Where Is Angkor Wat?
Angkor Wat is the largest Khmer temple complex in the world in Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Situated in the Angkor Archaeological Park area which contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century, Angkor Wat Temple, together with Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations and numerous other temples of that era, are now under the umbrella of UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
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| Map of Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia |
What is Angkor Wat?
Built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat (City Temple) is now one of the top ten Cambodia tourist attraction. Built as a state temple in the capital, Angkor Wat is designed in the high classical style of Khmer architecture and pretty much well preserved.
Within the Angkor Archaeological Park, you will see the temple ruins of
Angkor which represent the remnants of the millennium-old Angkorian-era
capitals of the ancient Khmer Empire. Most of these temples were built
at the height of the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 12th century A.D.
The Angkor Wat temple was initially dedicated to Vishnu, a Hindu God, but somewhere in the late thirteenth century, it was converted to Buddhist use and has been so until this very day.
Angkor Wat lies within a moat with an outer wall spanning 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi). It is indeed amazing how grand the temple must have been and you can marvel at the harmony of the architecture. Be amazed at the numerous bas-reliefs and devatas adorning the walls of the Angkor Wat temples.
The Angkor Wat temple lies 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) north of Siem Reap.
There are 3 kinds of passes into the Angkor Wat Temples area.
1 day = $20
3 days = $40
7 days = $60
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| Information at the ticketing counter |
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| A one-day pass with photograph |
Holiday Travel Tips:-
If
you wish to avoid the heat of the day, start off as early as possible.
The Angkor Wat Temples open as early as 0500 hrs. Most tourists would
be there around that time to start with a magnificent sunrise. At such
an early hour, you can be assured that there is a smaller crowd and the
day is much cooler.
Check out some of the Angkor Wat pictures below...
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| Beautiful reflection of the Angkor Wat Temple in the early morning |
Although many sites extol the virtue of viewing sunrise at Angkor Wat in
Siem Reap when you are there, they do not share with you the best times
for you to see a spectacular sunrise. Our English speaking Cambodian
guide told us that it would not be a fruitful trip for us to see the
sunrise when we were there in June as it would be cloudy. True enough,
we were not able to see the sun rise and after a while, the whole sky
was just bright and the sun was still hiding.
Holiday Travel Tips:-
According to our Cambodian guide, the best time to see a spectacular sunrise would be around December to March.
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| Angkor Wat |
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| Rows of columns makes for a nice picture |
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| One of the many reliefs |
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| Many pillars have their base just like this one |
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| View of Angkor Wat from a different angle |
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| Exterior of the Angkor Wat temple |
Holiday Travel Tips:-
Do note
that visiting the Angkor Wat temples can be a hot, sticky and sweaty
activity. Remember to keep yourself hydrated at all times.
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| Explanation of the Bas Relief of the southern gallery |
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| Works of art... |
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| Hours must have gone into creating all these bas reliefs |
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| Explanation of the bas relief of the western gallery |
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| One of the many bas reliefs |
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| An idea of what the wooden ceiling looked like before |
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| Interesting |
Holiday Travel Tips:-
Look carefully and you will find certain bas relief decorations uncompleted.
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| Check out the uncompleted bas relief decorations. Look at the sides... |
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| These were placed in later |
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| One of the many statues of their god |
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| Another statue of their god |
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| More Bas Reliefs |
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| Apsara - beautiful and seductive girls of Hindu mythology |
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| The bas reliefs must have been coloured in their hey day as can still be seen a little in this bas relief |
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| Admiring the bas reliefs |
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| Some of the very rare red colour still around |
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| Original writings, some of which bears resemblance to the current Khmer language according to our guide |
Holiday Travel Tips:-
Guides
can be hired for about US$20 a day and are available for
most major languages. We found it particularly useful having a guide
with us as he was able to give us a brief on the history of the Angkor
Wat Temples as well as explain the bas-reliefs which we would have found
overwhelming and definitely not have understood anything if it were not
for our guide.
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| Standing right in the centre of the Angkor Wat temple |
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| Some of the explanations |
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| Just admiring all the bas reliefs |
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| Going up to the second level of Angkor Wat temple |
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| Placing a stone and making sure it does not fall is supposed to mean that you will be back |
Holiday Travel Tips:-
Some
of the areas within the Angkor Wat temples require a dress code. No
spaghetti straps, shorts or sleeveless tops are allowed. Best to cover
the shoulders and legs as a show of respect.
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| Regulation to go up to level 3 |
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| The steep steps up to the 3rd level where dress code is required |
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| Headless statues due to the war |
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| Buddha at the 3rd level |
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| Overlooking the courtyard where you can have your photographs taken with the people in traditional costume |
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| View from the 3rd level |
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| One of the towers |
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| One of the remaining lions |
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| The moat around Angkor Wat temple |
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| 7 headed dragon |
