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Angkor Wat was included in the List of Wonders of the World

Angkor Wat has no equal in beauty and state of preservation. His greatness and splendor surpass the greatness of the Pharaohs, the impression he makes is stronger than that of the Pyramids, and artistic expression comparable only to the Taj Mahal. Angkor Wat is located 6 km (4 miles) north of Siem Reap, south of Angkor Thom. Entrance to and exit from Angkor Wat is only through the western gate.

"You can find many photographs and video files about Angkor Wat, but probably the best of all virtual ones is the panorama of Angkor Wat made by airpano.ru"

Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century during the reign of King Suryavarman II in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu. Construction of the temple lasted about 30 years.

History of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the largest and best preserved site of the Angkor group. The perfection of its structure, balance, proportions, relief and sculptures make it one of the greatest architectural monuments in the world.

"Wat" means "temple" in Khmer. This word was probably added to the word "Angkor", when it was occupied by Theravada followers in the 16th century. After 1432, when the city of Phnom Penh became the capital of the kingdom, Buddhist monks began to be responsible for Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat was built for the burial of King Suryavarman II. Drawing a parallel between the setting sun and death, the temple faces west. Also supporting this theory are the bas-reliefs arranged from left to right in accordance with the Hindu funeral ritual.

Architectural plan of Angor Wat

When you walk through Angkor Wat itself, it is very difficult to determine its architectural plan due to the enormous size of the temple complex. Such complexity and beauty both attract and distract attention. From a distance, Angkor Wat appears to be a colossal massif of stone., which is reached by a long paved road.

The height of Angkor Wat from the ground to the top of the central tower is more than it might seem: 65 meters. The temple consists of three triangular or square levels (1-3). Each subsequent one is smaller and higher than the previous one.

The first and second levels are bordered by covered galleries with columns. The third level is supported by five towers - four in the corners and one in the middle. These towers are the most expressive architectural element of Angkor Wat. Sometimes this form of arrangement is called a quincunx. The levels rising one above the other give the towers a conical shape.

Symbolism

Angkor Wat is a miniature stone copy of the universe and represents an earthly model of a cosmic device. The central tower rises in the center of the temple, symbolizing the mythical Mount Meru, located at the center of the universe. The five towers correspond to the peaks of Mount Meru. The outer wall symbolizes the mountains at the end of the world, and the moat surrounding the temple complex symbolizes the oceans.

Location of Angor Wat

Although Ankgor Wat is the most photographed Khmer architectural monument, photographs cannot convey all its greatness. Frank Vincent wrote about this 100 years ago: “The sight of this miracle makes an indelible impression: beauty, romance, greatness - all this needs to be understood and appreciated. It is impossible to look at this temple without awe, without the feeling that you have soared into the heavens. This, probably the most impressive building in the world."

Angkor Wat occupies a rectangular area of ​​208 hectares (500 acres). The territory of the temple complex is fenced with a laterite wall. The complex is surrounded by a moat, which can be crossed by a long sandstone paved road (250 m (820 ft) long, 12 m (39 ft) wide). The road serves as the main entrance to the complex. The width of the ditch is 200 m (656 ft), and the perimeter of the ditch is 5.5 km (3.4 mi).

The western entrance begins with a staircase leading to a cross-shaped sandstone terrace at the base of a long cobbled driveway. On both sides of the terrace, huge stone lions sit guarding the temple. Ahead you can see the end of a paved road and a gate with three towers of varying heights. These towers at the entrance partially block the view of the five towers in the central area of ​​the temple. A long passage with square columns and a curved roof extends along the moat from left to right of the tower located at the entrance. This is a magnificent façade of Angkor Wat and an example of classical Khmer architecture.

Almost 70 years ago, after visiting the terrace of Angkor Wat, Helen Churchill Kandy wrote: " Any architect would be delighted with the harmony of the facade - a continuous row of columns leading from the far corners to the central entrance, where three towers with destroyed tops are located"The façade was originally another row of columns with a roof. This is evidenced by round holes in the columns.

"Before you walk onto the paved road, turn right, go down a couple of steps on the terrace and walk a couple of meters along the path. This will give you a view of all five towers of Angkor Wat. Return to the center of the terrace and walk along the main paved road towards "The main part of the temple. The left side of the paved road is made of older sandstone than the right side, which was restored by the French."

In the 20s of the 20th century, when Casey walked along this paved road, he noticed one feature of its structure. The slabs that made it up were irregular in shape, which meant they had to be chiselled to fit together. In midday light, the road appears as a long strip of moire. On the left side of the road, just before reaching its middle, there are two sandstone steps. They belong to one of the statues that sits at the entrance to Angkor Thom and were brought to Angkor Wat in this century when the paved road was being repaired.

The tops of three sections of this tower - one in the center and two on the sides - collapsed. The approaches at either end of the gallery may have served as a passage for elephants, horses and carts, since they are located on the lowest level.

When Helen Churchill Candey saw these passages in 1920, she noted that the idea of ​​creating a structure that included passages for elephants was very unusual. A standing statue of Vishnu (with eight arms) is located to the right of the tower at the entrance. To the left, traces of the original color are visible on the ceiling of the tower. Continue west along the second path (350 m (1,148 ft) long, 9 m (30 ft) wide).

On both sides there is a low balustrade resembling the body of a snake. The balustrade is supported by small columns. If you look to the west, you can see the famous panorama of Angkor Wat, depicted on the Cambodian flag. Standing at this point, you want to take a picture of five wonderful domes - friends of the sky, sisters of the clouds? And understand whether you are in the real world or in a fictitious fantasy. Six pairs of formal staircases with platforms on both sides of the road lead to the courtyard.

The staircase is framed by a continuing snake-shaped balustrade. This structure is sometimes called a landing platform. At the end of the balustrade, the snake shoots at right angles to the sky and gracefully spreads its nine heads in the shape of a fan. In the courtyard, just beyond the middle of the paved road, are two buildings that house the library. These "Khmer Art Precious Boxes" are perfectly shaped.

The large central area, columns and steps are arranged in the shape of a cross. For strength, some columns were replaced with cement ones. The original column is located in front of the left library building. In front of the library buildings are two ponds (65 m (213 ft) long, 50 m (164 ft) wide). The pond on the left is filled with water, while the second is usually empty.

"After passing the library but before reaching the ponds, turn left and follow the road for about 40 m (131 ft) to a large tree. From this point there is an excellent view of the five towers of Angkor Wat, especially at sunset. The path leads to a cross-shaped terrace, Known as the "Terrace of Terror", this terrace is located directly in front of the main tower at the entrance to Angkor Wat."

The terrace is characterized by supporting columns and carved designs at its base. On three sides of the terrace there are stairs, on both sides of which there are lions. Ritual dances were held here. It is possible that it was from this point that the king watched the processions and received foreign guests. In the 20s, Casey noted: “It is impossible not to feel that only a few hours ago this place was pulsating with life. Torches burned above the altars. Priests whispered ritual prayers. Dancing girls fluttered along the stairs ... It was only an hour or two ago, no more ..."

The terrace offers a beautiful view of the first level gallery, called the "Gallery of Bas-Reliefs" (215 x 187m (705x614 ft)). The outer side, which is closer to visitors, is a row of 60 columns. The inner side is a continuous wall, decorated with bas-reliefs.

"At this point you can either continue straight to the central towers, or turn right to view the Gallery of Bas-Reliefs. The cross-shaped galleries form the link between the first and second levels. This unique architectural design consists of two covered galleries with square columns in the shape of a cross "The courtyard is divided into four equal parts and decorated with ponds and staircases. A few decorative elements in these galleries are balustraded windows, rosettes on the vaults, an apsara border under the eaves and ascetics at the base of the columns."

"Some of the columns in the galleries of this courtyard have inscriptions in Khmer and Sanskrit. On either side of the courtyard there are two libraries, which are smaller in size than the libraries near the entrance to the complex. The right library - the Gallery of 1000 Buddhas - once housed many images related to to the period of decline of Angkor Wat. Only a few such images have survived to this day. The left library - the Echo Hall - received this name due to its unusual acoustics."

"To hear the echo, you need to go to the end of the gallery, stand in the left corner with your back to the wall, hit yourself on the chest and listen carefully. If you want to visit the library, go through the door at the end of the gallery. This library offers a good view of the upper level of Angkor Wat."

"Return to the center of the cross-shaped galleries and continue towards the central towers. You will have to climb stairs. The outer wall of the second level gallery - the one closest to the visitors (100 x 115 m, 328 x 377 ft) - is solid and undecorated. Perhaps this was done in order to create a suitable environment for the meditation of the priests and the king."

The severity of the external wall of the second level gallery is compensated by its interior decoration. The gallery walls are decorated with more than 1,500 apsaras (celestial dancers). These beautiful graceful creatures delight visitors.

When you first enter the courtyard, so many dancing female figures may seem monotonous. But if you come closer and look closely, you can see that they are all different and differ in hairstyles, clothes and jewelry. These ethereal inhabitants of the heavens are depicted in twos or threes at Angkor Wat.

