Angkor Vat: A Tour Through Words and Snap Shots

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Our next stop was the grand Temple of Angkor.

The day was becoming wet as we walked down the long sandstone causeway across the moat. The Moat was still other than the light tapping of raindrops that always fall lightly before a downpour. Once through the main entrance, we went in through the gate that contained a statue of Vishnu. After stepping into the dark, damp hall lit only with candles and the hovering sent of incense, our eyes were first captured by the bright orange of Vishnu’s robe. The only movement in the still darkness was a nun dressed in white attending to the candles and flowers at his feet.

A unique aspect about this statue is that it is a statue of the Hindu God Vishnu, but when the government tried to rid the country of religion, all of the heads on all of the statues were torn off. Now in this great hall, Vishnu stands repaired with the head of, not his own, but that of Buddha. The entire temple is a conglomeration of Hindu and Buddhist relics.

We walked down the avenue between the two library buildings and then around the enormous temple that lay straight ahead. Angkor stood in all of its glory as the rain had maliciously began to fall down up it, us, and the rest of the visitors. We walked for cover under the trees around the left side of the temple where we passes another temple.

We walked in through the side and up to one of the galleries. The galleries stretch for 800 meters down the outsides of the central temple complex. These galleries tell the stories of the past and the great battles of the Hindu Gods in their many reincarnations. In all, there are nine galleries, which are carved in stone. There are so many small details in every square foot of wall space that it would take years to be able to look at and appreciate the entire creation.

We also went through the gallery of A Thousand Buddha’s, which use to contain a vast collection of statues. Now all that remain are the broken fragments of the pieces left behind.

After long walks through the galleries that had one side opened up the pouring rain to our left, we went to the second and third levels of the temple. On the second level we walked around the musky empty hallways that sat in a square shape above the first level and below the third level. When we realized that the rain was not going to lighten up on us, we decided to brave the steep narrow stairs that lead up to the third level. Climbing these stairs was a moving experience, literally as the wind tempted to move us off of our course, so that the temple could claim us as its victims with the many before us.

We rose up with the four towers of the second level that stood on each corner. On the top of these towers were wide pointed cupolas (domed structures). Also as we climbed we saw many people above looking out from the large open windows and pavilion like corners, none of which had any sort of railing what so ever.

When we arrived to the top of the stairs and to the base of the third level, we walked along the open hallways that revealed the wet, now marble looking courts. On the third level, four more of the towers stood on each corner and in their center was a large cupola that stood as the top of the central sanctuary, and once housed a gold statue of Vishnu. Now several other structures can be found including many of Buddha.

The open walk ways drafted in the mist of the rain as we walked down the long couriers. Walking through the cool, damp inside of one of these deserted couriers gave the illusion of stillness and peace. If you looked out through the stone bared windows, the calmness of a wet, but empty courtyard could be seen below, as all of the tourists had run for cover.

Standing in the stillness, mounted on the highest open walkway, the overwhelming sense of grandeur can allure and capture anyone in the moment. It was one of the rare moments where the human soul can relate with the greatness of the past and appreciate the power of man’s devotion to his god, despite any inability to comprehend the existence of such things.

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Photos

Stone Barred Windows
(Look at that hot super model!)

Nice Perch
From the second level, looking up at the third

Third Level
Hall Looking out below

Main Enterance
From the third level

Hall/window/drop off
Third level

Time for a Break
Break from the rain and read a little...sounds good to me.

Stone Carving
From one of the Galleries

Rain at Angkor
Nope, doesn't keep the tourists away.

Jan and I
At the main entrance

Comments

[your mother]

yup
once again, amazing photos...i mean, your pics are always breathtaking so it's nothing new :) Maybe you could do a blog on Maryville, you know, a really good sattire highlighting all the high points, emphasizing that it's one of the top places in the country to retire, devoting some pictures to huddle house and the covenant stone...I see real prospects there... gal, i love you and i miss you tons and I expect an email from you soon.. i mean, when the heck are you moving back into the dorms? keep me posted sistah. peace. l

[John]

hey rebecca
Have reada all your entries so far - pretty cool - i would have loved to visit angkor wat! what is ur email address rebecca?