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Angkor

Angkor is the region of Cambodia that is the seat of the Khmer empire that existed from the ninth century to the fifteenth century A.D. The Angkorian period was the period dating from 802 A.D. when Jayavarman II, the Hindu monarch proclaimed that he was the 'universal monarch' of Cambodia.

It was determined in 2007 by a team of researchers that Angkor was the world's biggest pre-industrial city that expanded an impressive 3,000 square kilometres. It is thought that there may very well have been close to one million inhabitants of Angkor.

The ruins of Angkor lie within dense forests and farmland north of the Great Lake and just south of what is known as Kulen Hills, not far from Siem Reap. There are well over one thousand temples in the region of Angkor and these temples range from being just rubble and ruins in the rice fields to the most spectacular Angkor Wat, which is the largest religious monument anywhere in the world.

Over time, many of the temples of Angkor have been rebuilt. These wonderful monuments are popular tourist attractions which draws nearly two million people to the area every year. The great majority of these tourists come from neighbouring countries such as Japan and Korea. The number of visitors to this area is growing and concerns many because during the peak season of December and January it is overcrowded which makes it difficult to really see it all in a way that can be appreciated.

The best time to visit Angkor is during the region's rainy season. It tends to only rain heavily in the afternoons, so the morning hours are a great time to explore the temples. It is especially beautiful at this time also because of how green all of the forests are surrounding the temples. The temples of Angkor are scattered all around Siem Reap.

There are two circuits or routes that can be taken to view the temples. Depending on how much time a person wishes to stay in the area determines what circuit to take. Either one that is chosen is sure to give you the opportunity to closely inspect some of the most interesting temples in the world.

By taking the short circuit, you will visit Angkor Thom, the Bayon, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King and in the morning, Preah Khan. Srah Srang will be visited in the afternoon and in the evening you will be seeing Ta Prohm Angkor Wat.

The Angkor Wat is the most spectacular of the temples on the short circuit. It is dated back to 1112 and the construction of it was finished in 1152. It has been restored wonderfully and is the single largest religious building on earth. An impressive moat surrounds the temple; the moat itself is two hundred meters wide.

The Bayon Temple is located inside the walls of Angkor Thom, which was at one time the centre of a city with one million inhabitants.

The most spectacular attraction of Bayon is the famous, 200 giant smiling faces that are carved into 54 towers that look out to all directions of the world. They consist of three separate levels of which you can climb through via a web of galleries to reach the top.

Ta Prohm is also famous because unlike other temples at Angkor, it has not been restored and is preserved to show what a tropical forest will do to a large monument when mankind does not intervene. It is a grand display of mystery seeing the very large roots of the trees entangling the structure.

The longer path is an extension of the shorter one. Instead of going out from the Eastern Gate, this circuit leaves through the North Gopura of Angkor Thom and goes further ahead to Prasat Bakan, Neak Pean, the small Ta Som temple, Eastern Baray and the Pre Rup temple.



Preah Khan was built by king Jayavarman VII to honour his father. Much the same as Ta Prohm, Preah Khan has not been restored and has many trees and other vegetation growing in and around the temple. Neak Pean has a sanctuary tower in the middle of one central pond. This large square man-made pond has several smaller, square ponds all around it. The water was believed to have had healing power and was used for ritualistic rites.

The Eastern Mebon temple was at one time situated on an islet in a large body of water (the Eastern Baray), but it holds no water today. It was built between the years of 944 and 968. This temple is a Hindu temple and is pyramid shaped with five towers on the top of it. Pre Rup is a lot like Eastern Mebon, and was built in the same era. The name Pre Rub means literally 'turning the body' which is a reference to a method of cremating bodies.

All of the temples in the entire area of Angkor were overrun by the forests and had taken tremendous beatings by the weather over the thousands of years since their creation. When the overgrowth had been removed throughout the years was when it was realized the amazement of these man made structures. There were generation after generation of people - numbering in the hundred of thousands who worked with their bare hands to build these temples for their ruling kings. Just to imagine the work involved without any modern tools and equipment is mind-boggling. There were millions of stones and rocks used to build the temples and these rocks were carried to the sites via boats on canals that were dug and filled with water.

The Cambodian officials allow, surprisingly, visitors to wander freely inside the ancient buildings. Visitors can see the damage done to these temples by earthquakes, rain and erosion. It was forbidden for outsiders to even visit the temples of Angkor until recently, because it was not considered a safe region for tourists. Tourists are still given a warning today however, not to stray off the trails, as there are still live mine fields throughout Cambodia.

If you are planning a trip to Cambodia, the area of Angkor is an area not to be excluded from your travel plans. You can easily hire a guide to explain the history of Angkor or you could rent motorbikes which makes the travelling from temple to temple easier.

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