Angkor Wat is one of the most impressive sites in the world, and was immediately a highlight of my southeast Asia trip. The temples are breathtaking! While you need to visit them in Cambodia to appreciate it, below is a photo tour of the experience.
I’ll start with some sunrise photos, because that’s what it’s famous for and I love them! I’ll show you the geography, then sprinkle in a little history, with photos throughout the post.
Angkor Wat at sunrise. This brilliant photo is from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff at Stuck in Customs
Where is Angkor Wat?
Angkor Wat is located in Siem Reap, in Cambodia. Along with Angkor Thom, the Bayon temples, and Ta Prohm, Angkor might be the best two-day trip you can take in all of Asia.
History
Angkor Wat was built by the vanished Khmer empire. It was constructed during the reign of King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113 to at least 1145.
Did you know?
Angkor is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siem Reap literally translates to ‘defeat of Siam,’ which is today’s Thailand. It’s a conflict that goes back centuries, between the Siamese and Khmer people.
This is Angkor’s only temple with tombs, despite the “Tomb Raider” movie being shot at nearby Ta Prohm, where there’s no tombs.
The Library at Angkor Wat. Photo from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff
“Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.”
Aspara dancers everywhere!
There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in Angkor Wat.
There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in the walls.
Did you know?
I found this interesting – “Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.” It’s true, it’s both a city and temple at the same time.
“The city that is a temple.”
Stories in the Walls – a closer look
The temple walls tell stories of war heroes and battles from their troubled pastBuddhist monk explores the walls. Many tourists forget the religious significanceThe Battle of Kurukshetra is depicted in this impressive bas-relief.
How long did it take to build?
They say Angkor Wat took 30 years to build, which seems like a long time, until you see all the rich detail on nearly every wall. Nearly every wall has details you can miss!
Nearly every wall has details you can miss!
Why was Angkor Wat built?
Scholars say the temples were built for funerary purposes, since its bas-reliefs are meant to be viewed anti-clockwise, a direction that was associated with death in the Khmer empire.
From Hindu to Buddhist?
This stone sculpture depicts the 8 arms of Vishnu, the powerful Hindu god, but with the head of Buddha. When Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple, the head of Vishnu was replaced with the head of Buddha.
Count the arms…VERY powerful!
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deitya youthful monk learns to read the futureRaided. They stole the heads!“Angkor Wat” translates to The city that is a templeCambodian wedding photo shoot. I saw wedding photo shoots both times I visited, so perhaps it’s a popular spot for wedding photos.under repair when we went – the green tarps typically aren’t there
“Library”. While its true purpose remains unknown, scholars say it most likely functioned broadly as a religious shrine, rather than strictly as repositories of manuscriptsdevatas at the entrance
guarding the complex wallsThe walls at the entrance are 8 meters high and 3 km long, and flanked by a moat.The “swimming pool” – looks good for being 1000 yrs old!Cruciform gallery separating the courtyardslook closely at everything – from a distance this looked like a pile of rockscloseup of one of the towers
My favorite in the Angkor Wat complex?
Finally, if you’re going to Siem Reap, you’ll definitely also want to check out both the Bayon temples / Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm (post coming soon). Those are my favorites!
Welcome to the Bayon temples, built end of the 12th Century. The Bayon temples feature 216 faces! It’s a nearly surreal masterpiece, unlike any I’d ever seen.
29 photo Bayon tour:
I’ll start with geography, then stats on the scale, and even the history beyond it, with photos of Bayon throughout.
Are you ready to get started with the Bayon tour? Here we go!
Reflections of Bayon in Angkor Thom. Brilliant photo by Mike Behnken
Where is Bayon?
Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom, which is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
it’s 90-degrees fahrenheit, but I kept reading about killer mosquitos. They said it’s crucial to get vaccinated, and cover yourself from head to toe.
Bayon by the numbers
First, let’s give a sense of the scale of these Bayon faces.
How many Bayon temples are there? How tall are these massive structures?
There are 216 gigantic faces on the Bayon temple towers. They faces measure as tall as 7 feet just for the face, and there’s 37 towers!
There are 216 gigantic faces on the Bayon temple towers
Who are the faces of?
They Bayon faces are everywhere, and you might be wondering if they’re of someone specific. They’re nearly the same face over and over and over. I was wondering the same question.
To clarify, most historians say that they represent Lokeshvara, a Buddhist deity that projected benevolence outward to the four directions, or even the king himself.
Initially the faces were believed to represent Brahma, the Hindu God of creation depicted with four heads. When it was later established that the Bayon was not a Hindu temple but a Buddhist one, archeologists believed the faces to be of Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. The similarity of statues of Jayavarman VII and the face towers had led some to believe that it is the King himself whose face is depicted on the towers.
Bayon temples History:
But who’s Jayavarman?
Bayon was the state temple of Jayavarman VII, a powerful ruler in the late 13th century (Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII). The temple sat at the center of Angkor Thom, a walled city that served as the capital of the Khmer Empire.
The white and green spots on the face sculptures are lichen (fungus, green alga).
Cosmic Bayon?
Next, we’ll explain the cosmic angle.
The Bayon temple was “intended to evoke the form of Mt. Meru—the cosmic mountain at the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. In keeping with this cosmic symbolism, the plan of the temple is based on a ‘yantra’, a symbol used by Tantric Buddhists as the basis of mandala diagrams that represent the layout of the universe. The temple honored not just one deity, but a host of gods found throughout the Khmer empire. Its central shrine held an image of Jayavarman VII, who perhaps imagined himself as a god-King ruling in the name of the Buddha” [source]
Welcome to Bayon, built at the end of the 12th Century, capital of the Khmer Empire
Our guide explained how the bas-relief is showing Khmer soldiers going to war
our guide explains how the bas-relief is showing Khmer soldiers going to war
Bayon faces are facing in all four directions on each tower. The faces are thought to represent Lokeshvara, a Buddhist deity that projected benevolence outward to the four directions
Next, I’d like you to focus in closer up on the actual walls. Every wall has detail that’s interesting in Bayon!
A scene from the eastern gallery shows a Khmer army on the marchThis scene is from the outer gallery at the Bayon temples. Our guide said it shows Chinese expats negotiating with Khmer merchants at an Angkorean market.
face to face at the Bayon temples of Angkor Thom near Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Finally, let’s finish the tour with some more photos of these structures. You can’t tell from my expression here but I loved it!
Those three are all near each other in Cambodia. They’re easily the best 1-2 day trip you can take in southeast Asia.Bayon temples in Angkor Thom are an impressive display of Khmer architecture
entrance to Bayon temples area
How to get to the Bayon temples and Angkor Wat
You might be wondering how you’ll get all the way to Siem Reap. Most visitors seem to build it into their Thailand trip.
Siem Reap is a short flight from Bangkok, Thailand. Do it!
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity
Bayon temples in Angkor Thom are an impressive display of 