In the 17th century, the Cambodian poet Pang wrote about the apsaras: " Millions of graceful creatures fill you with such emotions that your eyes do not get tired, your soul is renewed, and your heart is satisfied! They were not carved by human hands! They were created by the gods - living, beautiful women!"Only the highest priests and the king were allowed into the third level of Angkor Wat. The third level does not have covered galleries like the other two, but this level is the basis for five central towers, one of which houses the most sacred image of the temple.

The height of the square base (length - 60 m) of the upper level is 13 m and rises 40 m above the second level. In the center of each side there are twelve staircases with 40 steps each. At the corners there are two more staircases with an angle of inclination of 70°, providing access to this level.

The third level is a cross-shaped space and is characterized by covered galleries and four paved courtyards. At the top of each staircase there is a tower and columns. The entrance tower is connected to the central structure by corridors supported on either side by double rows of columns. There are four towers in the corners of the upper level. The steps both connect and separate different parts of the structure. The upper level is surrounded by a narrow covered gallery with a double row of columns, and on the outside there are windows and balustrades. The central sanctuary rises 42 m above the upper level. The height of the largest of the five towers is equal to the height of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The central sanctuary houses the sacred image of the temple. There were originally four passages facing the four cardinal directions, but they were closed some time after the sacking of Ankgor Wat in the mid-15th century. Almost 500 years later, French archaeologists discovered a vertical depression in the center of the upper level at a depth of 27 m, which contained many gold objects. From the top of the temple you can finally see the entire architectural plan of Angkor Wat. The view reveals stunning beauty, confirming the ingenious ability of Khmer architecture to create harmonious proportions.

"Walk around the entire perimeter of the upper-level exterior gallery to enjoy views of your surroundings, the cobblestone road to the west, and the central group of towers. The gallery is not high enough to provide a full view of the surrounding area. But you can still see enough to realize what the courage required by the architects to construct this temple complex.You will be able to see from the northwestern part of the moat to the towering lotus-shaped peak belonging to the central sanctuary.From this point, Angkor Wat appears so vast that it is difficult to realize that such a grandiose structure was erected by people "

Gallery of bas-reliefs

"They attract attention with their beauty and hold it with their unusualness.", wrote Helen Churchill Kandy in bas-reliefs in 1920. The gallery of bas-reliefs surrounding the first level of Angkor Wat is 1200 m 2 of images carved from sandstone. The bas-reliefs cover most internal walls on all four sides of the galleries. Their height is 2 m.

The details, quality of composition and execution give them the right to belong to the greatest examples of world art. The columns located along the outer wall of the gallery create an interesting play of light and shadow on the relief. The result is a textured wallpaper effect that looks more like the work of an artist than a sculptor. The bas-reliefs are incredibly rich in decoration - a creation of power, calm, imagination and power of fantasy, and giving an impression of "the highest dignity", as one visitor wrote 50 years ago.

The bas-reliefs are divided into 8 parts - two on each wall of the square gallery. Each part reflects a specific theme. Moreover, at the corners of the eastern Gallery there are two pavilions, which also depict various themes.

Panels with bas-reliefs are arranged horizontally and usually consist of two or three parts. In some places the edges of the panels are also decorated. Themes for the bas-reliefs were taken from two main sources - Indian epic and sacred books and military objects of the Angkor period. Some scholars suggest that the location of the bas-relief depended on the theme reflected in it. For example, the bas-reliefs on the east and west walls depict themes related to sunrise and sunset. The word "ba" means "low" or "shallow" and refers to the degree of projection of the relief. The method of creating reliefs at Angkor Wat was that the craftsmen cut out the background, thus leaving the image itself in relief. The surface of some reliefs appears polished.

This can be explained by two theories. The presence and location of polished areas in important parts of the relief suggests that this was the work of visitors who constantly touched the surface. Some reliefs also show traces of gilding and paint, in particular black and red. This may be remnants of primer or fixing agent. Some bas-reliefs depict the most ordinary objects and phenomena. The river is depicted as two parallel vertical lines, between which a fish swims. As in Egyptian art, a person's rank is determined by the size of his image: the higher the rank, the larger the size. In battle scenes, a broken handle on the chief's umbrella signifies defeat. The temporal distance of the scene is determined by the number of planks placed one above the other: the higher the “wall,” the older the event depicted. Figures with spread legs and bent knees mean they are in flight.

Visit to the Gallery of Bas-Reliefs

Those who want to stay longer in this wonderful Gallery of Bas-Reliefs will definitely discover something new for themselves, because Angkor Wat offers visitors many pleasant surprises.

"Remember that the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat should be viewed from left to right. Enter from the western entrance, turn right and enter the gallery, and then continue counter-clockwise. If you begin your tour from another point in the gallery, make sure that the temple remains on your left. If your time in Ankgor Wat is limited, we advise you to look at the following bas-reliefs."

This scene is the main theme described in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. The scene depicts the final battle in Kurukshetra - one of the Indian provinces - between cousins ​​who were at enmity with each other. The armies of the Kauravas and Pandavas approach each other, heading towards the center of the panel. The belonging of warriors to one or another clan can be determined by their headdresses. The scene begins with infantry entering the battle while musicians play a rhythmic melody. This bas-relief depicts a hand-to-hand battle in which many soldiers died.

Senior officers and generals, depicted on a large scale, watch the progress of the battle from chariots or mounted on elephants and horses. The tension of the scene gradually increases and culminates in hand-to-hand combat. Bisma (shown at the beginning of the panel), one of the heroes of the Mahabharata and leader of the Kauravas, was struck by an arrow and now dies, surrounded by his loyal warriors. Arjuna (a man with a shield bearing the face of the demon Rahu) shoots an arrow at his half-brother Karna and kills him. After death, Krishna (with four arms) becomes the charioteer of Arjuna's chariot.

"Photos of the galleries are currently being prepared for publication."

Corner Pavilion (southwest)

Enter the pavilion and view the scenes depicted before you. Then continue clockwise around the pavilion. The bas-relief in this pavilion depicts scenes from the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana".

East

A - Left, Water Festival; two ships with apsaras, chess players (top ship)
B - Center, above the door: God accepts gifts

South

C - Left, top to bottom. The battle between Vali and the monkey king Sugriva; Rama pierces Vali with an arrow, Vali dies in the arms of his wife (three-pointed headdress); the monkeys mourn his death
D - Center, above the door: killing the demon; Krishna extinguishes the fire
E - Left: Shiva sits with his wife Paravati on Mount Kailash
F - Center, above the door: Krishna uproots trees with a stone
G - Right: Ravana in the guise of a chameleon appears in Indra's palace

North

H - Left Side: Churning Sea of ​​Milk
I - Central part, above the door: Rama kills Marika, who, in the guise of a golden deer, helped to kidnap Sita
J - Right side: Krishna raises Govardhana Hill so that the shepherds and sheep can take shelter under it from the storm sent by the angry Indra.

South (historical) gallery - army of King Suryavarman II

This gallery depicts a magnificent triumphal procession of warriors returning from the battle between the Khmers and their enemies. The relief depicts the fighting methods used, mainly hand-to-hand combat, since in those days people still knew nothing about technology and firearms.

In the background, trees and animals are depicted in an incredibly believable and naturalistic manner. The central figure of this gallery is Emperor Suryavarman II, on whose orders the Angkor Wat temple complex was built. Suryavarman II is depicted twice in the gallery. It is signed with his posthumous name, which suggests that the inscription was applied after his death. Triangular holes randomly carved into the gallery may have contained valuable items kept at Angkor Wat. On the upper tier, the emperor, whose body is gilded, holds a meeting on the top of a mountain surrounded by forest.

The entire army gathers together for inspection, and the commanders mounted on elephants rally their troops, who begin to march towards the enemy. The commander's rank can be determined by the inscription next to his image. Emperor Suryavarman II sits astride an elephant (conical headdress, sword slung over his shoulder). He is surrounded by servants holding 15 umbrellas. Vishnu is seated on Garuda, who sits on a flagpole near the king's elephant. The lively and noisy procession of the Holy Fire involves standard bearers, musicians and jesters. Brahmins sing to the accompaniment of cymbals. Royal sacrifices are carried in palanquins.

Towards the end of the panel: the procession is joined by troops of Thai warriors (wearing ruffled floral skirts; braided hair; feathered headdresses; short mustaches), led by a commander mounted on an elephant. The Thai troops were probably mercenaries from Louvo Province (present-day Lop Buri Province) who reinforced the Khmer army. Khmer warriors wear helmets decorated with the antlers of various animals (deer, horses). Some shields depict monsters.

Pit court. Heaven and hell.

Three tiers depict Yama's judgment on humanity, and the other two tiers depict heaven and hell. Judging by the inscriptions, there are 37 heavens depicted here, where you can wander through beautiful palaces, and 32 hells with scenes of punishment and suffering. Heaven and hell are separated from each other by curtains and apsaras. At the bottom of the lower tier there is a row of Garudas. The roof of the gallery was destroyed by lightning in 1947, but then the ceiling was restored through the efforts of the French. The horsemen depicted at the beginning of the panel show traces of gilding. The bottom of the panel was severely damaged and the cracks had been filled with cement.

