My Visit to Angkor

I have just returned from a short (essentially 3 day) trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to view the ancient temples of the Khmer Empire and the fabled towers of Angkor Wat. In recalling this visit, three main images spring to mind:

• the spanking new airport building
• the Apsara dancer
• the face of Buddha

These images tell a lot of the story of the Khmer monuments at Angkor. The story of how these buildings came about, the different religious beliefs of the Kings who built them, the times they lived through. Also, the story of how these historical monuments were re-discovered and restored for the world to become major tourist attraction for Cambodia, and the impact of the tourist industry on Siem Reap. But all this is against the backdrop of the history of modern Cambodia, in particular, of the human tragedies which took place during the Pol Pot regime.

The story I want to tell is just of my own short visit here. Over the past few days, we have visited towering temples and smaller shrines. We have sailed on the Tonle Sap lake, driven around the Cambodian countryside and bargained in its old market. I knew that there was more to see in Siem Reap than just Angkor Wat. But it was a real revelation to find out just how many temples there actually were! It was also amazing to find out that they had been preserved for so long (for some, more than 1000 years) and in such (relatively speaking) good condition. To start off, here is the list of temples seen/visited (in order of visit) (and remember this is just a subset of all the temples there are):

Day 1

Banteay Srei (built around 967 - 1000)

Pre Rup (944-968)

Banteay Kdei

Prasat Kravan

Day 2
Angkor Thom (1181-1243 - same time as Bayon)

Bayon (1181-1243)

Bapuon (1050-1080)

The Royal Palace (968-1010)

Elephant Terrace (1181-1243 - same time as Bayon)

Terrace of the Leper King (1243-onwards)

Khleangs (968-1010)

Ta Prohm (1181-1243 - same time as Bayon)

Angkor Wat (1080-1175)

Phnom Bhakeng (889-923)

I should explain that we were on a guided tour from the second day, so we spent the first afternoon in Angkor seeing the less "popular" temples. It was a good way to see how temple architecture changed over time. The older temples we saw (Phnom Bhakeng, Banteay Srei, up to Angkor Wat) were influenced by Hindu beliefs. They displayed Hindu gods and goddesses, and told the stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Then, in the days of King Jayavarman VII, Mahayana Buddhism became the official religion of the kingdom. Whilst the structure of the temples (tiered towers upon towers) remained the same, the images on the temple walls changed and reflected instead the face of Buddha. After his reign, the country turned Hindu again and much of the Buddhist imagery was destroyed. Today, the country is again Buddhist (Theravada Buddhism) and Buddhist statues have re-emerged in the temples and are venerated by the locals to this day.

The Khmer empire which built these great monuments of stone has long since passed away. The reasons appear to be a little obscure. But these magnificent structures certainly testify to their advanced engineering knowledge, which they amply combined with artistry and imagination.