Touring the Temples of Angkor - Closing the Loop on a 15 Year Quest

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December 29th 2012

Published: January 26th 2013

29 Dec: Touring Angkor, Day One (note: There are a number of photos (111) associated with this entry. Believe me when I say this is just a fraction of the photos taken that day – e.g. you’re getting off easy, and getting only the highlights. Most have commentary immediately below the image, which will give a bit of an explanation of what you are looking at). I'll make a seperate post with ... Read Full Entry

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Donavin Wick

Call 2 Adventure

I wish I had discovered this blog years ago. I did the mass email update for my previous adventures (United States and Europe) and now have no online documentation to share with fellow travelers. To the chagrin of some friends and family wanderlust has struck again. I managed to stay focused for nearly a year and a half in a job related to my college education, however the desire to travel has grown strong again and can no longer be suppressed. I have secured a 12 month Visa for New Zealand and hope to document this adventure for posterity, or at least the life of the TravelBlog. Enj... full info

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Preah Khan: Naga bridge over the moat.

Naga is a multi-headed serpent, which in this case has it's body supported by rosw of gods on the left side and asuras on the right side. This particular location is rather isolated so looters have made off with the giant figures' heads. This particular Naga/Gods/Asuras configuration depicts a scene of the "Churning of the Sea of Milk"; in addition the configuration sets up your journey from the world of 'men' to the realm of the gods.

Preah Khan: Naga bridge

Gods' Side of the bridge

Preah Khan: Naga bridge

Looking at the Asuras side on. Very powerful pose.

Preah Khan: East Gropura

Under Restoration

Preah Khan: Forested Path to the Main Temple Complex

The forest of trees would not have originally been here, rather a bustling city of tens of thousands would have stood in their place.

Preah Khan: House of Fire

Preah Khan: Entry Terrace to the third gopura

The people in the photo give you an idea of scale. I'm not into the temple complex yet.

Preah Khan: On the terrace

Preah Khan: Tree taking over a portion of the gopura of the third enclosing wall

Preah Khan: Closeup of the tree

A giant silk-cotton tree

Preah Khan: Hall of Dancers

Frieze of dancing apsaras. Above are empty niches above the frieze of dancers; these originally had carvings of Buddhas, but were systematically destroyed during the reign of Jayavarman VIII, along with thousands of others throughout Angkor when they reverted back to Hinduism.

Preah Khan: Unusual two story building

The purpose of this builing is unkown, as is how they accessed the upper floor. It's been postulated that this was a rice granary and access was made by way of an exterior timber stair. I've found nothing to confirm this, but my first impression was that the architect had taken some inspiration from the west (ancient Greece or Rome) with its vaguely familiar round columns and column bases and capitals

Preah Khan: Further into the temple complex

Preah Khan: devata

Again, note the change in clothing and headdress

Preah Khan: Axis through the temple

A succession of doorways.

Preah Khan: Hermits in prayer

Preah Khan: The Maze Continues

By this point of time in the day I was hot, tired and nearly ruined out. Despite this the ruin didn't cooperate and just kept coming and coming and coming there was no escape.

Preah Khan: Almost all the way through

Preah Khan: West Gopura

Preah Khan: West Bridge

A similar configuration to the naga bridge that I entered on.

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Touring the Temples of Angkor - Closing the Loop on a 15 Year Quest

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