Angkor Wat is the single largest religious structure known in the world today. In the Khmer language, the word "wat" means temple, and "angkor" means holy city. This giant temple was abandoned and lost to be reclaimed by the jungle. When it was discovered once again by westerners, it was thought to be one large temple. Gradually it was discovered to be many temples and finally we know that it was once a city. In reality the temple grounds were never totally lost from the local people. Cambodians still prayed and held rituals at the temples but the jungle had taken over and the buildings were failing. The grounds here are amazing, you can feel the history living through the sculpted stone carvings that cover most all the structures to be seen.
In 1586 a friar named Antonio da Magdelena gave this description of the city of Angkor to a historian named Diogo du Couto. This is from Couto's written account of the friars journey to the great city:
"The city is square, with four principal gates, and a fifth that serves the royal palace. The city is surrounded by a moat, crossed by five bridges. These have on each side a cordon held by giants. Their ears are all pierced and are very long. The stone blocks of the bridges are of astonishing size. The stones of the walls are of an extraordinary size and are so jointed together that they look like they are made of just one stone. The gates of each entrance are magnificently sculpted, so perfect, so delicate that Antonio da Magdelena, who was in this city, said that they looked as if they were made from one stone the source of which is, amazingly, over 20 leagues away. So you can judge the labour and organisation dedicated to construction. The written lines which record this city, these temples, and other things were built by the order of 20 kings over a period of seven hundred years. On the sides of this city are royal monuments which must be palaces on account of their sumptuous decoration and grandeur. In the middle of the city is an extraordinary temple. From each of the gates, there is a causeway of the same width as the bridges, flanked by canals, fed by the great moat round the city. The water originates from the north and east, and leaves from the south and west. The system is fed by the river diverted there. Half a league from this city is a temple called Angar. 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 decorations and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of. There are many smaller towers of similar style, in the same stone, which are gilded. The temple is surrounded by a moat, and access is by a single bridge, protected by two stone tigers so grand and fearsome as to strike terror into the visitor."
I was super excited to see this temple, I had heard that it was really one of the highlights of Cambodia. I was a little surprised that ticket price was $20 American for a day pass, this is Cambodia after all, its hard to find anything that costs that much. I got to the temple and I was immediately awestruck by the size of it. Just the stone bridge crossing the moat to then entrance was huge! Consider the time that this was built, and here it is still standing up to a myriad of foot traffic daily. This is a shot with the temple at my back showing the bridge and moat. There was a ton of tourists and I kept thinking that at twenty bucks a head this place was making a killing!
After the crossing the moat, the first thing I did was divert off away from the crowd, I decided that I can see the mainstream stuff on the way back. The tourist horde crossed the bridge and went directly into the complex. I made a left just past the water and started a lateral adventure away from the flow of traffic. I found this little boardwalk side door and entered from here.
I soon discover this is just a perimeter wall and although it is quite extensive it is covered in detail. There are statues at every junction inside the halls, and all the walls are also carved as far as the eye can see. It was a five minute across the inner courtyard to the next wall and again side entrance. There are halls along the outside with detail as well as halls inside the next perimeter wall. I chose to walk the outside wall a while and admire the stonework on another lateral trip until I found an entrance a little bit more off the beaten path then the last one.
Its about 11:30am by now and its nearly 100 degrees outside already. I see the tourist horde headed straight through the middle of the complex from the distance. They will be in and out much faster then me but also they are walking through the grass in the courtyard now behind yet another perimeter wall. I have spent a lot of time walking way off of the beaten path but I still feel good because I have been in the shade of these majestic halls, not out in the sun like the masses. I am finding little side buildings with not a person in sight and I am feeling spiritual for a change, soaking in the energy from all the culture of the these ancient buildings.
I am inside of the second wall of the temple now and the main temple lay ahead. I see five structures reaching upward called the "five lotus towers". Finally I am headed into the inner complex. The middle tower stands high above the rest and I am reunited with the horde of now sweaty and panting tourists. As I do my side trip move to ditch the crowd, I find that it doesn't work here. We are nearing the heart of the complex and everyone is starting to spread out now. The outside halls of the temple are insanely carved out with historical counts of many battles.
These halls wrap around the entire temple complex.
At every corner I notice there is a carving of a goddess, or sometimes a few of them together.