Lower tier: Chief Judge Yama (multi-armed, has a staff and rides a buffalo) points his assistants to the upper road, representing Heaven, and the lower road, representing Hell. The spirits of dead people await his verdict. Yama's assistants push the villains into the door leading to Hell, where they suffer various punishments. For example, those people who constantly committed crimes during their lifetime are sawed in half, and the bones of criminals are broken. Some of those being punished were wearing iron shackles, others had nails stuck into their heads. Upper Tier: The Garudas and Apsaras support the celestial palace floating in the air.

Eastern Gallery - Churning the Sea of ​​Milk

This is the most famous bas-relief of Angkor Wat, based on the ancient Indian epic "Bhagavata Purana". In this scene, angels and demons churn the Sea of ​​Milk to obtain amrita, the elixir of life. They want to return the lost treasures - the source of immortality, the goddess of wealth Lakshmi, the milk of the white elephant Indra and the nymph of beauty. These objects symbolize well-being and prosperity. This event occurs during the second coming of Vishnu when he returned in the form of a tortoise.

The stage occupies three tiers. The lower tier displays various sea animals - both real and mythical. The lower tier is bordered by a snake. On one side of the middle tier there is a row of 92 demons (round bulging eyes, helmets with crests), and on the other side a row of 88 gods (almond-shaped eyes, conical headdresses). Demons and gods churn the sea with the body of the serpent Vasuki. Hanuman, the monkey god, helps them. Vishnu, in the form of a tortoise, holds Mount Mandara on his shell, around which the churning takes place. Vishnu is at the bottom of the Sea. Demons hold the snake by the head, and gods hold the tail. Rhythmically rotating the long body of the snake, they churn the sea with it.

Gods and demons obey three gods (their images are larger in size). Indra stands above Vishnu, and on the right, the ally of the gods Hanuman tickles the serpent Vasuki. Upper tier: As the sea churns, various female spirits appear. In this scene Vishnu is again depicted, but in the form of a man. He controls the churning of the sea, which, according to legend, lasted for over a thousand years.

Other creatures are also depicted here - for example, Indra's three-headed elephant, apsaras and the goddess of beauty Lakshmi. The deadly poison spewed out by the serpent Vasuki is visible on the sea waves. Fearing that the poison could destroy the gods and demons, Brahma asks Shiva to drink the poison, which will leave a permanent mark in his throat. Shiva obeys and as a result produces amrita. The demons rush to intercept the elixir. Vishnu rushes to the rescue, taking the form of the charming beauty Maya. Vishnu manages to save the precious liquid.

Inscription

In the middle of the East Gallery there is an interesting inscription dating back to the early 18th century - the time when Angkor Wat was a Buddhist monastery. The inscription tells of a provincial governor who built a small tomb to contain the bones of his wife and children. The tomb is in poor condition, but is clearly visible. It is located right in front of the inscription in the gallery.

Victory of Vishnu over the Demons.

The bas-reliefs in the East Gallery and in the southern part of the North Gallery must have been completed later, in the 15th or 16th century. This is evidenced by a certain constraint, ceremony in the depiction of figures and a low level of skill. An army of demons is heading towards the center of the panel. In the center is a four-armed Vishnu seated on Garuda.

A battle scene follows. Vishnu strikes his enemies attacking from all sides, throwing their bodies away from him. The demon leaders (riding on animals or riding in chariots drawn by monsters) are surrounded by warriors. They are joined by another group of warriors (with bows and arrows) led by their leaders, who ride on chariots or sit astride huge peacocks.

Victory of Krishna over the demon king Bana

At the beginning of the panel, Vishnu in the form of Krishna is seated on Garuda. Agni, the many-armed god of fire, sits astride a rhinoceros behind Vishnu. This scene is depicted several times. The wall surrounding the city is on fire, preventing Krishna and his army of gods from entering the city. This scene with Krishna is also repeated several times in the panel. Garuda extinguishes the fire with water from the sacred Ganges River. The many-armed demon Bana (riding a rhinoceros) approaches the army of gods from the other side. Right panel area: Krishna (1000 heads, arms crossed on chest) kneels before Shiva, who is enthroned on Mount Kailash with his wife Parvati and son Ganesa (elephant-headed). They ask Shiva to have mercy on Bana.

Battle between Gods and Demons

The 21 gods of the Brahmanic pantheon walk in procession, carrying their classical attributes and sitting on their traditional animals. Scenes of one god confronting one demon are depicted. The background depicts a battle between armies on the side of the gods and on the side of the demons. The god of wealth Kubera (with a bow and arrow) appears riding a yak, the god of war Skanda (many-headed and many-armed) - on a peacock, Indra? on an elephant, four-armed Vishnu on Garuda. The god of death and justice (with sword and shield) Yama stands in a chariot drawn by horses. The water god Varian harnessed and saddled the five-headed serpent.

Corner Pavilion (northwest)

Once you enter the pavilion, move counterclockwise. Several scenes in this pavilion have been preserved in good condition.

North

A - Right: the women's part of the palace.
B - Center, above the door: attempted abduction of Sita in the forest
C - On the left, the image is seriously damaged: a scene from the Ramayana
Top: monkey tier and funeral pyre

West

D - Right: Rama in his chariot drawn by geese returns victorious to the city of Ayodhya
E - Center, above the door: Rama and Lakshmana surrounded by monkeys
F - Left: Conversation between Sita and Hanuman in the forest; Hanuman gives Rama's ring to Sita.

South

G - Right: Seated four-armed Vishnu surrounded by apsaras
H - Center, above the door: Rama and Lakshmana fight a monster (headless, face on stomach)
I - Left: Rama wins the archery competition; Rama and Sita are sitting together.

East

J - Right: Four-armed Vishnu riding Garuda; Krishna (riding Garuda) returns back Mount Maniparvata, which he took from the demon he killed; his army bears the remains of the demon.
K - Center, above the door: discussion of the union
Left: Rama and his brother Lakshmana
Right: Monkey King Sugriva
L - Left: Vishnu bows to the serpent Bottom: A group of nine gods riding their animals
(1) Sugriva in a horse-drawn chariot
(2) Kubera on a yak
(3) Brahma on a goose
(4) Skanda on a peacock
(5) Unknown god on horseback
(6) Indra on a three-headed elephant
(7) Buffalo pit
(8) Shiva on a bull
(9) Unknown god on a lion

Western gallery - Battle of Lanka

This scene from the Ramayana depicts a long and brutal battle between Rama and the demon king Ravana (10 heads and 20 arms), depicted in the center of the gallery. This is one of the most impressive bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat. The battle, taking place in Lanka (the island of Sri Lanka), ends with the defeat of Ravana, who kidnapped Rama's beautiful wife Sita. Central figures monkey warriors appear, fighting on the side of Rama.

The brutality of war is juxtaposed with the grace and agility of monkeys. Near center: Rama stands on Sugriva's shoulders under a hail of arrows; near Rama stand his brother Lakshmana and the old demon. Nearby, the demon king Ravana (10 heads and 20 arms) rides in a chariot pulled by mythical lions.

Between them is Nala, leaning on the heads of two lions. Nala is the monkey who built the Rama Bridge to Lanka. Nala throws the body of the warrior he defeated over his shoulder. The Monkey Prince pulls an elephant tusk from his three-pointed headdress and throws the tusk and the demon to the ground.

Among the jungle South-East Asia Mysterious Cambodia is lost, striking in the contrasts between untouched nature and bustling cities with a bright color. The country is proud of its ancient temples, one of which is Angkor Wat. The huge sacred structure keeps the secrets and legends of the city of the gods and the capital of the ancient Khmer Empire.

The height of the three-level complex, made of several million tons of sandstone, reaches 65 m. On an area larger than the territory of the Vatican, there are entire galleries and terraces, magnificent towers, the facades of which began to be built and painted by hand under one emperor, and ended under another ruler. The work lasted 30 years.

The history of the creation of the Angkor Wat temple

The capital of the Khmer Empire was built over 4 centuries. Archaeologists believe that the area of ​​the city was 200 square meters. km. Over the course of four centuries, many temples have appeared, some of which can still be seen today. Angkor Wat was built in the era when the ancient state was ruled by Suryavarman II. The king died in 1150, and the complex built in honor of God Vishnu received him as a tomb after the death of the emperor.

In the 15th century, Angkor was captured by the Thais, and the local residents, who, according to historians, numbered about a million, left the city to the south of the state and founded a new capital. One legend says that the emperor ordered the son of a priest to be drowned in the lake. God became angry and sent a flood to prosperous Angkor.

Scientists still do not understand why the conquerors did not settle in the rich city if the local residents abandoned it. Another legend tells that the mythical goddess, who turned into a beauty and descended from heaven to the king, suddenly fell out of love and stopped coming to the emperor. On the days when she did not appear, Angkor suffered from misfortune.

