No other man-made structure has made me feel so small.
As soon as I stepped on the temple grounds, I felt weirdly belittled but not in a bad way. Angkor Wat is immense, and I’m not talking about just its size. From the intricacy of the bas reliefs in its galleries to its role in the history and culture of Cambodia, everything about this colossal structure must have required tremendous amount of time, resources, effort, and patience. and standing in the middle of the site, I could not help feeling insignificant compared to the surrounding grandeur made of sandstone.
The Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat literally means “temple city,” and judging by the sheer size of the site, no other name fits better. It is constructed with five to ten million sandstone blocks over 500 acres (208 hectares) of forest. built in the 12th century under King Suryavarman II of the mighty Khmer Empire, the temple complex was originally used to honor Vishnu, a Hindu god believed to be responsible for the sustenance and preservation of the universe. In the 14th century, however, the site was converted for Buddhism.
The largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat is a testament to the glory and power of the Khmer Empire, which at one point covered modern day Cambodia and most parts of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.
Today Angkor Wat is not only the most popular tourist attraction in Cambodia but also the most important symbol of the country that it appears on the national flag and every possible merchandise in its major cities.
Outside the galleries of Angkor Wat
Exploring Angkor Wat: layout and Architecture
Truth be told, yes, I was expecting a gigantic temple. What greeted me, however, was a gigantic temple complex. The plan of the site looked simple at first glance but its elaborateness combined with its vastness not only amazes but also disorients tourists, who will often find themselves picking up their jaws on the floor. The complex consists of the central tower, surrounded by three rectangular galleries, surrounded by an outer wall, surrounded by a moat. Confusing, eh?
Angkor Wat Layout
A closer look at the layout of the central Sanctuary and the outer Galleries
From the main entrance, a sandstone causeway extends over the moat, piercing through the outer wall, across courtyards, right to the center of the site. The courtyards are also peppered with several much smaller buildings (libraries). Ponds (basins) also cover some parts of the area.
Buddhist monks on the causeway to the temple
Stone lions guarding Angkor Wat!
Stone lions flanking the mouth of the causeway were first to welcome me at the site. Tourists were already flooding the entrance so I decided to stay outside for a moment and watch the water that fronted the temple complex. While most medieval castles had moats as defense from enemy attacks, that of Angkor Wat’s must have served a different purpose. Some say it was just part of a more expansive system of canals that could have been used to regulate irrigation. The water here was so still during my visit that they mirrored the walls and the trees almost perfectly. The only disturbance was the lotus plants that thrived in its waters.
The walkway ends at the entry gate, part of the bordering outer buildings, topped with three towers. Their upper portions had already collapsed. From the outside, these front towers block the view of the central quincunx of towers. once I made it past the gate, I walked on the causeway that stretched from the gate, cutting through a spacious courtyard that was carpeted by grass. To the left was a series of stores selling souvenirs, postcards, and drinks. The entrance to the galleries was fronted by a cross-shaped area known as the Terrace of Honor.
The galleries are divided into three layers (or levels) that are arranged to form rectangular borders. The levels rise considerably from the ground as you go inward and, of course, the upper levels are smaller. The lowest levels are roofed and colonnaded galleries featuring magnificent, intricate bas reliefs that depict scenes from religious, historical, and literary texts. These scenes are the following:
North: battle of Gods and Demons, victory of Krishna
East: victory of Vishnu, Churning of the ocean of Milk
South: heaven and Hell, The Grand Army
West: battle of Kurukshetra, battle of Lanka
The bas reliefs caught me off-guard. I did not know about this part of the temple and I was mercilessly blown away by the tortuous carvings that crept on the walls. Of all the nooks and spots of the site, it was probably here at the outer galleries that I stayed the longest. I just couldn’t believe how they were able to etch such intricate yet delicate images and patterns on the solid wall on such a massive scale. I stood there with my mouth open, in utter awe the whole time.
