Angkor Wat Temple
Welcome to heaven on earth. Angkor is the earthly representation of Mt Meru, the Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods. Angkor is the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion. The Cambodian ‘god-kings’ of old each strove to better their ancestors in the size, scale and symmetry of their temples, culminating in the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat. The hundreds of temples surviving today are but the sacred skeleton of the vast political, religious and social centre of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire, a city that, at its zenith, boasted a population of one million when London was a scrawny town of 50,000. The houses, public buildings and palaces of Angkor were constructed of wood – now long decayed – because the right to dwell in structures of brick or stone was reserved for the gods.
This is the heart and soul of Cambodia. The temples of Angkor are a source of inspiration and national pride to all Khmers as they struggle to rebuild their lives after years of terror and trauma. Today, the temples are a point of pilgrim-age for all Cambodians, and no traveller to the region will want to miss their extravagant beauty. Angkor is one of the world’s foremost ancient sites, with the epic proportions of the Great Wall of China, the detail and intricacy of the TajMahal and the symbolism and symmetry of the pyramids, all rolled into one.
Abandoned to the jungles for centuries, the magnificent temples are set amid the region’s oldest national park, with towering trees and a refreshing lack of modern development amid the audacious architecture. With such a wealth of temples, it is also possible to plan a peaceful pilgrimage here, far
from the madding crowds, which really are madding at some temples at certain times of day.
Some visitors assume they will be templed out within a day or two, but soon discover the sheer diversity in design among the temples that switches dramatically from one god-king to another. Come face to face (quite literally) with Bayon, one of the world’s weirdest buildings; experience the excite-
ment of the first European explorers at Ta Prohm, where nature runs riot; or follow the sacred River of a Thousand Lingas like pilgrims of old. The most vexing part of a visit is working out what to see. If any of the ‘second string’ holy sites were anywhere else in the region they would have top billing. One day at Angkor? Sacrilege! Don’t even consider it, as there is no greater concentration of architectural riches anywhere on earth.
Welcome to heaven on earth. Angkor is the earthly representation of Mt Meru, the Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods. Angkor is the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion. The Cambodian ‘god-kings’ of old each strove to better their ancestors in the size, scale and symmetry of their temples, culminating in the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat. The hundreds of temples surviving today are but the sacred skeleton of the vast political, religious and social centre of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire, a city that, at its zenith, boasted a population of one million when London was a scrawny town of 50,000. The houses, public buildings and palaces of Angkor were constructed of wood – now long decayed – because the right to dwell in structures of brick or stone was reserved for the gods.
Abandoned to the jungles for centuries, the magnificent temples are set amid the region’s oldest national park, with towering trees and a refreshing lack of modern development amid the audacious architecture. With such a wealth of temples, it is also possible to plan a peaceful pilgrimage here, far
from the madding crowds, which really are madding at some temples at certain times of day.
Some visitors assume they will be templed out within a day or two, but soon discover the sheer diversity in design among the temples that switches dramatically from one god-king to another. Come face to face (quite literally) with Bayon, one of the world’s weirdest buildings; experience the excite-
ment of the first European explorers at Ta Prohm, where nature runs riot; or follow the sacred River of a Thousand Lingas like pilgrims of old. The most vexing part of a visit is working out what to see. If any of the ‘second string’ holy sites were anywhere else in the region they would have top billing. One day at Angkor? Sacrilege! Don’t even consider it, as there is no greater concentration of architectural riches anywhere on earth.
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