Description of the structure

The gigantic temple complex amazes with its harmony and smooth lines. It was built on a sandy hill from top to bottom, from the center to the periphery. The outer courtyard of Angkor Wat is surrounded by a wide moat filled with water. The rectangular structure measuring 1300 by 1500 m consists of three tiers, representing the natural elements - earth, air, water. On the main platform there are 5 majestic towers, each symbolizing one of the peaks of the mythical Mount Meru, the highest rises in the center. It was built as the abode of God.

The stone walls of the complex are decorated with carvings. On the first tier there are galleries with bas-reliefs in the form of ancient Khmer characters, on the second there are figures of celestial dancers. The sculptures are surprisingly combined with the architecture of the temple, in the appearance of which one can feel the influence of two cultures - Indian and Chinese.

All buildings are located symmetrically. Despite the fact that Angkor Wat is surrounded by ponds, the area is never flooded even during the rainy season. A road leads to the main entrance to the complex, located in the western part, on both sides of which there are sculptures of snakes with seven heads. Each gate tower corresponds to a certain part of the world. There is a statue of Vishnu under the southern gopura.

All the structures of the temple complex are made of very smooth, as if polished stones, tightly fitted to each other. And although the Khmers did not use mortar, no cracks or seams are visible. No matter from which side a person approaches the temple to admire its beauty and grandeur, he will never see all 5 towers, but only three of them. Such interesting facts indicate that the complex, built in the 12th century, is an architectural masterpiece.

The columns and roof of the temple are decorated with carvings, and the walls are decorated with bas-relief. Each tower is shaped like a beautiful lotus bud, the height of the main one reaches 65 m. All these structures are connected by corridors, and from the galleries of one level you can get to the second, and then to the third.

At the entrance to the first tier there are 3 towers. It contains panels with pictures from the ancient epic, the total length of which is close to a kilometer. To admire the bas-reliefs, you need to pass through a series of majestic columns. The ceiling of the tier is striking with carvings made in the shape of a lotus.

The towers of the second level are connected by corridors to those located on the first tier. The space's patios were once filled with rainwater and served as swimming pools. The central staircase leads to the third tier, divided into 4 squares and located at a height of 25 meters.

The complex was not built for ordinary believers, but was intended for the religious elite. Kings were buried in it. The origin of the temple is interestingly told in the legend. The Khmer prince managed to visit Indra. The beauty of his heavenly palace with graceful towers amazed the young man. And God decided to give Preah Ket the same, but on earth.

Opening to world culture

After the inhabitants left Angkor, Buddhist monks settled in the temple. And although a Portuguese missionary visited it in the 16th century, Henri Muo told the world about the wonder of the world. Seeing the towers in the jungle, a traveler from France was so amazed by the magnificence of the complex that he described the beauty of Angkor Wat in his report. In the 19th century, tourists traveled to Cambodia.

IN Hard times When the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, ruled the country, the temples became inaccessible to scientists, archaeologists, and travelers. And only since 1992 the situation has changed. Money for restoration comes from different countries, but it will take more than a decade to restore the complex.

In the late nineties, an English historian expressed the opinion that the sacred temple is a projection of part milky way on the ground. The placement of the structures resembles the spiral of the Draco constellation. As a result computer research it was found that the temples ancient city really reflect the location of the Draco stars, which was observed more than 10 thousand years ago during the equinox, although it is precisely known when Angkor Wat was built - in the 12th century.

Scientists have hypothesized that the main complexes of the capital of the Khmer Empire were built on pre-existing structures. Modern technologies unable to recreate the grandeur of temples that stand on their own weight, are not held together by anything and fit perfectly.

How to get to the Angkor Wat temple complex

Where the city of Siena Reap is located can be found on the map. It is from here that the journey to the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire begins; the distance is no more than 6 km. Each tourist chooses how to get to the temple independently - by taxi or tuk-tuk. The first option will cost 5 dollars, the second 2.

You can get to Sien Reap:

• by air;
• by land;
• on water.

Airplanes from Vietnam, Korea, and Thailand fly to the city airport. Buses run from Bangkok and the capital of Cambodia. A small boat departs from Phnom Penh on Tonle Sap Lake in the summer.

The cost of visiting the complex depends on what the tourist wants to see. Ticket prices to Angkor start at $37 per day and the route is 20 sq. km. For a week of walking around the ancient city and getting to know almost 3 dozen temples, you need to shell out $72.

There are always a lot of travelers on the territory of Angkor Wat. To take a good photo, it is better to go to the backyard and try to stay there until sunset. You can wander through the majestic towers and galleries painted with battle scenes on your own or as part of a guided tour.

A moat of water surrounding the perimeter of the complex forms an island with an area of ​​200 hectares. To get to it, you need to go through stone bridges, leading to 2 opposite sides step pyramid of the temple. To the western entrance, near which there are 3 towers, there is a sidewalk made of large blocks. On the right side of the sanctuary there is a huge statue of the god Vishnu. On both sides of the road there are libraries with exits to the west, north, east and south. Artificial ponds were located near the temple.

A fascinating picture of the main towers will appear before the eyes of tourists who climb to the second tier. Each of them can be approached via narrow stone bridges. The grandeur of the third level of the complex indicates the perfection and harmony of Khmer architecture.

Research carried out by scientists and archaeologists on the territory of the ancient capital of a prosperous empire will reveal new secrets of the mysterious and majestic temple of Angkor Wat. The history of the Khmer era is being reconstructed through inscriptions on sculptures and architectural masterpieces. Many facts indicate that people lived here for a very long time, and the city of the gods was founded by the descendants of an ancient civilization.

A breathtaking sight will be revealed to travelers who decide to fly over the temple complex in a helicopter or hot air balloon. Travel companies are ready to provide such a service.

Angkor is a temple city of the Khmer Empire, located on the shores of Lake Tonle Sap. Although Angkor was never included in the list of the New Seven Wonders, visiting the ancient capital of the Khmers is the cherished dream of many travelers. But what do we know about Angkor? Our review contains the past and present of the holy city of the Khmers, as well as a story about the main temples of Cambodia.

HOW DID ANGKOR COME TOGETHER?

Some things in this world are constant. As you know, the ruins of the ancient city of Angkor are located in the center of modern Cambodia. An interesting fact here is that in ancient times Angkor was not only the political and religious, but also the geographical center of the Khmer empire, so it turns out, whatever one may say, the sacred city, regardless of historical upheavals, was and remains the center of the country.

The name Angkor translates as “city”, and the Khmers built their sacred city in a special place. It is located between Phnom Kulen Mountain and the Great Lake, and the Siem Reap River flows through it. The Khmers saw magical symbolism in the arrangement of rivers, lakes and mountains. Phnom Kulen was considered a kind of personification of Mount Mahendrapura, where, according to legend, Shiva lived, and the Siem Reap River was associated with the sacred Ganges River, and, by the way, according to legend, it was to this region of Cambodia that the goddess Ganga descended from heaven, entangled in Shiva’s hair.

Angkor was built from the seventh century AD to the twelfth century approximately according to the following scheme. The first temple complex was built here by Emperor Indravarman the First in 881 AD. The example turned out to be contagious; after Inravarman, each subsequent Khmer ruler decided to build a temple in Angkor.

Ashrams, swimming pools, hospitals and houses of ordinary residents always appeared near the temples. By the way, the size of Khmer houses strictly obeyed the hierarchy that existed in society - the lower the social status, the smaller the home should be.

Most of the houses of ordinary townspeople were wooden with a thatched roof, which is why none of these structures have survived to this day.

Due to the fact that each new emperor built another temple complex in Angkor, the center of the city constantly shifted depending on which temple was considered the main one here at a given time. In the end, the territory of Angkor expanded to 200 kilometers.

Thus, from approximately the tenth century AD to the end of the fifteenth century, Ankor was a city of over a million people, while it was not only the religious, but also the political capital of the Khmer Empire, which dominated Southeast Asia at that time.

Unfortunately, in the fifteenth century the city was captured by the Siamese. After the plunder and the epidemic that happened here a little later, Angkor was deserted. Soon the city was completely swallowed up by the jungle, and many Khmer temples were rediscovered by archaeologists only in the nineteenth century.

THE FLOWING OF HINDU ANGKOR

Angkor flourished in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Of course, many of the local temples are much older, but the most beautiful surviving ones (including the legendary Angkor Wat) were built during this period.

In the photo: the pool at the entrance to Angkor Wat

Travelers who visited Angkor at that time called the capital of the Khmers a city-kingdom, because on its territory, in addition to the famous temples, there were hospitals, swimming pools, inns and many ashrams.

Foreigners were also amazed by the water supply system that existed in Angkor: canals, dams and pools called barays. Well, of course, the Royal Palace, built in Angkor, was a real embodiment of luxury and a symbol of the power of the empire.

ANGKOR WAT

Famous Angkor Wat- temple complex, dedicated to god Vishnu, the largest religious building in the world, was built by Emperor Suryavarman in the second quarter of the 12th century.

It must be said that all the temples of Angkor have common features, and this is not only about the bas-reliefs, which traditionally depict iconic scenes from Hindu mythology, for example, the great churning - the process as a result of which the gods and demons received amrita - a drink that gives immortality.