One last steep flight of stairs and I am high up in the central Lotus Tower, from here I can see the majestic courtyard running all the way to the first perimeter wall, off in the distance. A second and third set of wall run nearby along side. I try to picture this place teaming with people.
Here is a passage written by a Zhou Daguan, a Chinese visitor to Angkor in the year 1296.
Zhou describes watching King Indravarman holding the sacred sword high during a royal procession.
"When the king goes out, troops are at the head of the escort; then come flags, banners and music. Palace women, numbering from three to five hundred, wearing flowered cloth, with flowers in their hair, hold candles in their hands, and form a troupe. Even in broad daylight, the candles are lighted. Then come other palace women, carrying lances and shields, the king's private guards, and carts drawn by goats and horses, all in gold, come next. Ministers and princes are mounted on elephants, and in front of them one can see, from afar, their innumerable red umbrellas. After them come the wives and concubines of the king, in palanquins, carriages, on horseback, and on elephants. They have more then one hundred parasols, flecked with gold. Behind them comes the sovereign, standing on an elephant, holding his sacred sword in his hand. The elephant's tusks are encased in gold."
At most every hallway intersection there was a Buddha to be found and several had fresh incense burning and Buddhist people stopping to say prayers. When it comes to religion, I am usually on team atheist, but of all the regions I have observed I like Buddhists the best. I like the fact that they know Buddha was a real man, not some magical god, a teacher, and very wise. I like that Buddhism teaches you to believe in your self. If I were to adopt religion, I would become a Buddhist.
In the temple I saw many Buddhist statues missing their heads and some missing their hands. I pondered this awhile and surmised that possibly enemies of the city had damaged their religious icons during invasions and battles to insult the people that prayed here. Why else would the rest of the statue be so intact after so many centuries? Then I heard a different take on it. Thieves. Yes thieves had come to cut the heads and hands off to be sold off to westerners as curious centerpieces of art, sometimes the hands were even sold as ashtrays by vandals and black market dealers. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It absolutely disgusts me to think that some euro-trash, old money, trust fund baby, playboy wannabe somewhere is snuffing a marlboro light in the hand of an ancient Buddha, lost from this civilization.
One thing about Angkor is the stairs, you should be prepared to do lots and lots and lots of steep stairs in extreme heat and humidity. I saw lots of adverts on renting bicycles to do a run to Angkor Wat. I saw said bicyclists on the road panting and sweating, not a single one of them looked happy. For one it is A LOT farther then advertised, and that is just to this first temple, there are many. Secondly there is the heat to be accounted for, as you peddle farther and farther away to try and see other temples. Lastly once you make it to temple after temple you will be greeted by flight after flight of steep steep stairs, but save your energy, you still have to peddle home. I went another route and hired a private driver. He was great. His name was Tee and he would drop me off on one side of a temple and pick me up on the other side. He had a cold bottle of water for me every time I met up with him again. He gave me the inside scoop on this and that and was always watching for me at every exit, no matter how long I took. I have nothing but the best to say about Tee. I have a feeling that I must have been very lucky to come across such a polite and professional driver, in Cambodia.
It's friggin hot !
Some of the other temples I came across were much more in a state of ruin and some the jungle had claimed. I have many pictures that I feel are much better then the ones in this post, but I will put them into a part 2 blog post. The very top picture on this post is from a postcard that I purchased, the rest are from my camera. I will add some links about the temple and I encourage you to use them. Educate yourself on something fun, a lost civilization, some virtual adventure. Here are some random extra pics I have from this particular temple, Angkor Wat.
A wedding just inside the moat
Japan is helping with restoration of the library on the outermost wall.
A random window in a random corridor
Stairs stairs and more stairs
Imagine 750,000 people here for the kings procession
Consider the era that this detail was achieved
even in every out of the way place, like upwards !
In the next post I leave this main temple grounds and find some smaller temples including the temples you may remember in Raiders of the Lost Ark with Harrison Ford and Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie. The tourists definitely fade away and the heat comes into play as I push harder to show you Hoof Hearted at Angkor Wat.
I'm working on part 2 now, stay tuned.
In the mean time try these video links !
Cambodia: History of Angkor
Ok I finished part 2, here's the link:
Ok I finished part 2, here's the link:
http://hoofheartedinbangkok.blogspot.com/2012/05/hoof-hearted-at-angkor-wat-part-two.html
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.