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Papa Trio

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat                                                                                               Angkor Thom

Here are my photos from Angkor Wat. I've got links displayed for a portrait sized picture of each of them, but those links are inactive.  I've opted to get the smaller versions of the pictures up as I could do that more quickly.  

There are many temples and sites at what most people think of as Angkor Wat. To help speed browsing and make the process more manageable, I've divided the pictures into several categories.  First, is Angkor Wat itself. Then, is Angkor Thom, the large fortified ex-capitol city of the ancient Khmer Empire.  More will follow shortly as I work my way through the photos.

Please note that this page is under construction and will change often. For example, I have yet to construct the pages with the larger versions of the pictures, so you'll have to be satisfied with the smaller pictures for now.

Like a gauzy veil, scaffolding surrounds the central temple mountain of the classic shot of Angkor Wat.  You pass through the entry gate through the surrounding wall and see this.  You can see the evidence of restoration -- the scaffolding and to the right, the green tent.  We were lucky that there weren't many tourists here that day -- it was Thursday, in case you're planning a visit.                     <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

This is my friend, Joon-hyun.  I met him on the way from Poypiet (the border with Thailand).  We ended up hanging out together for the four days we were there.  He's a great guy and made the visit much more fun. He was awed by the ruins as I was, and, what's more, he liked to take his time in viewing them and either ride bikes or walk between temples.  In short, we were ideally suited for each other.  I really liked him and visiting the temples with him.                             <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

Once inside the temple compound is a central building sporting the central temple mountain and four temple mountains at each corner. This is a common design for the older temples.  I like this photo because of the perspective of the doorway and the temple beyond. <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

This is one of the mounds on the corner of the outer wall.  It shows the immense detail and textures that are on all of the surfaces... And it all towers above you overwhelming you by proximity.                      

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An exquisitely detailed door featuring five layers of beings which is a great example of the enigma that Angkor Wat is: What do they represent? Is the bottom layer struggling and thus the common person, the second layer sitting in meditation and thus the religious, and the next few layers neatly obscured but maybe representing increasingly enlightened beings until we reach the gods or the ruler?          <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

One of the features that pulls the inner photographer from every visitor is this style of perspective. These halls are straight and have frequent doors with tall steps forcing you to bow as you go from chamber to chamber.  None of the chambers is very big though -- long, maybe, but definitely not wide.                                 <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

These are the asparas that populate the temples. They are female celestial figures that attend deities, but are not deities themselves.  They are beautiful and often make specific esoteric gestures or  hold their hands in specific positions usually over chakras.  The one on the right has her left hand over her naval chakra and her right hand raised in what could be either the fearlessness gesture (raised hand with palm turned outward) -- removing fear from the observer -- or the explanation gesture (two finger tips touching) -- used to convince observers of the universal truth. These could be inherited from an earlier Hindu belief or supplied later by Buddhist restoration.                          <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

The temples at Angkor Wat were built mostly to worship Hindu gods.  Later, temples were built for Buddhist purposes or earlier ones converted. Angkor Wat itself was restored in the 16th century as a Buddhist temple.  Nowadays, there are many Buddhist shrines and altars littering the area.  Here is a colorful one.  The attendants will all but force you to kneel in front, light an incense stick for you, ask you to pray, and then ask you for a donation.                             <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

This is a sample of the bas relief that decorate the interiors of temples. The dancing aspara is a popular motif. This was made by a plaster over the pillar.  Note the intricacy and detail. It is captivating. One of the details that shows the overwhelming amount of effort that was put into making these temples.                 <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

Looking at this was like looking at a dream or hallucination.  It's dark in these temples, so the subtly produced by the lightness of the image just creeps into your consciousness. You don't see them at first and then awareness come.  The image comes off of the wall.  Notice the monkey-faced figure dancing in the center. This is a reference to Vishnu.  Angkor Wat is oriented to the west -- the direction of Vishnu or death -- while the others are oriented to the east.             <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

The sharp-eyed observer will notice this is my background image. It is an immense bas relief depicting a huge battle between Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu) and his army of monkeys (thus the monkey-faced characters from above) and the ten-headed, twenty-armed Ravana (king of the Rakasa demons) and his army of giants.               <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

One of the many Buddha statues populating Angkor Wat. It is sad testimony to temple raiding for antiquities -- it's not pretty.  The Buddha is meditating within the protective coils of the naga -- giant snake (remember Harry Potter?)  In Buddhist art, nagas are often depicted as protecting the treasures of the earth.  More than likely, this is in reference to a myth in which the cobra-like naga king, Muchalinda, protected the Buddha from a storm using his hood as an umbrella while the Buddha was meditating just before enlightenment.                 <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

The Gallery of the Headless Buddha honoring both Buddha and the temple raiders.  Long live the antiquities trade long may it mar our historical treasures.  The statues are too heavy to carry off, so they are decapitated. As a visitor you don't know who put these statues here or when.  It certainly doesn't seem to be the main reason it was built. Orange is associated with Buddhism in Cambodia, and many of the statues are draped with these orange sashes.             <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

This badly damaged Buddha retains a visible palm and sole both of which depict a chakra.  Visible on the remaining pieces of this Buddha are four of the 32 marks of a great man. These 32 marks originated in pre-Buddhist India. The ones visible here are the two chakras, the elongated fingers and toes, and his feet have a level tread.  Also, these robes are like the robes of Cambodian Buddhist monks.          <Return to thumbnails>  <Next picture>

This is a detail of the previous Buddha. You can clearly see the flower-like chakras but also, the finger-like toes and the flatness of the foot.  One of the 32 marks of a great man is a level foot, archless foot, or a flat foot.  The damage is extensive more than would result from the theft of the artifact.                                             <Return to thumbnails>