In the photo: the courtyard of Angkor Wat

In their structure, Khmer temples most closely resemble pyramids made of large stones(Angkor Wat, for example, consists of three pyramids). Such structures were called a temple-mountain.

Another interesting point. In the Khmer tradition, the temple is not a place for prayer, but a place of residence of the gods, so mere mortals were prohibited from entering the temple; only clergy and representatives of the aristocracy could freely enter the temple.

In the photo: the courtyard and baray of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat- the personification of classical Khmer architecture. Rectangular structure surrounded by a moat; temple-mountain, which is crowned by three pyramids.

However, two important points distinguish Angkor Wat from all other temples in the city. Firstly, this is the first temple dedicated to Vishnu; all previous temples in the city were dedicated only to Shiva. Secondly, Angkor Wat “looks west”, although all other temples of Angkor are oriented to the east, that is, towards the rising sun. Although today the temple is open to everyone, visitors to Angkor Wat must adhere to a dress code; you will not be allowed inside in shorts.

However, it is much more interesting to look not at the interior decoration of the temple, but at the bas-reliefs decorating its walls; they are excellent illustrations of scenes from Indian mythology.

In the photo: bas-relief “great churning” at Angkor Wat

Although Angkor Wat was founded as a Hindu temple, it “converted to Buddhism” in the sixteenth century and continues to be a Buddhist sanctuary to this day.

In the photo: Buddha statue at Angkor Wat

Another interesting nuance: Angkor Wat was never completely abandoned. Despite everything, services were always held here, which is why the temple complex has survived to this day in much better condition than even later Khmer buildings.

BUDDHIST ANGKOR

During its history, Angkor managed to be both a Hindu and a Buddhist temple city.

The fact is that the Khmers originally professed Judaism, but by the end of the twelfth century it was replaced by Buddhism. The largest number of Buddhist temples in Angkor were built by Jayavarman VII, who ruled the Khmer country at the end of the twelfth century. By the way, according to some historians, the emperor not only built temples, but also served as a model for the sculptors who sculpted the faces of Buddha in these temples.

ANGKOR THOM

The main masterpiece of Jayavarman VII - Angkor Thom temple complex. According to the emperor's plan, Angkor Thom (translated as “Big City”) was to become a separate city within Angkor, the capital within the capital of the Khmer Empire.

No sooner said than done. Angkor Thom became not just a complex of buildings, this place was a scaled-down model of the universe as the Khmers saw it. The “Big City” is a square protected by a fortress wall and a moat filled with water. This is how the Khmers imagined the world - a piece of land surrounded by water.

Canals were laid around the city, and barai pools were created inside, in which, paradoxically, even women were allowed to bathe.

At least, the Chinese Zhou Daguan, who visited Angkor in the thirteenth century, talks about collective bathing of the fair sex. On the towers of Angkor Thom and the walls surrounding Big city, you can see the faces of Buddha. A road leads into the city, which is “guarded” by sculptures of demons and gods.

There are several interesting objects inside the city. The first is the state temple of Jayavarman VII, it is rightfully considered the second temple of Angkor after Angkor Wat.

From a distance, the temple seems like a simple pile of stones, but when you get closer to it, you realize that these are real pyramids, decorated with images of Buddha. Bayon is crowned with 54 towers - this is the number of provinces the ancient Khmer empire consisted of. In the eastern part of Angkor Thom is the Terrace of the Elephants, which is easily recognizable by its sculptures of elephants and bas-reliefs depicting hunting scenes. According to the generally accepted version, this is where the emperor sat during ceremonies.

Nowadays, near Bayon one can constantly observe personalities depicting Shiva, garuda or apsaras. The price for a photo with them is the traditional 5 dollars.

TA PROHM

The second temple ensemble, erected by Jayavarman VII, was seen by all those who watched the film “Lara Croft - Tomb Raider,” because the film was filmed on the territory of this complex. The temple is dedicated to the mother of the emperor.

At the time of Jayavarman VII, more than 12 thousand people lived in Ta Prokhm, the inside of the temple was decorated with gold and precious stones, and on the territory of the complex there were hospitals, each of which was staffed not only by doctors, but also by priests and astrologers.

In the photo: trees entwining the Ta Prokhm temple

Today, the gigantic temple complex is in ruins, and the roofs and walls of the buildings are entwined with tree roots. The spectacle is beautiful and creepy at the same time. .

In the photo: ruins and trees in Angkor

PRAH KHAN

The name Preah Knah is translated as “sword of glory” or “victory”, because this is the name that the sword of the same Jayavarman VII bore. The temple is dedicated to the emperor's victory over the Chams, as a result of which the Cham country became a province of Cambodia.

Like all occult buildings of Angkor, Preah Knah is huge; the temple complex, along with a hospital and an inn for pilgrims, occupied an area of ​​approximately 56 hectares.

The peculiarity of Preah Khan is that the temple complex was surrounded on all sides by ditches, through which water flowed into reservoirs and a reservoir, in the center of which a pyramid was erected.

In addition to the pyramid temple, local statues (they have been preserved in surprisingly good condition) and bas-reliefs deserve attention: sculptures depicting garudas and bas-reliefs with dancing apsaras are found here at every step.

By the way, according to scientists, Preah Khan was the site of a curious ritual in ancient times. Celebrations were held here in honor of Buddha: the Buddha statue was dressed in luxurious clothes, cooks prepared food especially for the statue, and musicians and dancers entertained the statue with performances. Of course, now no such rituals are carried out in Preah Khan, but the temple is not completely abandoned; incense and candles are still burned here.

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Yulia Malkova- Yulia Malkova - founder of the website project. In the past, he was the editor-in-chief of the elle.ru Internet project and the editor-in-chief of the cosmo.ru website. I talk about travel for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my readers. If you are a representative of hotels or a tourism office, but we do not know each other, you can contact me by email: [email protected]

Angkor temple complex – the most important attraction of Cambodia. The complex is so huge that it can rightfully be included in the list of the most majestic and grandiose buildings in Southeast Asia. Thousands of people visit the temples of Angkor every year. Angkor Wat is a place that makes it worth visiting Cambodia at least once in your life. I don’t even know what impressed us more: or the Angkor temple complex in .

Angkor Wat temple complex

To avoid confusion, it is necessary to immediately clarify that the Angkor complex is called all temples, located on a vast territory, in addition there is temple Angkor Wat, built by the ruler Suryavarman II, which can be called the pearl of Angkor or the main temple.

Angkor Wat Temple - the pearl of the Angkor temple complex

I will not describe the history of the creation of Angkor, talk about the beauty of the temples and unusual bas-reliefs, I will only share practical information that will be useful to you when planning a visit to the Angkor complex.

Before the trip, I carefully studied the reports of people who visited Angkor, wrote down useful information, reflected on the optimal route, and then tested this route in action. Today I will share this information with you. From this article you will learn:

Where is Angkor Wat and how to get there

The Angkor temple complex is located in Cambodia, near the city of Siem Reap. You will find all useful information about this city in the article:

You can get to Siem Reap by plane, bus and even by boat. If you are vacationing in or on, you can buy an organized excursion to Angkor at one of the travel agencies. But it’s still better to visit the temples of Angkor on your own. About how we got to Angkor from Pattaya:

If you are vacationing in Sihanoukwel, you can get to Siem Reap by bus. If your vacation takes place in Vietnam, for example in, then the best way to get to Siem Reap is by plane from. You can, of course, take a bus, but moving from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap will take quite a lot of time: 8 hours before and the same amount to Siem Reap.

Where to live in Angkor

Of course, you cannot live in the Angkor temple complex itself :) All tourists stay in the city of Siem Reap, closest to Angkor. The question often arises, Which hotel should I choose to be closer to the temples? In fact, the location of the hotel relative to the Angkor complex is not important; in any case, the temples cannot be reached on foot. To visit Angkor, you will have to hire transport or rent bicycles (but without good physical fitness, I would not advise you to do this).

There are many hotels in the city of Siem Reap to suit every taste and budget. I can recommend a good inexpensive hotel with a swimming pool, where we stayed for almost a whole week Bou Savy Guesthouse, I talked about it in detail in photos and videos.

When is the best time to visit Angkor Wat?

1. It is better not to visit Angkor Wat during major holidays , especially during the Khmer holidays, when entry to the complex is free for local residents.

On weekends and holidays there are a lot of tourists in Angkor Wat

2. It is not very pleasant to explore the Angkor temple complex and during hot or rainy season. The hottest month in Cambodia is April; the rainy season begins in mid-May and lasts until November.

In summer, umbrellas from the rain, and at other times of the year - from the sun

3. Optimal time to visit Angkor - autumn-winter. And when you arrive in Siem Reap in November, you will still find bright tropical vegetation around and see temples hidden in the green jungle. In February, we found the Angkor complex no longer so green and nature resembled our autumn :)

Angkor landscape in February. Ta Prohm Temple

In mid-February, the morning was cloudy, and the sun appeared around lunchtime. On the one hand, in cloudy weather it is not so hot and it is more comfortable to explore the temples, but on the other hand, without the sun, all the photographs turned out gray and not bright.

