Two years ago, Sophie and I came to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat and some of the other nearby temples. We had such an amazing time that we decided to come back to explore this area some more. Cambodia was home to the Khmer empire from the 8th to 15th century – one of the most powerful civilizations in the world at the time.
The Khmer kings were really into religion and would claim themselves as god kings. They built the largest and most elaborate temple complexes the world has ever seen! The most famous is Angkor Wat, dedicated to Vishnu and built in the first half of the 12th century over a period of 37 years, by the Khmer King Suryavarman II as a monument to himself. At its peak in the 13th century, Angkor was one of the most populous cities of the medieval world with an estimated population of 900,000. But there are so many more temples, not as well known, throughout the country and each one is unique.
On our first morning, we took a tuk-tuk to the Angkor National Museum where we learned more about the Khmer Kings and the major temple complexes they built. The early kings practiced a form of Hinduism, so the temples contained a lot of sculptures and carvings that honored the Hindu gods and spirits. Later, in the 13th century, the kings decided to convert to Buddhism, so much of the Hindu art was replaced with statues and carvings of Buddha.
One of the greatest king of Cambodia was Jayavarman VII. He was the first king devoted to Buddhism and he built the Bayon, in the late 12th or early 13th century. The Bayon was his state temple and it stands at the centre of Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom, as a monument to Buddhism. His government built many projects including 102 hospitals, 121 rest houses for the pilgrims, numerous temples, bridges and highways. He was very charitable and he brought prosperity, peace and harmony to the Khmer people. He was 96 years old when he died and he is still beloved today.
Many of the amazing stone statues and carvings were destroyed or stolen from the temples over the centuries. A lot of damage occurred during wars like the Vietnam war when Americans relentlessly bombed Cambodia for 8 years, starting in 1965, in an attempt to disrupt Vietcong supply lines. (Sadly, Cambodia is one of the most bombed and land-mined country on earth with millions of land mines and unexploded ordinance left behind throughout the country.)
The museum had some good displays of statues, carvings and architectural details they recovered around the world from the local temples, and did a good job explaining their significance. For example, we didn’t know anything about the lingas we were about to see everywhere.
The museum explained that a linga is a stylized, phallic symbol worshipped in Hinduism as a sign of generative power that represents the god Shiva. The Linga is often accompanied by a Yoni, which is usually a rectangular base with a spout. The three representative elements are depicted in various shapes and sizes, often a combination of three different shapes are arranged as one large element symbolizing the union of the Great Trinity of Gods. The cubic base represents Lord Brahma, commanding the four cardinal directions; the octagonal shape represents Lord Vishnu in his cosmic form, and the hemisphere represents Lord Shiva, the symbol of cosmic infinity.
There was so much to learn and the variety and uniqueness of each piece was pretty impressive to observe.
After the museum, we hired a remorque (a motorcycle-pulled carriage) to take us to Angkor Thom. We really like riding in these as the ride is smooth and you get a nice breeze as you go (it is really hot in Cambodia at this time of year as it is the dry season – mid to upper 90s and very humid).
We had visited Anchor Thom during our previous trip, and we enjoyed it so much that we wanted to explore some areas we hadn’t seen last time. We first stopped to see a couple of sites within the Angkor Thom complex. This massive 12th and 13th century temple was dedicated to Buddha and it is known for its many, many towers featuring four giant, smiling faces facing each cardinal direction. To enter the temple grounds, you need to cross a moat on a bridge lined with demons (Asuras) on one side and gods (Devas) on the other, each pulling the five-headed snake, Naga, and depicting the myth of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. You then go through one of four gates which features the iconic face figures. When we went through, there were monkeys crawling all over the tower like they were guarding the place – a bit eerie.
The Terrace of the Elephants was our first stop there. It was a large, elevated grandstand the king could use for various public ceremonies, to observe victorious returning armies, parades, etc. There were many elephant carvings and statues that held up the platform. The kingdom had thousands of elephants at the time, and they symbolized power. They used them in war, and they were essential for building the temples, including dragging tens of thousands of massive stones from distant quarries.
