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By
: Jon McCoy, Picture by : Sem Vannjohn.
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The Southgate of the great Angkor
Thom
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The ruins at Angkor in Siem
Reap province attract hundreds of thousands of tourists
each year. Some people come back to the same sites again
and again, and on each visit experience a different sensation.
Besides the magnificent Angkor Wat, perhaps the most remarkable
of Angkor's temples is Angkor Thom.
Angkor Thom, the last capital and the opulent great city
of King Jayavarman VII (who reigned from 1181-1220) is
a truly amazing sight. Its South gate, which is itself
a masterpiece of stone carving, causes many visitors to
stop and take a photograph. The signature faces of the
Bayon on the top of the gate are very well preserved.
Flanked by warriors lifting |
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two enormous seven-headed
Nagas to guard the gate, this is a great place to take
a picture.
About 1.5 km past the gate sits the site of one of the
most enigmatic temples of the Angkor group - the Bayon
Temple. Over 200 regal faces, each expressing a slightly
different smile, are carved on the 54 towers in the complex.
The four faces on each tower are thought to symbolize
the omnipresence of King Jayavarman VII, although some
scholars think they represent the Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara
(Kuan Im). |
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Despite an overall
Hindu and Brahmin influence throughout the Angkor complex,
the Bayon Temple is believed to be a Buddhist monument,
judging from some of the scenes carved on its walls.
The temple of the smiling faces has earned itself a reputation
matched only by the magnificent Angkor Wat itself. The
carvings and bas-reliefs on its exterior walls depict
scenes from everyday life - markets, festivals, fishing,
cockfights, jugglers, wrestlers, processions, battles
- and mythical scenes. On almost every pillar are delicate
carvings of Apsara dancers and through almost every doorway
you can enjoy different views of the many faces of Jayavarman
VII. It is endlessly fascinating to watch the shifting
light create new shadows and highlights on the faces as
the sun moves around the temple.
The Phimean Akas temple was where the king worshipped.
Legend has it that a |
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The Bayon Temple
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nine-headed Naga
(mythical snake) that lived in the temple transformed
itself into a beautiful woman in order to seduce the king.
The woman insisted that the king slept with her every
night before he returned home to his wives and concubines
- otherwise, she said, he would die. Despite its poor
condition, Phimean Akas is still a charming temple.
The Elephant Terrace is another fascinating site that
stretches some 300 meters, from the Baphuon to the terrace
of the Leper King. The terrace and its interior retaining
walls are covered in beautiful bas-relief carvings of
elephants. Huge sculptures of three-headed elephants plucking
lotus flowers with their trunks form columns that flank
the stairway. Explore the walls of the inner platform
by going down the flights of steps and into every corner
and gangway. There are countless bas-reliefs of elephants,
all in different poses. On one of the platforms behind
the outer wall a large horse with five heads stands on
each side of the inner retaining wall, surrounded by menacing
demons armed with sticks, who are pursuing obviously terrified
people. These sculptures are unusually deep and well-preserved,
and the entire site is breath-taking.
Moving on, we come to the terrace of the Leper King, where
more dramatic carvings and bas-reliefs abound. It is here
that scholars insist some of the carvings of naked figures
are Javanese in style. The site got its name from the
statue of the Leper King on the platform of the terrace.
The statue seated at the site is only a replica: the original
is now in the National Museum in Phnom Penh. On the walls,
mythical beings, giants with many arms, serpents, nagas,
garudas, naked women, fishes and elephants are all depicted
in exceptionally clear bas-relief.
All in all, the ancient city of Angkor Thom is a great
place to visit. Its numerous fascinating features are
perhaps the reason why visitors keep coming back for more.
The familiar face of the Bayon at every gate perfectly
symbolizes the omnipresence of a great King. |
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The charming Phimean Akas temple
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The elaborate elephant terrace
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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