Temple of Angkor Wat – Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia, is surrounded with bushy trees and a small moat covered with vibrant lake plants. Angkor Wat stands in the middle of a stone fence that surrounds each one of its sides. Amid the humid air and bright sunlight, you’re able to admire the temple’s exquisite architecture and detailed carvings. Angkor Wat has witnessed and transitioned from Hinduism to Buddhism, alongside the Khmer civilization.
The temple is located in Cambodia, more specifically in Angkor, the ancient capital city of the Khmer Empire in the Siem Reap province. Currently, it’s the country’s main tourist attraction and you can even find it in its flag.
Activity/Place Highlights
Structure and Design
The Angkor Wat temple is a three-level sandstone structure, and detailed sharp carvings decorate it. The top level gives the building its prominent shape, with a pointed tower at each corner. The main sanctuary, located in the middle, is 65 meters off the ground.
This temple has witnessed its fair share of history. Sometimes it’s even hard to think that this place was one of the few shelters left of the Khmer Rouge communist movement. That is until you notice the bullet marks on the stone. However, its carvings and galleries of bas-reliefs, which are actually the largest in the world, remain detailed and almost untouched, despite the additional erosion of 800 years.
In these walls, you can find scenes from the Mahabharata, the Hindu religious epic. Besides, you will find scenes of Khmer history, warnings about the tortures of hell, and celestial nymphs known as apsaras. The best time of the day to visit and admire these carvings is during the sunrise or the sunset. The golden sunlight seems to wake the smiling nymphs and bring them back to life.
Angkor Wat at Dawn
In particular, the top level of the temple seems specially made for the dawn. The towers transform into long fingers that stretch into the blue sky, and the bright sunshine illuminates subtle elements that are not visible otherwise. At this time is when you’ll see the most stunning apsaras in the central sanctuary, before they get hidden in the shadows after the sunrise.
Peace and Quiet
If you want to capture the moment the sun illuminates every detail of Angkor Wat, you can go to the north pool to take pictures among all the other visitors. But if you’re looking for peace and serenity, I recommend you to head to the main sanctuary in the top level. This place used to be for priests and the king only, but now you can have it all to yourself. That is if you get there early enough.
In order to get to there, you need to go up one of the flights of steep stairs on the side of the temple. As you make your way up, you realize it is a good representation of how burdensome the way to heaven is.
How to get there
You don’t have to worry about accommodation since Siem Reap offers many available options. You can choose from cheap guest houses to the exclusive Amansara Resort. The Angkor area is considerably spread out. However, good hotels organize car tours, and you can even rent bicycles and motorbikes, or take motorbike-taxis.
One way to visit the Angkor area is by plane. You can take a flight from Bangkok, Thailand or Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city, to get to the town of Siem Reap. You can also take a boat across the Tonle Sap lake. Even though the trip takes a day, it’s an interesting experience that you might want to live.
How long
You need to get tickets to the temple. There are one, three and seven day passes that can be bought. I suggest getting the three-day ticket since it will give you enough time to thoroughly visit the entire area. All you need is 50 bucks and a passport photograph.
History
King Suryavarman II built the temple in the 12th century, as his eventual mausoleum and representation of Mount Meru, the holy center of Hinduism. Besides, the king even devoted to the god Vishnu. Since its construction, people have come to pray in this intricate but beautiful spiritual building.
Even though it used to be a Hindu temple, the Khmer civilization changed beliefs by the end of the century. Therefore, so did Angkor Wat. Nowadays, it’s considered a Buddhist monastery and it remains as the largest religious monument in the world.
Other Nearby Attractions
The Bayon
At any rate, Angkor Wat is not the only attraction in the Angkor area. If you want to take advantage of your visit, you should head to the Bayon and Ta Prohm, which were built after the main temple. The Bayon is a little sanctuary surrounded and decorated with huge stone sculpted faces that remind you of Lord Buddha. This place is a perfect representation of the transition between Hinduism and Buddhism in the Khmer Empire.
Ta Prohm
On the other hand, Ta Prohm can even be considered ruins of a temple complex. Roots of bayan and kapok trees have already broken down and become one with the stonework on the building, giving a mysterious but enchanting look to it.
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