Near and far temples of Angkor. Small and large circle of Angkor

The temples that are included in the standard Angkor ticket are called nearby churches, but temples that are located at a decent distance from Siem Reap are called distant temples.

Nearby temples of Angkor

Nearby temples are usually visited along two routes: small circle And Great Circle of Angkor. There are several more temples that are located on a branch of these two circles - these are the Bantaey Srei and Banteay Samre temples.

Banteay Samre Temple

What is the small and large circle of Angkor?

Small and large circles of Angkor These are two routes for visiting temples, each lasting one day. The length of the small circle is approximately 17 km. The length of the large circle is 26 km. Diagram of the location of the Angkor temples, in which the small circle is indicated by a red line, and the large circle is indicated by a green line.

Map of the location of Siem Reap and the Ankor temple complex

What temples are included in the small circle of Angkor?

• Angkor Wat
• Phnom Bakheng
• Baksei Chamkrong
• Angkor Thom: Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas and east to Victory Gate, Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King
• Chau Say Tevoda
• Thommanon
• Ta Keo
• Ta Prohm
• Banteay Kdei
• Prasat Kravan
• Several small temples

Majestic Bayonne
Bayon Temple






Ta Keo Temple - currently undergoing large-scale restoration, cranes and workers are spoiling the whole atmosphere
Jungle-covered Ta Prohm

What temples are included in the great circle of Angkor?

Big circle it also starts from the Angkor Wat temple and to the Bayon temple coincides with the small one, and then goes north to the northern gate of Angkor Thom and to the temples:

• Preah Khan
• Neak Pean
• Ta Som
• East Mebon
• Pre Rup

Neak Pean Temple



Elephants at East Mebon Temple

Distant temples of Angkor

The furthest temple from Siem Reap is the pyramid temple of Koh Ker. It is located about 120 km from the city, almost near the border with Thailand. Another distant temple is Beng Melea, located about 65 km from Siem Reap on the road to Koh Ker.

Also in Angkor you can visit:

• Temples of the Roluos Group
• Phnom Kulen National Park: sacred mountain with waterfall, river of 1000 lingas and Buddhist temple
• Tonle Sap lake with floating village

Sunrises and sunsets in Angkor

Sunrises in Angkor everyone is met near the lake in the Angkor Wat temple. There are a lot of people gathering, the earlier you arrive, the greater your chances of getting the best seats.

That's how many people want to watch the sunrise on the lake in front of Angkor!
Everyone is waiting for dawn, but it’s still not there :)))

They say that sunrises in Angkor are a magnificent sight. We did not catch beautiful sunrises; on the days of our visit to Angkor, in February, there were clouds in the sky in the morning, the sun appeared from behind the clouds only in the afternoon. On the one hand, this is good - it’s not so hot to climb the temples, but on the other hand, it’s a pity that we didn’t see all the beauty of Angkor Wat in the rays of the rising sun.

This is the only sunrise we were able to see in Angkor

The second place to meet the sun is the former royal bath Spas Srang. We tried to catch the sunrise there too, but we weren’t lucky with the sun that day either :)

It's still a little dawn, but it's already about 7 am, the sun is already high

Sunset at Angkor Basically everyone meets at Phnom Bakheng. Having heard enough about the wild crowds of people there at sunset and the difficult ascent and descent, we decided not to go.

You can also try watching the sunset from the Pre Rup or Ta Keo temples or look for other pyramid temples that you can climb and be higher than the jungle around you :)

To watch the sunset you need to climb somewhere higher. For example, at the Pre Rup Temple Or on Ta Keo

I think that the sunset will be clearly visible from a hot air balloon ( important: You must book in advance for a hot air balloon ride at sunrise or sunset!).

We tried to watch the sunset near the Angkor Wat temple. That's what came out of it

Sunset near Angkor
Sunset near Angkor
Sunset near Angkor

Dawn in February was around 6 am and sunset around 6 pm. Because of cloudy weather beautiful sunrises and we didn’t see any sunsets in Angkor. Maybe you'll have better luck.

Cost of visiting Angkor

To visit nearby Angkor temples, you can buy tickets for 1, 3 and 7 days.

Ticket prices to nearby Angkor temples

• Ticket price for 1 day – 37 dollars
• 3-day ticket price: $62 (valid on any 3 days during the week)
• The cost of a ticket to Angkor for 7 days is $72 (valid for any 7 days within a month)

Three and seven day tickets with photo. Take photos immediately when purchasing a ticket. The ticket office for one-day and multi-day tickets is different. There is a line in the morning (especially for one-day tickets), but it moves quickly.

Line at the box office at 5:15 a.m.
Queue for 3 and 7 day tickets

Visits to the following places are paid separately at other ticket offices

• The cost of visiting the Koh Ker Temple is $10.
• Entrance fee to Beng Melia Temple: $5
• Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre – with general Angkor tickets
• Phnom Kulen – $20
• Boat on Lake Tondesap – 20 dollars per person
• Hot air balloon ride over Angkor – $20

Opening hours of the temple complex

All Ankor temples (except Ankor Wat itself) can be visited from 7:30 to 17:30. The box office opens at 5:00. People start entering Ankor Wat to watch the sunrise from 5:30.

People are no longer allowed into the temple grounds after 17:00 (except for Phnom Bakheng, where they watch the sunset). I read in reviews that even after 18:00 people are not kicked out of churches. I don’t know, maybe this is true in small, inconspicuous temples, but they started kicking us out of the Angkor Wat temple almost immediately after 17:30. And by 18:00 they kicked us out very persistently. I don’t understand why they won’t allow people to stay in the temples until sunset?

You can go to the main temple of Angkor Wat (to the top) from 7:40 to 17:00.

Visiting hours for all temples except Ankor Wat itself are from 7:30 to 17:30
Main tower of Angkor Wat

Cost of renting a vehicle in Angkor

Travel between the temples of Angkor by taxi, tuk-tuk, bicycle or motorbike. Yes, ride a bike into the area of ​​​​the nearby temples of Angkor now allowed!

In principle, with good physical fitness, you can go around a small circle on a bicycle. But keep in mind that it is very hot in Angkor from 9 am, so you need to leave before dawn, around 5 am. Bicycles can be rented at any hotel. Cost from 2 dollars per day.

The main transport around Angkor is here and there, which can accommodate up to 4 people. By tuk-tuk you can explore almost all the temples of the complex, except for the distant Koh Ker temple and national park Phnom Kulen (there a tuk-tuk simply won’t go up the mountain). It is also better to go to Beng Melia by car, but some people also go by tuk-tuk.

You can rent a tuk-tuk either at your hotel or on the street. Don’t worry, there are so many tuk-tuks in Siem Reap that you will definitely not be left without transport :)

Our tuk-tuker :)

Cost of a tuk-tuk in Angkor

• Small Circle of Angkor – 10-12 dollars
• Great Circle of Angkor - $15-18
• Additional for sunset or sunrise (early departure) – 5 dollars
• Additionally for the Bantaey Srei and Banteay Samre temples – 5-10 dollars
• Beng Melia - they told us the cost was 35 dollars, I read on Vinsky that people went there by tuk-tuk for 20 dollars

For a small circle of Angkor + sunrise (departure at 5 am from the hotel and return back to the hotel at 16:00) we paid 15 dollars.

For the big circle + Banteay Samre + early departure (we left at 5:30, were in the center of Siem Reap at 14:30) we paid 20 dollars.

We paid 7 dollars to go to the hot air balloon, then to the Angkor Wat temple and then take us to the street of bars (from 15:30 to 19:00).

Cost of a car with driver in Angkor

• Small Circle of Angkor – 25 – 30 dollars
• Great Circle of Angkor – 25 – 35 dollars
• Beng Melia and Koh Ker – 80 – 100 dollars
• Beng Melia – 35-40 dollars
• Phnom Kulen – $40
• Phnom Kulen + Banteay Srei + Banteay Samre – $50

Prices are approximate, the cost of tuk-tuks and cars with a driver increases every year. But you can bargain; it is often more convenient to hire a driver “in bulk” for 3-4 days at once, discuss the route and bargain for the price.

Another option for moving between temples is to take an organized excursion at any of the tour agencies in the city. But even if you come to Siem Rim alone, it is still more profitable to hire a tuk-tuk and explore the temples at your own pace.

For example, a tour of Angkor with a visit to four temples: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Bayon will cost $11 per person for half a day and $13 for a whole day, with an additional entrance fee.

But it is more profitable to go on a tour to the distant temples of Koh Ker and Beng Melia if you are traveling alone. The tour will cost 45 dollars. The price includes entrance fees to these two temples. An independent trip there will cost at least $10+$5+$80 = $95.

Prices for organized tours to the temples of Angkor and other nearby attractions
Prices for organized tours to the temples of Angkor and other nearby attractions

Important: when you negotiate with tuk-tuk and car drivers clearly state your action plan: What time do you leave the hotel, what temples do you visit, do you stop at a cafe for lunch, do you return to the hotel for breakfast after dawn, etc. and so on. Khmers are generally lazy people, so if you don’t clearly indicate which temples you want to see, they will take you to 2-3 temples and say that’s all, it’s time to go home.

