the angkor trail

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S h a d o w s G a l o r e

w w w . s h a d o w s g a l o r e . c o m

By Jay and Puru

Travel tales about the magnificent Angkor Wat. Compiled

from the series, Backpacking across South East Asia

originally hosted at www.shadowsgalore.com

The Angkor Trail


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www.shadowsgalore.com Page 2

ContentsPrologue ........................................................................................................................................................ 3

Chapter 1: Siem Reap .................................................................................................................................... 4

Chapter 2: Bantey Srei and Preah Khan ........................................................................................................ 5

Chapter 3: Preah Khan .................................................................................................................................. 8

Chapter 4: Angkor Thom ............................................................................................................................. 10

Prasat Bayon ........................................................................................................................................... 11

Baphuon: The Biggest Archeological Puzzle of Cambodia ...................................................................... 13

Terrace of the Leper King ........................................................................................................................ 15

Chapter 5: Ta Prohm ................................................................................................................................... 16

Chapter 6: Angkor Wat ............................................................................................................................... 21

Photographs ................................................................................................................................................ 26


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Prologue

Puru:

It was my kid sisters birthday and I had to give her a gift. So I went to a book shop browsing for books to

give her. It was there that I found this book called World Famous Unsolved Mysteries. I was generally

curious about such things and wanted to read this book, but I had enough money for just one book. So

what did I do? Well, I bought this book and gifted it to my sister, a great choice for a six year old!

Many of the places mentioned in that book shaped the dreams of my formative years. One of them was

Angkor Wat. It talked about the great Khmer civilization which flourished under great kings like

Suryavarman and Jayavarman (see! Even after 18 years, I remember those names! ), built great cities

and temples and then suddenly melted away into oblivion. No one was supposedly sure what causedthe demise of these great people.

Angkor Wat means the City temple, evidently so because it is the largest temple complex in the world.

Built by King Suryavarman in the 12th century AD, this majestic structure was based at the former

capital of the Khmer empire in the modern day Cambodia. The temple was dedicated to Lord Vishnu and

slowly got assimilated to the Teravada Buddhist style as the new religion spread in Cambodia. As told by

a Portuguese monk-traveler Antnio da Madalena who visited the site in late 15th century it is of such

extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no

other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human

genius can conceive of. Such is the glory of the monument!

As I grew older, first the stories of Pol Pot and then Discovery documentaries and movies like Tomb

Raider (yeah!) and The Killing Fields familiarized me with Cambodia. Even as they progressed towards

gradual peace and stability after the elimination of Khmer Rouge, I somehow discounted a chance to see

Angkor as it was deemed dangerous. It was only recently when BerT asked if we could make a trip to

Angkor Wat did the fire rekindle again! So Cambodia is at peace again and they have some sort of

decent infrastructure back. Will I be able to see the dream come true with my own eyes?


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Chapter 1: Siem Reap

As I sat there reading Amitav Ghoshs River of Smoke, I could see lights of some distant city

from the window of the aircraft. Suddenly it struck me that I was going over the same places,both in fiction and reality. My plane was flying over the same lands of South East Asia about

which I was reading how they started as small fishing/ trading hamlets, and now I could see the

glitter of mighty cities they had become. It was a queer feeling.

Figure 1: Siem Reap Airport

So after an uneventful night at the very unimpressive LCCT terminal of Kualalumpur Airport, we

boarded the flight to Cambodia. The flight was short and we soon landed at the small and

beautiful airport of Siem Reap, build like a traditional Khmer palace. Immigration was smooth

and we were soon out of the place, in our cab for the hotel. Check in at the hotel and a quick

freshening up and I was ready to strike one off my bucket list Angkor Wat.


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Chapter 2: Bantey Srei and Preah Khan

Figure 2: Mount Meru shaped temple of Bantey Srei

Jay:

After Puru and BerT took the land route to Thailand, I had until the afternoon to explore theman-made wonders around. I planned to see Banteay Srei and Preah Khan, and squeeze in

any other spots en route. En route to Banteay Srei, we checked out the state temple of Pre

Rup. As with other un-maintained structures here, it appears to be a crumbling bunch of stones

stocked together.

Though the carvings are now faded with time, the structure in itself is interesting as it is a

temple mountain. After the steepest flight of stairs I ever encountered in my short life, we were

at the base of the main tower. The morning air and sun created a soothing ambiance and the

view around was amazing. And yes, I was wondering how to get down.


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Figure 3: The temple at Bantey Srei

After a clumsy climb down the steep stairs, we were off to Banteay Srei. The name literally

translates to Citadel of Beauty. It houses what can easily be one of the most intricate carvings

around. The lime stone reliefs show scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata and other

ancient Vedic mythology. The stone structure reportedly emits a sort of glow when the sun is

low.

