A Day at the Siem Reap Temples

After a pretty late night at the pagoda dedication ceremony, Kristin and I awoke before dawn once again and prepared ourselves for a day visiting temples around Siem Reap. Our tuk-tuk driver was running a bit later than expected, but we made it in time to enjoy a beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat.

Much of Cambodia's relative prosperity can be attributed to Angkor Wat (it's on the country's flag). This majestic temple dates to the early 12th century, when it was constructed as the state temple and capital city of the Khmer Empire. Angkor Wat is known as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces in the world; its 5-tower design symbolizes Mount Meru (sacred mountain in Buddhist cosmotology) and incredibly was built in accordance with solar and lunar cycles. The symmetry of its design and intricacy of its bas-reliefs, devatas, and pediments display the craftsmanship of its creators. I think we could have easily spent the entire day at Angkor Wat (pictured above and below).

As the heat of the day quickly creeped up, we enjoyed the short drive to Angkor Thom. This 9-square kilometer temple complex was built at the end of the 12th century and was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Angkor Thom's architecture is defined by its large-scale construction, use of laterite soil (a more reddish-color), and face-towers (interpreted as guardians of the empire's cardinal points). Its central masterpiece of the Bayon (symbolizes the world of the gods) has been made famous in modern culture in movies such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Along with Bayon, Angkor Thom contains many structures built before and after its establishment. We ambled through the complex, visiting the massive Buddha statue just adjacent and admiring the grandeur of its grounds before taking a quick break in the shade. The day was wearing on, so we chose two final temples to visit before heading back to Siem Reap for a well-deserved rest.