But sometimes tuk-tukers are smart and can tell you in what order it is best to explore the temples, what is worth visiting, and what, given limited time, can be skipped. It’s good when a tuk-tuk drives up to one entrance to the temple and waits for you from the opposite entrance. This is especially true for long temples, so that after inspection, you don’t have to go back in the heat.

Remember what your tuk-tuk looks like, sometimes it is not very easy to find your driver and vehicle in a crowd. The right tuk-tuker will look for you and meet you at the exit of their temple, but he will only receive payment for his work after returning you to the hotel :)

Guides in Angkor

Do you need a guide in Angkor? If finances allow, then I would advise taking a guide to Angkor. We toured the complex ourselves, but beforehand I read a lot on the Internet about the temples and we had an audio guide to some of the temples. But all the same, I think that we missed a lot and many questions remained unclear for us.

A good guide will tell you everything, show you where to take an interesting shot, and take a photo of you against the backdrop of the temples.

I believe that a guide is needed in Angkor (especially if you come on a long-awaited vacation, and not since we are traveling on a budget in Asia). But need a good guide. Bad things won't do any good. Here's how to choose good guide I won’t tell you 🙁 Previously, people on Vinsky shared the coordinates of guides, but the guides became impudent and raised prices, so this shop was closed. The guide Virak was once praised. I don’t know if he’s working in Angkor now, or maybe he’s already gotten so rich from Russian tourists that he lives happily ever after :)

I would take a guide to the main temples for one day. And then she would have walked on her own.

Approximate prices for a guide in Angkor

• English speaking guides – $25 – $35 per day
• Russian-speaking guides – $40-60 per day

You can order a guide or transport in advance, contact us and discuss all your questions.

The Angkor temple complex is huge, do not think that you will be able to see all the temples in a few days. Yes, this is not necessary, by the end of the second day all the temples I saw merged in my head into one big stone :)

Somewhere in the temples of Angkor. On the second day, all the temples in my head merged into one big stone :)

Look at photos of temples before your trip and decide for yourself which ones you definitely want to see. The most popular temples are:

They are always crowded and you have to try hard to walk through these temples without crowds of tourists!

In addition to the main temples, I also really liked:

In small churches, crowds of people appear in influxes: they brought a group of organized tourists - noise, hubbub, inability to take proper photographs, and after 10-15 minutes the crowd subsided and you wander alone again. This is the beauty of an individual visit to the Angkor temple complex.

Determine for yourself what you want: explore as many temples as possible or simply enjoy the walk and the atmosphere of ancient Angkor.

We explored the temples of Angkor without haste: it’s better to see less, but enjoy the walk and feel the atmosphere of the ancient city

If you come to Angkor for 3 days and don’t want to bother planning a route, then the easiest way is to follow the standard route.

Angkor itinerary for 3 days

1 day. Small circle (+ sunrise or sunset)

Day 2. Big circle + optional Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre

Day 3. Distant temples of Koh Ker and Beng Melia

There are different opinions on how best to move around the small and large circles: clockwise or counterclockwise, so as to avoid interfering with crowds of tourists. We drove clockwise.

Angkor itinerary for 2 days

If you come for only 2 days, then on the first day it is quite possible to explore the main temples from the small and large circles (it is better, of course, to travel by car: it will be faster and you will rest under air conditioning while traveling), and on the second day - distant temples.

If you want to visit Phnom Kulen, you can combine it with Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre temples. When visiting Phnom Kulen, you should take into account that on the way to Mt. reverse movement. Until 13:00 all transport goes up, and after 13:00 - back down. Those. You can’t come to Phnom Kulen after lunch!

When is the best time to go to visit temples?

I believe that to explore the temples of Angkor you need to leave the hotel as soon as possible. As much as I like to sleep and getting up at 5-6 in the morning is a huge stress for me, but I advise you to move yourself and leave to explore Angkor as early as possible.

Why? Firstly, in order to have time to see at least one of the main temples before groups of organized tourists arrive to it, and secondly, after 10 am it becomes so hot that visiting the temples becomes very difficult.

This is the crowd at Bayon Temple already at 8 am

How to plan your day in Angkor?

There are different ways to plan your day in Angkor :)

Option 1. Having left early in the morning at dawn and having examined several temples, return to the hotel around 9 o'clock, have breakfast, sleep, swim in the pool, and then after lunch go further to explore.

Option 2. Leave the hotel after an early breakfast at 7-8 in the morning, return to the hotel at 12-13 for lunch and rest, and continue visiting the temples at 15:00.

Option 3. Everything is the same as in option 2, but have lunch somewhere on the territory of the temple complex and rest a little (maybe even sleep in the car or in a tuk-tuk), and not return to the hotel.

Option 4. Leave the hotel early in the morning, take with you a packed lunch and a thermos of coffee. Visit several temples, and then at 9 o’clock have breakfast somewhere on the ruins overlooking Angkor. Explore the temples before lunch, and after lunch return to the hotel to rest. This is exactly the option we acted on :)

We ordered breakfast to go at the hotel, brewed coffee in a thermos and had a great breakfast right in the ancient temple :)

Important: If you plan to return to the hotel for breakfast, for an afternoon rest, or into the city for lunch, agree on this option with the driver in advance. Most likely, you will have to pay some extra amount.

As I mentioned above, the most popular temples are Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm. Angkor Wat, it seems to me, is generally not really possible to explore without a crowd of people, but you can arrive at Bayon and Ta Prohm early in the morning and have time to walk around them almost completely alone.

You won't be able to see Angkor Wat without a crowd of people.

So we did this:

1 day:

• Dawn near Angkor Wat
• When the whole crowd ran to see Angkor Wat after dawn, we went to Bayon
• From Bayon we walked to the temples of Bapuon and Pimeanakas, where we had breakfast
• We examined the terrace of the Elephants and the Leper King and drove further along the small circle of Angkor
• We visited the temples of the small circle (except Ta Prohm) and returned to Angkor Wat
• We walked for two hours in the heat at Angkor Wat

In principle, I liked the route, but walking after 11 days was already hard and hot, so my impressions of the Angkor Wat temple remained blurry. Perhaps, before Angkor Wat, we had to return to the hotel to rest, and by 4 pm we should have moved back to inspect it. But I knew that if I returned to the hotel, I wouldn’t want to go to any other temples that day. Still, it’s very difficult to see temples because you’re not used to it, and even in the heat :) A few photos from the first day:

Day 2:

• Dawn near Srah Srang
• Handsome Ta Prom
• And further along the big circle with a stop at Banteay Samra
• We ended the day with the Hindu temple Prasat Kravan

With this plan, we were able to explore Ta Prohm without too many crowds, but we could still go straight to it instead of waiting for the sunrise near Spas Srang, the sky was still in the clouds that day. Some photos from the second day:

I don’t remember where :)

Day 3:

After lunch we went up in a hot air balloon and walked around the Angkor Wat temple for about two hours before sunset. A few photos from day three:

Hot air balloon over Angkor


Bas-reliefs in the Angkor Wat temple

All the most large and popular temples are located in a small circle. Therefore, it may be worth visiting the temples of the large circle on the first day, and leaving the temples of the small circle for the second day - for a snack :)

Despite the fact that the small circle is called small, you will have to walk in it and examine it more than in a big circle. In a large circle, it takes more time to travel by transport between temples, during which you can rest. In general, the small circle of Angkor is more difficult to visit than the large circle.

Angkor Wat Temple is best visited during afternoon, before lunch the sun shines directly into the lens.

Try to visit Ta Prohm and Bayon as soon as possible earlier in the morning or in the evening before sunset.

Take water with you. I'm very thirsty! Our first tuk-tuk driver supplied us with water, but the second tuk-tuk did not give us water. You can also buy water and fruits near the temples, but the price will be high.

Riding a tuk-tuk in the winter morning Cold, you need to wear a blouse. But walking during the day is very hot.

Dress up comfortable shoes, especially if you plan to climb the stairs to the top of the temples. It is better to choose closed shoes, there is a lot of dust and sand, your feet instantly become dirty.

And yes, be prepared to climb a lot of steps. The next day my legs just fell off :)

Be be careful when going up and down the stairs of temples. There have been fatal accidents at Angkor. Now in most churches the old staircases have been closed and the rises have been equipped with new staircases with railings. But not everywhere! Be especially careful when climbing to Ta Keo!

New staircase at Baphuon Temple

Take it with you wet wipes wipe your hands. On the descents and ascents you have to hold onto the steps with your hands, and they are all covered in red dust.

It is most convenient to climb the temples in shorts or trousers, although I met many girls in long skirts. Short skirts will definitely not be comfortable :)

Do not wear white and black clothes - you will have to sit on the stones: on white, all the dirt is immediately visible, and on black, dust.

You can walk around the Angkor temple complex in any clothes, but you are not allowed into the main temple of Angkor Wat in shorts and a T-shirt! A scarf on your shoulders will not save the situation, and there is nowhere to rent clothes.

