Temple time, part 2

I'm a bit delayed on posting our second day at the temples, due to a bit of an issue with the blog website. But, it seems we're up and running today, so here I am!

Last Sunday was our second day of exploring the many temples around Siem Reap. We didn't have plans to see all of them, since there are so many, so we visited some of the larger and more popular sites. Of course, with that comes more crowds, but that's just to be expected.

Our first stop was Angkor Wat. Built by Suryavarman II from 1113 to 1150, it was a temple dedicated to Vishnu, with whom the king identified. After his death, the temple became his mausoleum. Angkor Wat was eventually converted into a Buddhist Wat in the 13th century. Examples of both religions are evident throughout the vast complex, mainly in the large bas relief carvings that tell stories of the gods and kings. As I previously mentioned, pictures can not convey how truly amazing this, and all of the structures are, but I hope you like them anyway.

Angkor Wat from a distance

Small section of wall carvings

A devata, or female deity

One of the large center towers, with Jeff for size reference :-)

Next on our list was Angkor Thom, a complex that includes numerous temples within its walls. The most well know, I'd say, is Bayon. As with Angkor Wat, this is a temple that has been altered numerous times and was both a Hindu and Buddhist temple at times. The most prominent feature of Bayon are the Lokeshvara, or faces of the Compassionate Lord. It is estimated that there were, at one time, more than 200 of these faces to be found in Bayon.

Bayon

One of the many faces of Bayon

We couldn't resist playing with a little optical illusion

A fun carving I noticed at Bayon

After exploring Bayon and the other temples enclosed in the Angkor Thom walls, our last stop for the day was Ta Prohm, a temple you may have seen before without even knowing it. Ta Prohm, built in 1186, is largely unrestored and is famous for having very large trees growing in and on the structure. It was this jungle taken appearance that lead to it being filmed for the original Tomb Raider film, a novelty that is still quite played up around Siem Reap.

Ta Prohm

A tree growing fro a corner of the temple

Another tree located on the roof

An interior hallway that demonstrates some of the original arched ceilings

Finally, another fun size comparison :-)

 There you have our visits to just a few of the amazing ruins of Siem Reap. I hope you can someday visit these structures yourself, because there is simply no comparison to experiencing them first hand.