eC's Chillout Lounge

We woke up really early morning the next day to catch the sunrise at Ankor Wat.

When we reached there, there were already heaps of tourists, armed with cameras with the same goal as mine.



It is built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city.

Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This has led many to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple.



It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag,



I climbed one of the steepest slopes in a "not very glam" position.



Phew, now to worry how to climb down.



A guy enjoying a different view on the cruciform terrace, along the main axis of the temple.



This is of the of 5 towers, representing Mt Meru.

Mt Meru (மெரு) is a sacred mountain resided by deities in Hindu mythology.



The temple was at first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, and to Theravada Buddhism since the 14th century.



Much of the elements of the design have been destroyed by looting, especially Buddha heads.





One of the many interconnected galleries.



The Bayon was the last state temple to be built at Angkor, and the only one to be built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist temple.



The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of massive stone faces of Lokesvara on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.



It is believed that there are around 200 faces, but as some are only partially preserved.

So no one can be really sure.



The inner gallery is raised above ground level, and are decorated with scenes from Hindu mythology.



Ta Prohm is a temple built as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most of the other Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found.



The temple features stone reliefs of devatas (minor female deities), meditating monks or ascetics, and Dvarapalas or temple guardians.



Ta Prohm has few narrative bas-reliefs left, possibly destroyed by Hindu iconoclasts following the death of Jayavarman VII.



Roots of a silk cotton tree running along the gallery of the enclosure, which is a distinctive feature of the Ta Prohm temple.