ANGKOR WAT is known to be the LARGEST Hindu temple in the world. Yes, it is here & not India that the world's largest Hindu temple is found. Built in 1150, Angkor Wat covers an area of nearly 1 sq mile (2.5 sq. km). It's also probably one of the largest religious complex ever built in the world! The ruined city of Angkor (meaning city in the Khmer language) served as a capital from the 9th to 12th century. In the city of Angkor itself, more than 100 temples can be found. Angkor Wat is the finest & best preserved of all the temples in this region. The inhabitants in the city were notably the Khmer whose religion was Hinduism initially but gradually converted to Buddhism at the end of this great civilization. Angkor Wat was built by Suryavarman II as his own temple & tomb. The kings of the Khmer Empire built temples to house their own lingam, the phallic symbol of their spiritual & temporal powers. Upon their deaths, these temples became their tombs.
THE BAYON is the most imposing & unique temple in ANGKOR THOM which in ancient Cambodia is one of the most populated cities. Angkor Thom means big city. Its walls run for 3 km on each side. The Bayon was a Buddhist temple built by Jayavarman VII, a famous ruler. A most unusual temple with imposing bodhisattva (49 of them, representing the then 49 provinces of Cambodia) some of which have 4 faces facing North, East, South & West. It is said that the king see the representation as himself overseeing each & every province of his kingdom. The Bayon is interesting in that one enters it & lose oneself in its wonders & complexity. It's like entering a maze! The photos taken simply don't do justice to this place. You've to see them for yourself!
In Cambodia, the Khmer version of the Ramayana is known as the Reamker. Ramayana is 1 of the 2 major Hindu epics commonly depicted on the walls of many of the ancient sites as well as walls in the Throne Hall of the Royal Palace. Understanding Ramayana is one major key to understanding Angkor as well. The stories of the Ramayana epic are depicted on the walls of the largest Buddhist Temple in the world as well; that is, on Borobudur, in Indonesia. There are many versions throughout Asia. Ramayana began when the gods ask Vishnu (who is worshiped here as the protector & preserver of the world) to return to earth & rid it of Ravana, the demon king. Vishnu came to Earth as Rama (eldest son of King of Ayodhya). The story goes that another king wanted to find a suitor for the princess Sita but the suitor would have to shoot his magic bow first. Rama was the only person able to do so. Having won Sita as his wife, Sita was subsequently abducted by demon king Ravana to his palace on the island of Lanka. Rama then enlisted the help of the monkey general Hanuman. Many battles ensued but finally Rama killed Ravana & retrieved Sita after 14 years. Unfortunately, soon after, Rama suspected that Sita had been unfaithful & sent her to the forest where she gave birth to his son. Sita refused to return to the kingdom as long as Rama was alive. Having been tricked & thinking that Rama was dead, she returned but upon seeing Rama, she was terrified & asked the earth from which she came to swallow her. Soon, she descended into the kingdom of the nagas. What is a naga? For answer, please refer to the tip on Naga. In Angkor, one can find it at the entrances. The Ramayana epic is often portrayed in many traditional dancing in Cambodia & Indonesia.
ODONGK or UDONG (OUDONG) was one of our side trips from Phnom Penh. Located about 1 hour west of Phnom Penh & off Route #5, the Royal city of Udong was once the capital of Cambodia from early 17th century to 1866. The excellent countryside landscape around this area warrants a trip to this region if one wants to discover the simplicity of rural living in Cambodia. Several temples & stupas adorned the 3 hills, one of which is the Udong Hill. These hills were once the site of some of Khmer Rouge's most prolonged resistance against the Vietnamese army in late 70s.
Check this photo out in its full version. Otherwise, you ain't see nothing. Same applies to discovering Cambodia. Travel out of the main cities & explore the countryside. You see life & you see simplicity. That's something becoming more of a luxury as the world globalise. That's something you might want to look out for. That's something fast becoming a thing of the past. Gone, forever...
