shows the moat, the monastery, the entrance, and the first part of the interior. There’s one of a big bullet or mortar blast from a battle during the relatively recent Cambodian civil war.

There are several long and detailed bas relief friezes that depict tales from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Here is just a sampling (some of the darker spots are where people used to be able to touch the walls and they usually depict key parts of the stories. These relief sculptures alone are incredible. The vast artistry and the pictorial storytelling are breathtaking…

These pix are from the interior, the second level, and waiting in line to go to the third level (and there may be a couple from the top, third level)…

Most of this next set of pix are from the top or third level. Here one is closest to the five towers (a quincunx!) that adorn the center of the temple complex.

More…

This set of pix is walking out the back entrance to (or exit from) Angkor Wat. The sun was setting through the jungle and over the massive moat that surrounds the complex…

That night we saw a tradition Cambodian dance during dinner and there’s one pic of a nearby shop…

 

Clips of one Angkor Wat bas relief frieze and the walk back…

 

Study Questions:

1. Research Angkor Wat. Give a quantitative description (sizes, lengths, weights, numbers, etc.).
2. Research King Suryavarman II. How did he come to build Angkor Wat?
3. Research the entire area. How many temples are there, etc…
4. Research Cambodian food. What is unique, tasty, and worth a bite?