Bas reliefs at the West Gallery
Some carvings of devatas around the site
Middle galleries
One of tउसले दोस्रो स्तरमा पुस्तकालयहरू
चौथो स्तर जहाँ केन्द्रीय मन्दिर अवस्थित छ। यो टावरहरूको क्युन्क्क्ससँग मुकुट छ, केन्द्रमा एक अग्लो हो, पेरिसमा नोटे डथेंट्रल भएकोमा। यी बहु-टाय्रेड टावरहरूले ढु stone ्गा कमल फूलहरू लिएर लिए जुन आलिशियल पाइननहरू जस्तै शीर्षमा पर्ने टेप गर्दछ। यी सबै टावरहरू माथिल्लो स्तरको कंक्रीट आँगनको बीचमा समान आधार साझा गर्छन् जहाँ धेरै थकित पर्यटकहरूले आराम गर्न छनौट गर्छन्। पाहुनाहरूलाई सब भन्दा अग्लो टावर चढ्न अनुमति दिइन्छ कि तिनीहरू राम्रो शारीरिक अवस्थामा छन्। त्यहाँ भर्खरै निर्माण गरिएको सीढी छ जुन आगन्तुकहरूमा पुग्नको लागि प्रयोग गर्न सक्दछ। सावधानी अपनाउने शब्द, जबकि उडान धेरै ठाडो छ, कदम साना, र उचाई डरलाग्दो। शीर्षमा, तपाईं दुई कुरा पाउनुहुनेछ: मन्दिरमा सब भन्दा पवित्र छवि, र एन्टोरको शानदार दृश्य!
केन्द्रीय अभयारण्य। हेर्नुहोस् कि साना मानिसहरू संरचनाको तुलनामा कसरी छन्?
Angkor wat को सब भन्दा अग्लो टावर
एक टावरबाट हेर्नुहोस्
मन्दिरको उच्च पहुँचयोग्य भागमा एक पर्यटक र उनको गाईड
एन्काकर वाट निश्चित रूपमा मैले सोचे भन्दा सय गुणा ठूलो छ। समय सीमाको कारणले पुस्तकालयहरू र अन्य ग्यालरीहरू जाँच गर्ने बिरूद्ध मैले निर्णय गरें कि मैले अझै पट्टि झर्दै थिएँ। साइटको वरिपरि हिंड्दा स्टामिना र सन्त तताको धेरै परीक्षण हुन सक्छ। महत्वहीनता, भव्यता, महत्त्व, र साइटको आकारले तपाईंको दिमागमा उडाउँदछ किनकि यो मेरो चल्दछ। वास्तवमा, कुनै अन्य मानव निर्मित संरचनाले मलाई यति सानो महसुस गराएन।
Angkor वाट को लागी कसरी पुग्ने: Siem बाली को शहर केन्द्र बाट, केवल USD12 को लागि एन्कोोर टूर को लागी एक tuktuk लाई एक kiktuk प्राप्त गर्न। यसले तपाईंलाई एन्करले पुरातात्विक पार्कमा तीन फरक मन्दिरहरूमा लैजान्छ। तपाईं USD1 को लागी बाइक भाडामा लिन सक्नुहुन्छ, त्यसपछि भिशेली चार्ल्स डी गौली, मुख्य सडक एन्कारोर वाटको मुख्य सडक हो। तपाईं आफ्नो दायाँ टिकट कार्यालय देख्नुहुनेछ। टिकट पाएर, उही सडक लिन जारी राख्नुहोस्। बाँया पट्टि घुम्नुहोस् जब तपाईं खनिटमा पुग्नुहुन्छ, त्यसपछि दायाँ घुम्नुहोस्। तपाईं तुरून्त यूआरकेर वाट देख्नुहुनेछ।
यूट्यूबमा थप सुझावहरू ⬇️⬇️⬇️
सम्बन्धित पोष्टहरू:
BANON मन्दिर र एन्कारोर थम, Siem बाली, कम्बोडिया
पब स्ट्रिट र एन्कोोर राती बजार, सिमी बाली, कम्बोडिया
टा प्रोम मन्दिर: एन्कारर, एन्जेकर, Siem बाली, कम्बोडिया
Siem बाली, कम्बोडियाको वरिपरि बाइकिंग
एन्कर, कम्बोडिया: एक रमाईलो भ्रमणको लागि 10 सुझावहरू
Perhah प्रोम rang Pagda: Siem बाली, कम्बोडिया को अनुग्रही आत्मा
Thommanon र चौन्दु tavoda: kabkor, कम्बोडिया को ट्विन मन्दिरहरू
Siem सिकार, कम्बोडिया को स्वाद