Behind the terrace was a much older temple called Phimeanakas, built in the 10th century. It was unique as it was a pyramid design, with three tiers. An ancient Chinese diplomat who wrote about visiting Angkor in the 13th century, describes the pyramid as being topped with a golden tower.
Next was the Terrace of the Leper King. It got its name from a delapitated statue at its top, but there doesn’t seem to be consensus on whether there was a leper king or not. The terrace featured intricately carved walls depicting Hindu mythical features telling stories of the afterlife. Scholars think this platform may have been used for cremation ceremonies for royalty. The most surprising part, however, is the discovery of an inner wall behind the outer one that had been completely submerged in sediment. When they cleaned it out, they found the wall was covered in remarkably well-preserved carvings that shed even more light on the early use of the terrace. We could walk between the outer and inner wall to view these amazing carvings.
Our next stop took us down some unpaved jungle roads to Preah Khan, a massive 12th century temple that was built by King Jayavarman VII to honor his father, and used to be surrounded by a moat. This temple has largely been left unrestored, with piles of giant stones from the walls and roof littered everywhere – and jungle trees growing around them. It was built on the site of the king’s victory over the Chams in 1191.
You could still walk through the main halls though, which featured hundreds of doorways nearly as far as you could see. And this went on in all four directions! In the very center where the the halls met, there was a tall stupa. A security guard there offered to take our picture and directed us where to stand and how to pose. He was a great photographer! One of the halls was dedicated to the Apsaras – mythical dancers. There were many beautiful carvings above each door and on the remaining columns. In addition to being a temple, the massive building also served as an administration center and Buddhist university. Preah Khan was the centre of a substantial organisation, with almost 100,000 officials and servants, including 1,000 dancers and 1,000 teachers.
Our next stop was Neak Poan, a 12th century ceremonial fountain built in the middle of a large reservoir. We crossed a more recently built bridge to access it. Originally it was likely only accessed by boat. It is believed to represent the mythical Himalayan lake, Anavatapta. The ability to harness water was thought to be a key source of the Khmer empire’s power. They were able to build large and sophisticated reservoir and water systems that supported the huge number of people their civilization required through the annual hot, dry season when water is scarce. This was a key advantage that helped produce food and hydration year-round.
Our final stop for the day was Pre Rup, an unusually tall 10th century temple that was built of brick and laterite blocks for its foundation. Laterite is a sedimentary rock that contains a lot of iron and aluminum oxides, and other minerals. It is relatively easy to carve out of the ground, then hardens when exposed to air, which made it a particularly good building material.
Pre Rup predates Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, making it one of the earliest temples in the area. It is designed like a mountain and the towers symbolize Shiva (in Linga form). In Hindu, the higher you are, the closer you are to the gods. We climbed the steep stairs to get a good view of the setting sun over the jungle. Each step was a good 15 inches tall, so it wasn’t for the faint of heart.
We really liked our hotel in Siem Reap, The Golden Temple Boutique. We were welcomed with a nice tray of locally grown peanuts and banana treats served with refreshing lemongrass tea. The hotel was in the heart of the town (near markets, restaurants, laundry), yet it was very quiet and comfortable inside. It had great architectural details that made it feel like you were in a temple (but with the comforts of home), like posters of the mythical dancers Apsaras welcoming us into our room and mirrors placed in such ways that they mimicked the endless doors seen in the temples. It was cool!
The staff – like most Cambodians – were extremely polite, kind and attentive. They were eager to talk to us and seemed proud of their culture and art. The head chef was happy to show us a lot of the artifacts around the restaurant, including a hand-made bamboo fish trap. Both the restaurant staff and reception staff asked if they could take pictures with us before we left, which we thought was endearing.
The traditional greeting in Cambodia is called the Sampeah and it involves raising both hands, palms together, and bowing slightly. It is used for greeting, showing respect and when departing. We used it continuously throughout the day whenever meeting new people.
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