Nearly all visitors to Cambodia come to see the ancient temples of Angkor, situated in Siem Reap. Built between the 9th and 14th centuries, they reflect a period of great creativity, and now fully deserve their position in the Seven Wonders of the World.
The Khmer empire at the time stretched far and wide, from southern Vietnam to southern China and west over to the Bay of Bengal. Angkor was the administrative center, built by the population, with the stone buildings which now remain the abodes only of the gods. The real instigator of the complex was Jayavarman II, who set himself up as the god-king; this concept was continued through the reigns of the other kings, with various kings producing one or other of the wonders that are available for your eyes today.
Angkor Wat is the highest achievement of Khmer temple architecture, and is today the "flagship" of the temples at Angkor. The temple is a huge pyramid structure. The compound at Angkor Wat covers an area of 1,500 by 1,300 m (4,920 by 4,265 ft) and is surrounded by a vast moat 180 m (590 ft) wide. Along the causeway leading to the enormous entrance gate are balustrades shaped as giant serpents, which are believed to represent emblems of cosmic fertility.
The temple consists of a towering complex of terraces and small buildings that are arranged in a series of three diminishing stories and surmounted by five towers. The roofed and unroofed structures are covered with bands of finely carved stone sculptures. The walls are covered with carved reliefs that illustrate Hindu mythology, principally scenes relating to the god Vishnu, to whom the temple was dedicated. The "mass of bas-relief carving is of the highest quality and the most beautifully executed in Angkor." All the temple mountains of Angkor were filled with three-dimensional images and every inch of the walls are covered by sculptures.
Miraculously, very little damage has been made on the Angkor region as a result of the bloody civil that has terrorized the Cambodia for over 30 years. The Khmer Rouge, an extreme-left organization has actively organized guerrilla activities against Prince Sihanouk's government.
In 1975, many Buddhist monks who lived in the Angkor temples were massacred along with the majority of the Buddhist population as a result of a "social reorganization". However, Angkor Wat suffered very little structural damage in that attack. Today, archeologists from all over the world are actively involved in the restoration process of the temples.
Angkor began to decline around 1220 after the death of Jayavarman VII, and then was sacked twice by the Thais, in 1351 and 1431. The Khmer court moved to Phnom Penh, and Angkor was left to the jungle, not rediscovered until the mid-19th century.
The Angkor temples miraculously suffered very little structural damage in the bloody civil wars in recent years, and today archeologists from all over the world are actively involved in the restoration process. However, in 1975, many Buddhist monks who lived in the Angkor temples were massacred by the Khmer Rouge, along with the majority of the Buddhist population, as a result of ‘social reorganization’. As society has recovered, the temples have become active places of worship once again: please remember this and dress appropriately on your trip.
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