Angkor Part 2 - Angkor Thom

Angkor

The ancient capital of the Khmer Empire, Angkor, is located amid forests and farmland to the north of the town of Siem Reap. The Angkor complex contains the most extensive concentration of religious temples any where in the world. The structures number over one thousand, ranging from piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to Angkor Wat, said by some to be the world's largest single religious monument.

At its height in the 12^th century, the Angkor area contained more than a million people and covered close to 400 sq. miles. It included huge Hindu temples made out of sandstone and rice paddies that stretched for many kilometres. There were dams and reservoirs to irrigate crops and extensive road systems and waterways to travel around the settlement. It was a time when Angkor’s military forces, economy and culture dominated what is now Cambodia, and most of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Extensive trade partnerships between India, China and the rest of the world had been established.

 But after several hundred years of prosperity and growth, this civilization abruptly vanished, about 1431. By the time Portuguese missionaries arrived in the 1500’s, the city had been largely abandoned and its temples enshrouded in vegetation. Data suggests that two long, severe droughts and then several years of heavy monsoons, augmented by the city's sprawling growth and its unwieldy infrastructure, caused its citizens to lag on required maintenance which ultimately led to the city's demise.

And so, this vast, monument lay virtually forgotten but for the occasional Buddhist pilgrim. Crumbling, it eventually surrendered to the encroaching jungle. European explorers ‘rediscovered’ the site in the mid 1800’s and a period of restoration, lasting until the mid 1900’s ensued. French archaeologists cleared the intruding vegetation, repaired foundations, and built drains to protect the buildings from water damage. Then in the19th century, Angkor disappeared again as the country was ravaged by war. Work resumed after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979. Since 1993, restoration efforts have been co-ordinated by Cambodian, Indian, German, and Japanese agencies, and UNESCO. Some temples have been carefully taken apart stone by stone and reassembled on concrete foundations.

International tourism to Angkor has increased significantly in recent years, with visitor numbers approaching two million annually, although the popularity of the site presents its own unique challenges to the preservation of the ruins. The entire area is now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Near the Bayon, Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom (meaning Great City) was founded by King Jayavarman VII in the late 1100’s. At one time, it was the largest city in the Khmer Empire.

Angkor Thom was protected by 8 metre high and 3 km long walls and was surrounded by a wide moat. The walls enclosed an area of 9 km² and included several structures from eras earlier than Jayavarman and his successors. Baphuon, the former state temple and Phimeanakas, which was incorporated into the Royal Palace, are the 2 most well known of these earlier temples.

Phimeanakas

Phimeanakas served as the king’s temple. Legend has it that a there was a golden tower at the top of the temple, which was inhabited by a snake that could transform into a woman. Each king of Angkor had to make love with the serpent every night, in order to prevent disaster from happening to himself or the kingdom.

Angkor Thom

Causeway to the Baphuon

The Baphuon

The Baphuon, another structure which pre-dated King Jayavarman's construction works at Angkor Thom, was built in the 11th century. It was a Hindu temple and included interesting bas-reliefs that depicted important Hindu battles. The Baphuon is still under renovation, but parts have been opened to the public. 

Bayon

There were five entrances (gates) to the city, one for each cardinal point, and one extra on the east wall, which led to the Royal Palace. Each sandstone gate tower rose 23 metres and was crowned by four heads, one facing in each cardinal direction. These gates all led to the Bayon at the centre of the city. The bulk of the land enclosed by the walls would have been occupied by the Royal Palace, residences of priests, officials of the palace and military personel, as well as buildings for administering the kingdom, of which nothing remains. This area is now covered by forest.

The Bayon

 We entered Angkor Thom by the south gate and drove with our guide to the Bayon. This worked out very well, because we were able to travel around the many sites of Angkor Thom in a comfortable, air conditioned vehicle. Angkor Wat, on the other hand, although huge, is just one site and it is possible to do a self-guided tour, in my opinion. Our guide was very knowledgable and enthusistic. At times, however, it required a lot of concentration to understand his English. Also, a map to reference, would have been helpful.



At the exact centre of the City of Angkor Thom was the state temple of Bayon, considered the most powerful symbol of the Khmer Empire. It was built to symbolize the link between heaven and earth. The remains of the temple rise on 3 levels and feature 54 towers. The towers are carved with more than 200 serene and massive stone faces.

The Bayon is known for its many galleries of bas-reliefs depicting

scenes of battle, mythology and every day life. In this scene, the

Khmer King, riding an elephant, leads his army into battle.

note the giant face - one of over 200 found at

the Bayon.

The layout of the Bayon appears simple at first, but once inside its complexity, with its maze of galleries, passages and steps, is apparent.

nose to nose, the Bayon

This narrow passage would have been covered 
at one time.

A dancing devata: celestial being/deity,
 Bayon

Paul has rolled up his 'temple pants.'

The Bayon's layout is connected in a way that make the levels difficult to distinguish because of dim lighting, narrow walkways, and low ceilings. The temple design was modified several times over its years of construction, whether because of the whim of Jayavarman or by his successors, is up for speculation.

The temple itself has no wall or moats. They were not considered necessary because the city itself (Angkor Thom) was a walled city. 

Lions guard the entrance and proctect Buddha - one of whose many statues is visible behind Paul.

Restoration is gradual and precise. Work is currently being led by a Japanese team.