Ancient Angkor

Pre-dawn at Angkor Wat

Soon after school ended on Friday, I flew to Siem Reap in Cambodia for a long-anticipated weekend spent exploring ancient temples. Located in central Cambodia, Ancient Angkor is home to over 250 Buddhist and Hindu temples, some as old as the ninth century. There are no photographs I could have taken which were more beautiful than those found in the tour books. There is no amount of eloquence that can capture the grandeur of Ancient Angkor. There is simply no substitute for being there, for experiencing first-hand the splendor of the temples.

Carving in a lintel above a doorway at Preah Khan

The most famous temple, Angkor Wat was built under the direction of Suryavarman II between 1112 and 1150. Most noteworthy in Khmer history though was Jayavarman VII who built the temples at Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei and Preah Khan among others. A subsequent ruler, Jayavarman VIII was responsible for the destruction of much Buddhist imagry and tried to restore and improve important Hindu temples including Angkor Wat, Bapuon, and the central plaza of Angkor Thom. In fact nothing built after the 13th century has survived, mostly because the building materials were perishable. (After the rise of Theravada Buddhism, only wooden temples were built.)

40' stone face at the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom

Although the wealth of Ancient Angkor is difficult to gauge, historians do know that Angkor began to lose its importance as a trade route when Phnom Penh gained in importance mostly due to its proximity to the Mekong River. Nevertheless, the Angkor Kingdom endured until the 16th century.

One of the many lions guarding the moat at Angkor Wat