Figure 4: Gargoyles carved in stone

It is best to enjoy the place when there are less people around as within 15 minutes of being

there, the whole place was teeming with tourists.


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There are a few locals who will try to offer bargains on books and DVD. I bought a book after a

kid chased me all around and wouldnt take no for an answer. Well, persistence paid off, for

him at least.

Figure 5: A Photographer's delight

After an hour there, we went to the nearby cafe as we were famished. The place served

egg omelets, with carrot stuffing which were rather delicious. After a quick meal, we planned to

rush to Preah Khan but managed to squeeze time for Banteay Samre on the way. This place is

fully restored but has relatively less visitors due its isolation from the tourist circuit. Built

in the same concentric rectangular fashion as other bigger complexes, Banteay Samre is

definitely worth a visit if you have the time.


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Chapter 3: Preah Khan

Figure 6: Stone and Wilderness in an eternal embrace

Jay:

Our next destination was Preah Khan. The place used to be overrun with vegetation with thewilderness swallowing up the temples but recent ongoing restorations have checked natures

onslaught over the area. There are still a few evidences of vegetation over the rocks. A complex

layout of buildings and passageways, statues of Garuda, the headless guards, the alien

carvings, Preah Khan is a place which will appeal to the adventurer within you.


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Figure 7: Preah Khan entrance

The place is built similar to Ta Prohm but on a smaller scale and has the same Tomb-Raider

aura without the crowds. The grounds are quite extensive and you will get the true feeling of

being an explorer as you clamber over rocks and down passageways that suddenly end.

Banteay Srei and Preah Khan are the two places which deserve a visit if you plan a Angkor trip.

There was still some time left and we visited the mini Angkor created

by a local sculptor. I guess there are more than one such models and I

evidently picked the wrong guy to visit as the models were ill

maintained and definitely did not justify the US$3 fee.

Mini Angkor


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Chapter 4: Angkor Thom

Puru:

Built in around 680 AD on the sides of another capital called Yashodharapura, and expanded bythe great Khmer King Jayavarman II, Angkor Thom was the capital of the Khmer Empire.

Covering an area of 10 square kilometer, the city is said to have housed anywhere between

80,000 to 150,000 people at the height of its glory. The center of the city was known as Prasat

Bayon, a richly decorated temple of the Khmers, today most famous for the massive faces

inscribed on its walls and towers depicting perhaps Bodhisatva, Shiva or the Khmer Kings.


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Figure 8: Way to Angkor Thom

It was around 10 AM that we reached the Southern Gate of Angkor Thom. I cant describe thefeelings it brought to my heart. Finally after a wait for nearly 2 decades, I was at Angkor. I could

see a gate with the familiar face of the Khmer Kings. A bridge over a moat led the way to the

Gate flanked by two serpents who acted like the railings of the bridge with statues of Devas

holding them in one row and Asuras in another row, symbolic of Samudra Manthan.

Prasat Bayon

Figure 9: Prasat Bayon

Our first stop in Angkor Thom was Prasat Bayon. Located at the exact center of the ancient city,

this magnificent temple is a combination of many galleries and terraces with a central terrace

and tower. This was my first full scale encounter with the traditional Khmer architecture and


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needless to say, I was swept away by its magnitude and intricacy. The galleries of the

monument were an art gallery in themselves with beautiful bass reliefs depicting scenes from

everyday life to mythologies to wars. The outer galleries were dedicated to the Khmer culture,

scenes from court and everyday life. Then there were depictions of the wars, majestic armies

locked in pitched battles. The inner galleries were more devoted to Gods and mythologies, withBrahma, Vishnu, Siva and other gods and goddesses depicted in different avatars. There were

narrow corridors, staircases leading to antiquity and the overall feel was of deep intrigue. Now I

could understand why Lara Croft chose this place for her adventures.

Figure 10: 200 faces of Lokeshwara

Done with the galleries, we proceeded towards the most famous facet of Bayon, the Upper

Terrace with 200 faces of Lokeswara. The Upper Terrace lies nearly on the top of the Inner

gallery with a central tower going high. But what makes this part really famous is not the

Central tower but 37 face towers surrounding it, each tower showcasing three or four

serenely smiling faces of either Bodhisatva, Vishnu or Jayavarman himself. In the words of

Maurice Glaize, wherever you go, these faces follow you and dominate with their presence.This was exactly I felt standing there. For some strange reasons, I just did not want to leave the

place, but time constraints forced me to.