INDEPENDENCE MONUMENT: The history of Cambodia began nearly 6000 years ago. Before that, it was submerged in water. Archaeological evidence shows that in ancient times Cambodians lived in houses on stilts just like today. Legend had it that Cambodia came into being through the union of a princess & a foreigner. The princess was the daughter of a dragon king who ruled over the watery land while the foreigner was an Indian Brahman named Kaundinya. It was said that while Kaundinya was sailing by the land of Cambodia, the princess paddled out in a boat to greet him. Using his magic bow he then shot an arrow into her boat & in her fear she agreed to his marriage proposal. For the dowry, the dragon king drank up the water of his land & presented it to Kaundinya to rule over. The new kingdom was thus named Kambuja. Ancient Cambodia was under much Indian influence. This can be seen through the temples & religious sites. On the other hand, Modern Cambodia was mainly under the influence of the French. It was under the French rule after 1860s.
PHNOM PENH has only been established as a capital as recent as 1866. Before that, it was little more than a few huts lining the river. Infrastructure was only built after the French took over & road, buildings, port were constructed. It was reputed to be the most beautiful city in Indochina by 1920s. The American/Vietnamese conflict in the 1960s somewhat slowed its properity. By early 70s war broke out & on April 1975 it fell to the Khmer Rouge & was completely evacuated in 3 days!!! It remained almost empty until the fall of Khmer Rouge in 1979. It's really unbelievable, isn't it? For 4 years, it was almost empty! According to my guide, many of them were chased out of the city & was told to return to the villages. Those who didn't leave was killed & in doing so, the Khmer Rouge weakened the power of the rich & famous. With people spreading across the country & running for their lives, Khmer Rouge stripped the elites of their power & ability to unite. The Regime went as far out as to force the parents of those overseas students to write letters & asked their children to return home in the name of peace & rebuilding of the country. It's disheartening to hear about such wicked conspiracy. The children returned & were then tortured at Toul Sleng (a former high school) for a few years. None survived.
ROYAL PALACE: The official residence of King Norodom Sihanouk. Built in 1866 in Khmer-style, it's akin to those of Thai & Myanmar's architecture, notably golden roofs! Some of the palace grounds are off limits since it still serves as the official home of the king who spent a great deal of his time in Beijing, China. As pictured here is the Royal Throne Hall which was built in 1917 inspired by the Bayon at Angkor & hosts functions like the acceptance of credentials by foreign diplomats, coronations & public ceremonies. The palace grounds are usually open to the public except when the King is in residence. Photography is not allowed in the Royal Throne Hall. If you intend to take photos in the palace grounds, be prepared to fork out US$2 for each camera & US$3 for the video camera.
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BANTEAY SREI: Popularly translated as the 'Citadel of Women', this small temple is famous not for its size but its intricate & detailed carvings & decorations on the walls of the temple dedicated to Shiva. Legend had it that the temple was built mainly by women when many of the men were killed in the battles with the Thai. It's also believed that this temple holds great spiritual powers for the Cambodians.
Evening cruise sounds somewhat glamorous & romatic. Really, that's not the case here :-) Looks like it, but not really... We have had fun though; a whole bunch of us... us being Hongkongers though I'm the exception. As you probably know, when Hongkongers gather, it's a lot of activities & chatter. I like it though, they are one of the most friendly & genuine people in the world! Probably I'm just lucky :-)))
The ancient city of Angkor is located in the north-western part of Cambodia. It's in the province of SIEM REAP (Siem means Siam people while Reap means expulsion) & can be reached by regular flights from Phnom Penh domestically & from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore & Ho Chih Min City internationally.
Built in 1917-20, the NATIONAL MUSEUM of Cambodia is located near the Royal Palace & is well worth a visit. It houses major artifacts from the Angkorian era & displays over 5000 objects. Tour guides are available but photography is limited to the area outside the 4 courtyards & the garden. It's best to visit the National Museum after the trip to Angkor as it'll then lend context to the Angkorian artifacts.
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