Siem Reap (3) - Of Angkor Wat, pillar-lined passageways and apsaras
In this post, I continue my pretty much history-less and backgroundless post of Angkor Wat. :P I mean, even if I attempt to pen down the things I learnt, it is at best incomplete and you would be very much better off reading Wikipedia or something. And much as I liked listening to stories and anecdotes my tour guide told us, I really can't regurgitate them... I get confused with kings with long names from different centuries. What I do remember though are the key and simple stuff -- eg. Angkor Wat means "City Temple" (Wat referring to temple or like monastery, according to TG). It was also initially built as a Hindu temple, but was subsequently converted into a Buddhist one later... Its origins also explain why the bas-reliefs (esp on the outer walls) are filled with Hindu gods/ battle scenes etc. The picture above is the causeway leading up to the 3rd (outermost) enclosure of Angkor Wat. "Thanks" to scorching afternoon sun (actually, think most ppl head to Angkor Wat early morning when it's cool and nice to walkabout), the "coast was clear"...
One of the side entrances leading into the inner enclosures...
Having entered the temple compounds (within 3rd enclosure), TG brought us to THE spot to take the picture-perfect shot of Angkor Wat. Was extremely thrilled with the symmetrical picture I could capture... So once I snapped this, excitedly showed it to TG (smugly trying to get some form of affirmation that yes! i did it!) However he was like.... not nice! The reason being that I had missed out the palm tree reflection on the left. So my palm tree was "beheaded"... So thanks to him, I took a few more pictures from slightly different angle and eventually got my picture-perfect shot. Somewhat... :P
It was really really hot and so before proceeding to tour the inner enclosures, we stopped by some drink stall for cooling coconut drinks. And not surprisingly, the child peddlers came over to sell their souvenirs... Though really young, they were pretty skilful at marketing their wares... Eventually I gave in and bought a set of postcards from one girl, since the pics were decent and only cost a total of US$1. That however led to more ppl flocking over... They looked so pitiful I felt bad ignoring the other two... Forgot what led to us taking this picture with them, but unfortunately the photo became an earned opportunity for one of the girls to get us to buy her stuff... Like she became a little cross and kept telling my mum, you take picture, never buy from me.... Oops.
One of the five towers in the innermost enclosure... They were undergoing restoration and so were unfortunately closed to visitors. I noticed that the steps leading up to the towers were extremely shallow and steep (at about 70 degrees incline)-- According to my TG, there are two explanations. The first (architectural) one is that somehow this made the whole structure more stable... The second (religious) one is that back then, this made it very difficult to scale for ppl who came to pray... And by having to carefully make their way up the impossible steps, they already had to like bow to the gods...
I also loved the many pillared passageways all over... I like gazing down the pillared passageway cos it gives an architecturally aesthetic sense of distance... This one's at the outermost enclosure of Angkor Wat.
This is similarly at the outermost enclosure and shows a Japanese-fluent tour guide explaining the carvings on the bas-relief....
Another beautiful passageway in Angkor Wat.
There were also numerous apsara (celestial beings) carvings everywhere -- not just in Angkor Wat itself but also in the other temples. This is my favorite picture taken at the Bayon temple. The intricate detail (there's like tiny figurines on the apsara's right!) is astounding. There are two more apsara ones below (last two). I cannot even imagine carving one panel. It would easily take me years... assuming that I had the patience and the talent to do it.
Actually I don't think any number of pictures can do justice to the grandeur of the place; it must have been pretty spectacular back in its 'heyday'... So that will be all I'm putting up for now. Do visit if you get the chance... though it might be a better idea to do it during the off-peak season (once again, according to my trusty TG, the causeway shown in the first pic can get jam-packed with tourists during the good months, say around Nov to early part of year) if you want to avoid the crowds and can endure the heat and rain :P
In this post, I continue my pretty much history-less and backgroundless post of Angkor Wat. :P I mean, even if I attempt to pen down the things I learnt, it is at best incomplete and you would be very much better off reading Wikipedia or something. And much as I liked listening to stories and anecdotes my tour guide told us, I really can't regurgitate them... I get confused with kings with long names from different centuries. What I do remember though are the key and simple stuff -- eg. Angkor Wat means "City Temple" (Wat referring to temple or like monastery, according to TG). It was also initially built as a Hindu temple, but was subsequently converted into a Buddhist one later... Its origins also explain why the bas-reliefs (esp on the outer walls) are filled with Hindu gods/ battle scenes etc. The picture above is the causeway leading up to the 3rd (outermost) enclosure of Angkor Wat. "Thanks" to scorching afternoon sun (actually, think most ppl head to Angkor Wat early morning when it's cool and nice to walkabout), the "coast was clear"...
One of the side entrances leading into the inner enclosures...
Having entered the temple compounds (within 3rd enclosure), TG brought us to THE spot to take the picture-perfect shot of Angkor Wat. Was extremely thrilled with the symmetrical picture I could capture... So once I snapped this, excitedly showed it to TG (smugly trying to get some form of affirmation that yes! i did it!) However he was like.... not nice! The reason being that I had missed out the palm tree reflection on the left. So my palm tree was "beheaded"... So thanks to him, I took a few more pictures from slightly different angle and eventually got my picture-perfect shot. Somewhat... :P
It was really really hot and so before proceeding to tour the inner enclosures, we stopped by some drink stall for cooling coconut drinks. And not surprisingly, the child peddlers came over to sell their souvenirs... Though really young, they were pretty skilful at marketing their wares... Eventually I gave in and bought a set of postcards from one girl, since the pics were decent and only cost a total of US$1. That however led to more ppl flocking over... They looked so pitiful I felt bad ignoring the other two... Forgot what led to us taking this picture with them, but unfortunately the photo became an earned opportunity for one of the girls to get us to buy her stuff... Like she became a little cross and kept telling my mum, you take picture, never buy from me.... Oops.
One of the five towers in the innermost enclosure... They were undergoing restoration and so were unfortunately closed to visitors. I noticed that the steps leading up to the towers were extremely shallow and steep (at about 70 degrees incline)-- According to my TG, there are two explanations. The first (architectural) one is that somehow this made the whole structure more stable... The second (religious) one is that back then, this made it very difficult to scale for ppl who came to pray... And by having to carefully make their way up the impossible steps, they already had to like bow to the gods...
I also loved the many pillared passageways all over... I like gazing down the pillared passageway cos it gives an architecturally aesthetic sense of distance... This one's at the outermost enclosure of Angkor Wat.
This is similarly at the outermost enclosure and shows a Japanese-fluent tour guide explaining the carvings on the bas-relief....
Another beautiful passageway in Angkor Wat.
There were also numerous apsara (celestial beings) carvings everywhere -- not just in Angkor Wat itself but also in the other temples. This is my favorite picture taken at the Bayon temple. The intricate detail (there's like tiny figurines on the apsara's right!) is astounding. There are two more apsara ones below (last two). I cannot even imagine carving one panel. It would easily take me years... assuming that I had the patience and the talent to do it.
Actually I don't think any number of pictures can do justice to the grandeur of the place; it must have been pretty spectacular back in its 'heyday'... So that will be all I'm putting up for now. Do visit if you get the chance... though it might be a better idea to do it during the off-peak season (once again, according to my trusty TG, the causeway shown in the first pic can get jam-packed with tourists during the good months, say around Nov to early part of year) if you want to avoid the crowds and can endure the heat and rain :P
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