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In a tiny province in the heart of Cambodia lie the ancient ruins of the Angkorian period. The largest piece of religious architecture in the world, Angkor Wat, and the surrounding temples can still be seen today—even nine-hundred years after their creation. From the ninth to the fifteenth century, the Khmer Empire flourished. The kings who ruled this empire built many temples, cities, and small outposts. The ruins are now a huge tourist attraction, partially because of the massive scope of the temples and partially because of the unique mix of Buddhism and Hinduism that fill the temples. When I visited Angkor for the first time just last month, I found myself completely in awe of this amazing place.

The first thing that hit me as I drove up to Angkor was the size of it. I have always heard people talk about how huge Angkor seemed to them, but nothing prepared me for this. Composed of over one thousand temples—some large, some small—Angkor covers about 1,150 square miles. The temples, carved out of stone, look almost like mountains in the distance. A moat, the size of a small river, surrounds Angkor Wat. Small buildings rise up into the sky like pre-industrial skyscrapers. No one can visit all of the temples in one day; it usually takes over a week to have a chance of fully exploring the temples.

A stone causeway crosses a large moat. On opposing sides of the causeway, the gods and the demons battle over the seven-headed näga snake. On the left side of the walkway the gods, huge stone statues, sit, their faces carved in serene smiles as they grip the näga tightly with stone hands. On the right, their enemies, the demons, frown with menacing stone stares. They too grip the näga. This is one of the many great pieces of architecture in Angkor Thom—a massive area filled with many different monuments—that tell of the religious beliefs in that day. After crossing the causeway and going under the gateway, one has entered Angkor Thom.

 

Angkor Thom and the surrounding area are filled with many of the most famous Angkorian monuments. Some of them include the Royal Palace, The Elephant Terrace, The Terrace of the Leper King, Bayon, and Ta Prohm. Bayon, the first temple that I visited, and possibly the most famous, is known for the enormous faces carved into the towers on the monument. The faces gaze down on the people below with a serene smile and partially closed eyes in an almost unnerving way. But however amazing the faces might be, other attractions also draw people to Bayon. Bas-reliefs, carvings that cover entire walls, tell stories of everything from battles, mythological stories, to everyday life. Elephants, chariots drawn by horses, thousands of little soldiers, ships, oceans, kings—all carved in exquisite detail. Many of the bas-reliefs appear devoted to Hinduism, something common in Angkor, where Hinduism and Buddhism often blend.

 

Tourists often climb the smaller monuments in and around Angkor Thom to see the view from the top. My family and some friends of mine decided to climb one of the tallest of these “small” monuments. Imagine a step about the width of your foot (width, not length); add on a few more inches and you have the first step. Now imagine the next step a bit over a foot (the measurement) above the previous one. Now imagine this staircase not sloping forward like most staircases, but going almost straight up. Remember that the staircase is made out of partially-crumbling nine-hundred year old rock and there you have Angkorian staircases. I do not recommend climbing them—but it was an amazing experience

Afterwards, we visited the fascinating Elephant Terrace. Bas-reliefs and other carvings of elephants jut out of the wall of a long, stone terrace. After visiting the Elephant Terrace, my family went on to Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm—built by the Khmer ruler, Jayavarman VII—was almost entirely destroyed by the encroaching jungle. Roots of trees climb over the walls, trees grow out of the stone ceilings, and rocks lie in huge piles around the building. Rather than restoring Ta Prohm, archaeologists decided that Ta Prohm would remain in the state that it was discovered in, jungle and all. Parts of the movie Tomb Raider were filmed in Ta Prohm.

 

Then we come to Angkor Wat itself—the city-temple. Surrounded by a massive moat, the temple is as large as a city. Angkor Wat includes libraries, pools once filled with water, bas-reliefs, both Buddhist and Hindu statues, towers, and staircases. King Suryavarman II built Angkor Wat, originally dedicating the temple to the Hindu god, Vishnu. However, the temple later became a center for Buddhist beliefs. The most famous bas-relief in the temple, The Churning of the Sea of Milk, covers an entire wall and tells of how the deva and the asura (gods and demons) churned the sea using a great serpent. Many other bas-reliefs line the walls, as well as other carvings.

 

I cannot fully describe all of Angkor. I had heard so much about it before I visited it myself, but nothing could compare to actually seeing it. The bas-reliefs, the statues, the staircases…everything added up to making one of the most amazing architectural accomplishments of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Just by visiting it I learned so much about Cambodia’s past that I never knew before—about the birth of the apsaras, the ongoing battle over the näga, the wars between the Khmers and the Cham, and so much more. It was a trip that no one could ever forget.

 

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