Angkor - Part 1

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Ever since we moved to Singapore in Dec 2000, H and I wanted to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I kept putting it off because V was still very small and would certainly not enjoy being dragged around ancient temples for three or four days. When we decided to move from Singapore last year, we finally made a trip - in April, the hottest month of the year for Cambodia. Poor V. But I observed something curious. He felt hot, thirsty, and tired when we were in the shelter of trees or temples, but was most energetic and enthusiastic when there was tough climbing to do. Specially when he could prove that he was better at climbing than his parents!

This is the mail I wrote to my brother after the trip. I will post them in parts to accommodate the photos. The notes in italics were added for the blog.

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Dear A,
Here is the 'rave' about Angkor I had promised. We visited more than a dozen temples in about 200sq.km around the Siam Reap town. The most impressive being, of course, the Angkor Wat (Wat means temple).
It IS magnificent. Huge. Massive. Grand. First, a low level boundary wall. Then the moat inside it, about 150ft wide. A wide bridge across it. A gate and another enclosing wall with corridors and pillars. Enter that, and you see the beautiful symmetrical outline of the temple in the far distance!


(I just couldn't manage a photograph from this point without a number of tourists in the foreground)

Between you and the entrance to the actual temple, about 4 football fields(?) length. Two small ancient, empty, libraries on either side of the path and then you come to an intersection of roads, and walking further, two huge ponds on either side of the path. You remember the famous photographs of the temple and the reflection in the pond? There is only one pond now and it is dirty.



The temple is extremely well laid out, beautifully planned and symmetrical. There are courtyards inside courtyards and steps taking you up to four different levels. The stairways gets steeper and the steps narrower at each level. The fourth level requires you to climb on all fours! Reaching God is not meant to be easy you see!



There are very neat bas reliefs on the walls and pillars. What impressed me was that these are not rounded or projecting ones like in Belur. They are very thin, (according to some reading that I did on the net perhaps they are described as 'rilievo-stíacciato' -a Tuscan term. I am no sure.) and give a gentle soft appearance and feeling.



In fact, this is so in all the temples in the area. The subject of most of these bas reliefs being Hindu mythology, there is naturally a lovely familiarity for us and fondness. These people were particularly fond of the churning of the sea for Amrita.



In fact, entrance paths to many temples were lined with huge figures pulling the Naga. Added to this is the fact that most temples have a central sanctuary with high rise domes which strongly reminded me of Amma's sakkare acchu( The interesting figures of sugar made by pouring sugar syrup into moulds, during Sankranti). They are supposed to depict mount Meru. Angkor Wat is one of the most intact, best maintained temples in the area, with very little destruction.
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