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Baphuon: The Biggest Archeological

Puzzle of Cambodia

Figure 11: Baphuon

Baphuon: The Biggest Archeological Puzzle of Cambodia

Our next stop was Baphuon. Built like a mountain shaped pyramid, Baphuon is a temple

dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is famous for another reason; it was known as the

biggest puzzle of Cambodia. Its restoration started around 100 years back. But in the 1950s,

the French conservators decided that the only way to save it was to dismantle it fully and then

restore it. So its 300,000 blocks were dismantled and then numbered carefully. However war

started, ravaging the whole country, and the documents related to restoration were destroyed.

It was followed by the Khmer Rouge rule and a Civil Strife for decades in which Baphuon

remained as a pile of stones often plundered by Tomb raiders for artifacts. Finally when peace

prevailed, restoration started in 1995. It was then that the task to piece together this mammoth

3D puzzle fell on the restorers. Finally after 15 years of Herculean effort, they were able to

bring the temple together in 2011. There are some 10000 pieces left over, but not much can be

done about them and they are lying around.


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Figure 12: View from the top of Baphuon

Baphuon, built like a mountain, was a steep climb. In the hot sun it required some effort to reach the

top. Finally only I and Jayant went till the top and we did not regret it. From the top, we could see

almost all of Angkor Thom, jungles and ruins in a beautiful landscape. At the top, there were 2 door

frames, opening to nowhere; I wonder what they were meant for.


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Terrace of the Leper King

Figure 13: Terrace of the Leper King

It was around mid afternoon and we were quite tired and hungry. So the last two stops before

we stopped for a lunch were the Terrace of the Elephant and the terrace of the Leper King. The

Terrace of the Elephants was a raised platform supported by statues of elephants from where

the king would see his armies in a parade. When I stood there, all I could see was a parade of

Tuk-Tuks (Cambodian Three Wheeler). How times change! Anyway, the Terrace of the Leper

king is supposed to be built by a King who was suffering from leprosy. It a U-shaped terrace

with beautiful stone carvings.

Here we took a break, for we had to fill our stomachs. Once we were done with our lunch of

noodles and rice, we were ready for our next destination - the Angkor Wat, and before that,

something special.


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Chapter 5: Ta Prohm

Figure 14: Ta Prohm

Puru:

At first I was planning to club Ta Prohm with Angkor Wat but this place is so unique and

beautiful in itself that it seemed totally unfair to not to give this place a dedicated tribute.

If Angkor Wat, the Bayon and other

temples are testimony to the genius of

the ancient Khmers, Ta Prohm reminds

us equally of the awesome fecundity and

power of the jungle.

- Lonely Planet


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So after a sumptuous lunch, we drove through the forest and narrow lanes and came to the

gates of Ta Prohm. The outside was quite crowded with tourists, vendors and construction

workers working on the restoration of the main gate. Had to walk a little on a dusty track, there

were vendors selling traditional musical instruments and a group of musicians, apparently

landmine victims, playing soothing Cambodian music. At the end of this path, we came across asmall wooden bridge leading to the temple. I was astonished to see a sign board in Hindi

warning of Danger! It was then that we realized that it were our own ASI folks who were

working to restore the monument.

Figure 15: A glimpse into the past

Built in 1181 AD by Jayavarman VII, Ta Prohm was a huge temple complex home to as many as

12,500 people at a time. The expansion of the temple continued way till the 13th century after

which it the decline started with the decline of the Khmer civilization. With centuries, the

temple got swallowed up by the jungle and remained forgotten till it was discovered again in

the 19th century.


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Figure 16: Swallowed by the forest

Ironically, the real beauty of Ta Prohm lies in its state of ruin. In this place, the skill of man and the might

of the nature have combined together in a unique fusion of an art form which at the plainest can be

called surreal. Here, one can see both sides of the nature- as the creator and the destroyer. Giant roots

of fig and banyan trees coil around intricately carved stones like the death like grip of a serpent. The

ruins and the jungle together present a unique haunted charm which is difficult to be crafted in words.

My photographs seem so inadequate in expressing those feelings. I could only wonder how the early

explorers would have reacted when they stumbled upon this jewel from antiquity. You can see some

great Angkor and Ta Prohm photographs by National Geographichere.
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/cambodia-photos/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/cambodia-photos/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/cambodia-photos/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/cambodia-photos/


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Figure 17: Ta Prohm in the light of the day

So, in sheer amazement, we wandered through the ruins. It was such mazelike that very soon I

and Jayant got separated from the other two and wandered aimlessly through dark corridors,piles of stones and still standing monuments with huge trees coming out of them. There were

ancient doors gripped by the roots of a banyan, and the famous Tomb Raider tree where Lara

Croft gets sucked in the ground. For a brief period when even Jayant had strayed away, I was

totally alone there and felt as if I had no sense of direction or time. I know am getting too

verbose, but the place did it to me.


