We spent most of the day at the Angkor temples. The most recognizable of these is Angkor Wat (which roughly means city with Buddhist Monasteries). Images of the five towers (meant to represent the Meru Mountains - the home of the gods) is on everything, from the nations flag to the beer to half the trinkets sold at gift shops. It is the largest and in many ways it is the most impressive. But there are many others. There are currently fifty recognized but with the possibility that other could be found, that number will likely go up. I've heard estimates of over 100.
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| www.pointsmd.com/angkor-wat-and-5-must-see-temples-around-siem-reap/ |
Many of the temples and buildings are dedicated to one or more of the Hindu gods Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma Some of the buildings are burial chambers others have no known purpose. Each is a masterpiece of art and design. These building were first produced during the 9th century through the 14th century.
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| Angkor structures build next to other large monumental structures |
The building fall into three categories, Pre-Angkor, Angkor and Post-Angkor periods. Many are registered as World Heritage Sites. Standing within the walls it is easy to see why. These sites are the pride of Cambodia. As I walked through these still standing structures, and ambled over the ones that time has collapsed, I could not help but to feel pride for my people. There's a good chance that one or more of my ancestors had a hand in building some of these monuments. The Angkor complex is a major economic factor for Cambodia. Tourism is one of the two largest industries in Cambodia (textiles is the other). It is estimated that 51% of tourist to Cambodia visit Angkor Wat... Which seems really low. It's like going home for a visit and not stopping in to see Grandma...Just not what you do.
We spent time at three temples Ta Prohm (I remember because it sounds like Tap Room), Angkor Thom (which means big city) and Angkor Wat (city and monastery) on the first day and one, Banteay Srei, on the second day (Built with pink stone). I'm just going to show you pictures, I could never describe their grandeur in my broken, grammatically flawed english.
Ta Prohm
Angkor Thom
Angkor Wat (The largest religious building in the world)
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| Stairs up to the top temple...Really scary |
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| From the top of the stairs..even scarier |
Banteay Srei
There is no way to describe the majesty and magic of these places. The scale is impossible to comprehend without standing in the middle of it. Even then, the power of this place is overwhelming. As it sits today, I am humbled by the dedication of the people working to preserve what remains. I can only imagine how incredible these building would have been in their hayday. I am heart broken by the amount of treasures stolen from each of these sites.
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| The casing stones around the door have been removed |
No one knows where much of this cultural heritage is, in the private gallery of some wealthy head of state or CEO, in the back room of some warehouse under a sheet, unlabeled in a museum display...or in some cases labeled in a museum in Paris.
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| This sign was posted outside a pre-Angkorian temple we saw earlier in the week |
PLEASE GIVE THEM BACK
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