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Figure 18: Ruins and jungle in a complex synergy

Finding it really hard to explain what Ta Prohm really is, I stop here and leave it up to you

whether you want to explore the place yourself. Reach there in the morning when the temple is

said to be at its mysterious best, take a torch with you and if possible, a compass. Do let me

know how it felt like when you come back.


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Chapter 6: Angkor Wat

Figure 19: Angkor Wat as I will remember it forever...

(Angkor Wat) is of such extraordinary

construction that it is not possible to describe

it with a pen, particularly since it is like no

other building in the world. It has towers and

decoration and all the refinements which the

human genius can conceive of.

- Antnio da Madalena


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Puru:

After a wonderful experience at Ta Prohm, it was time to finish the day with the monument for

which we all were here, Angkor Wat. It was around 3:00 PM and even in January, Cambodia

was hot as hell. Our driver told us that it will take us at least two hours after which he would

take us to the various evening delights of Siem Reap.

Figure 20: The Moat and the bridge leading to Angkor Wat

Like the Southern gate, here too was a moat in front of the monument with a bridge over it

guarded by the Serpent. After a fair amount of walking, we reached the main gate shaped like

Mount Meru. The gate was intricately carved with beautiful Apsaras adorning the walls. Many

of those who came to monument were busy taking photographs at the gate itself.

Figure 21: Angkor Wat as seen from the entrance


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The name - Angkor Wat comes from Sanskrit word Nagar meaning City and Khmer form of

the Pali word Vatthu which means temple, the word thus meaning Temple City. It is the

biggest temple complex in the world dedicated to Vishnu and then Buddha. It is also the best

preserved the most famous among the temples of Angkor and the state symbol of Cambodia.

Figure 22: Mount Meru

As per the traditional Khmer architecture, Angkor Wat is designed to represent Mount Meru,

with a Moat around it depicting the mythical sea where the Samudra manthan was done. The

temple complex is huge with the outer wall running more than 3 km long. At the center of the

temple is a huge Quincunx of towers with the center one being the tallest. The overall grandeur

and intricacy of sculpture of this temple complex has amazed travelers and archeologists for

centuries.

Figure 23: Apsara

This monument was huge even by the Angkor standards. The

Central Structure was enclosed inside three concentric

rectangular (Oxymoron?) galleries, each inner gallery higher

than the other. The walls were the abode of Devas and

Apsaras carved magnificently in stone, very much different

from the stone carvings I have seen back in India but

reminiscent of the Ajanta Paintings. Other than the Celestials,

there were scenes from the battles of Ramayana andMahabharata; we could actually identify vast armies of

monkeys annihilating the Asuras.


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Figure 24: The Tower at the Upper terrace

Once we entered inside, we were on a terrace surrounded by Gallery on all sides. In the

middle of this terrace was the Upper Terrace going up to a considerable height. This was the

peak of this mountain-temple. Everything was carved, from the walls to the ceiling and even

the floor at some places, its difficult to imagine what a Superhuman effort it must have taken.

Read somewhere that in the modern times, with all the jazzy equipment, it would have taken

300 years to build this monument ! For more information, check out online

universities to find history classes that can teach you more about Khmer civilization and how

Angkor Wat was constructed.


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Figure 25: Angkor from the top

Finally it was time to go up the Upper Terrace. There was a long queue for it and they were

allowing very few people at a time. Climbing the wooden flight of stairs, we went up. This

terrace was like a square gallery with Buddha statues and flanked by four mountains like towers

on the corners. The central part was an open space. Beautifully carved again, the walls and

ceiling were adorned with beautiful carvings from Hindu mythology. From the windows, we

could see through the country side into the jungles and other ruins.

Later when we came out, we went to this place from where you can get an amazing view of

Angkor Wat and its reflection in a lake. A midst the click of cameras, I could not help but get

overwhelmed by how beautiful it looked. Lit golden by the setting sun, the

magnificent monument stood shone majestically in its waters. This image will continue to linger

in my memory forever, the pinnacle of my dream of seeing Angkor Wat with my own eyes

someday


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Photographs

1. Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre and Pre Rup2. Preah Khan3. Angkor Wat4. Ta Prohm5. Angkor Thom
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629611023615/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629611023615/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629246522832/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629246522832/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629469218921/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629469218921/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629368696387/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629368696387/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629181113873/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629181113873/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629181113873/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629368696387/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629469218921/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629246522832/http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowsgalore1/sets/72157629611023615/


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