If possible, set aside five days for Siem Reap and Angkor to see everything leisurely and take breaks between days in the temples. We were in Siem Reap for 6 full days, but we only allocated half of them to the temples. If you are not a historian or a super lover of antiquities, then after some time all these temples will simply get mixed up in your head and you won’t really remember which of them you were in and what you saw.

Behave yourself properly. Just like in the photo below - no need to do it!

Don't mark yourself on the ancient stones of Angkor!
Rare photo together

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Story

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire for over 600 years, from 802 to 1432. During this time, the empire saw ups and downs, constant wars with its neighbors: Vietnam, Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar). Between the wars, rulers focused their efforts on building more and more temples. The temples that can be seen today are only a small part of a huge, powerful empire. It’s hard to believe, but at a time when European capitals were small settlements and, for example, no more than 40,000 people lived in all of Paris, the population of Angkor was almost a million inhabitants! The reason why only temples remained from the million-strong metropolis is simple: only “god-kings” and priests were allowed to live in stone structures, and mere mortals built themselves dwellings made of wood, which have not survived to this day.

Until 802, Cambodia consisted of scattered principalities. King Jayavarman II managed to unite the country into a single empire. He declared himself a "god-king" and built a huge temple on top of the Phnom Kulen hill, symbolizing the abode of Shiva, on the legendary Mount Meru, at the center of the universe. Thus began the architectural “race for glory”, which gave us the beauty that we can admire today.

King Indravarman I (877-889) built an artificial lake and a Pre-Ko temple. The lake served as the beginning of an irrigation system that allowed Angkor not to depend on the vagaries of nature when irrigating the land. The king's son, Yasovarman I (889-910) , continued his father’s work by creating his own mountain-temple Phnom Bakeng, from which today tourists admire the sunset over Angkor Wat. After the death of Yasovarman I, the capital briefly moved to Koh Ker, a city 80 km from Angkor. Already in 944, Angkor again became the center of power of the kings of Rajendravarman IV (944-968) , who built Pre-Rup, and Jayavarman V (968-1001) , who created the temples of Ta Keo and Banteay Srei.

The largest pearls of Angkor, the temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, were built during the classical heyday of the city. The first king of this period, Suryavarman II (1112-1152) , managed to significantly strengthen the empire and spread Khmer influence to nearby countries. He, unlike other kings, worshiped not Shiva, but the supreme deity Vishnu, to whom he dedicated the most majestic of all Angkorian temples - Angkor Wat. By that time, serious problems had begun in Angkor itself: the city was overpopulated, there was not enough water, and the surrounding lands were depleted. The construction of the temple undermined the economy of the capital. In 1177, the inhabitants of the Cham kingdom - vassals of the Khmer Empire - rebelled, captured and destroyed Angkor. Four years later, King Jayavarman VII (1181-1218) expelled the Chams. On the site of old Angkor, the walled city of Angkor Thom was built. Jayavarman VII built many temples, including Bayon, a temple-mountain with faces facing in all directions. Jayavarman VII was the first king of Cambodia to worship Buddha rather than Hindu gods.

After the death of Jayavarman VII, the empire fell into decline, Buddhism was forgotten and many Buddhist statues were destroyed. The Khmer Empire was never able to regain its former power.

In 1351 and 1431, the Thais destroyed Angkor, taking with them gold and artefacts. The center of power in Southeast Asia has shifted to Thailand. The capital of Cambodia was moved to Phnom Penh, and Angkor was abandoned.

In the 1860s, French traveler and botanist Henri Muot accidentally stumbled upon a monastery on the territory of Angkor, then under Thai control. Descriptions of majestic temples in the jungles of Cambodia had appeared before, but only after the publication of Henri Muo's discovery did the eyes of Europeans turn to Angkor.

In 1907, Angkor was returned to Cambodia. Travelers, adventurers, archaeologists, historians flocked here, and Angkor gradually became one of the main attractions of Southeast Asia. Restoring the temples was a very serious task. Most of them, except Angkor Wat, were heavily overgrown with jungle, sometimes so much so that it was impossible to clean the temple without damaging it. A debate arose over the extent to which temples should be restored, whether late additions such as Buddhist images in Hindu temples should be removed, etc. In 1920, it was decided to restore the temples using the method of anastylosis. The idea of ​​the method was that the restoration was carried out using only those materials that were used in the original construction, and also to preserve the original structure of the temples. Modern materials were only allowed to be used if the originals were lost.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, most of the temples were restored. The Khmer Rouge almost did not damage Angkor, but restoration work was suspended and the jungle attacked the temples with new strength. After the fall of the Pol Pot regime, work continued, and in 2003 UNESCO considered it possible to remove Angkor from the list of cultural heritage in danger.

A small dictionary for a better understanding of the description of temples

Gods

• Brahma is the main of the three primary gods of the Hindu trinity, the “creator”.
• Shiva is one of the three primary gods of the Hindu trinity, the “destroyer”.
• Vishnu is one of the three primary gods of the Hindu trinity, the “protector”.
• Krishna is the eighth reincarnation of Vishnu, usually depicted in blue, most often with a flute.
• Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu, the goddess of beauty and wealth.
• Parvati is the wife of Shiva, also known as Shakti or Durga, the goddess of power.

Mythical creatures

• Asura is a demon.
• Rakshasa is a demon.
• Yakshasas are the inhabitants of the underworld.
• Apsara - heavenly nymph, dancer.
• Devata is a demigoddess.
• Naga - snake naga.
• Garuda is half man, half eagle. Vishnu's mount.

Architectural and geographical terms

• Banteay is a fortress or citadel.
• Baray is an artificial reservoir.
• Boeng - lake.
• Gopura is a gate tower in the temple enclosure of Hindu temples. Serves as the entrance to the temple complex.
• Linga (Lingam)- a phallic symbol that looks like an unfinished circle, from the center of which a stone rod protrudes vertically - a symbol of the god Shiva.
• Phnoma is a hill or mountain.
• Prasat - tower.
• Preah - sacred.
• Wat is a temple or pagoda.

Angkor Temples

The temples of Angkor are perhaps the most impressive site in all of Southeast Asia. The ancient Khmer kings spared no expense to outdo their predecessors, and each subsequent temple was larger, better and more elegant than the previous one.

The crown jewel of a visit to Angkor is the magnificent temple of Angkor Wat (Angkor Wat). The profile of its spiers has practically become a symbol of Cambodia. Angkor Wat consists of five central shrine towers, three rectangular galleries, increasing in height towards the center, surrounded by a 190 m wide moat of water. The overall profile imitates a lotus bud. From the entrance gate, on the western side, an alley with a fence decorated with seven-headed snakes leads to the Temple.

The first gallery, this is the outer wall above the moat, has square columns on the outside and closed walls on the inside. The ceiling between the pillars of the outer facade is decorated with rosettes in the form of a lotus, and the inner one is decorated with figures of dancers. Bas-reliefs on the walls of three galleries depict scenes from various mythological stories and historical events. Here you can see scenes from the battles of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, a depiction of the army of Suryavarman II, the churning of the ocean by demons and gods, the victory of Vishnu over demons and scenes of various mythical battles.

From the first gallery a long alley leads to the second. You can climb to the platform by stairs decorated on both sides with figures of lions. The inner walls of the second gallery are covered with images of apsaras, celestial maidens.

The third gallery covers five Towers, which crown the highest terrace. Very steep stairs present the difficulty of climbing to the realm of the gods. The walls of this gallery are carved with motifs of snakes whose bodies end in the mouths of lions.

The Temple stones, smooth as polished marble, were laid without any adhesive mortar. Construction material this is sandstone that was brought from Mount Kulen, a quarry about 40 km to the northeast. Almost all surfaces, columns and even roof lintels are carved in stone.

The Indian Archaeological Society carried out restoration work at Angkor between 1986 and 1992. The temple is part of the list World Heritage UNESCO.

Angkor Thom is a great city surrounded by a high eight-meter wall. Each side of the wall is 3 km long, and the outside of the wall is protected by a wide 100-meter ditch filled with water. It is believed that about a million people lived here during the heyday of the empire. Angkor Thom was built by King Jayavarman VII (1181-1218) after he recaptured Angkor from the Cham warriors who had captured it. Angkor Thom can be entered through one of five large gates, each gate is reached by a bridge built over a moat. It is best to enter through the most beautiful southern gate. On the bridge there are 108 stone statues guarding the city, on the right there are 54 devatas (deities), left 54 ​​asura (demon). Devatas and asuras supported the multi-headed naga (snake)- Khmer symbol of the rainbow, the bridge between earth and heaven. In front of a row of statues are nagas, whose seven heads are ready to pour out deadly poison. Above the gate there are four stone faces looking in different directions.

Bayonne

Bayon is a temple complex in the center of Angkor Thom, built in honor of Jayavarman VII. The temple has three levels and is surrounded by three walls. The main part of the decoration of the temple is a depiction of the everyday life of the Khmers. There is also a 4.5 meter high blank wall depicting scenes of Jayavarman VII's victory over the Chams at the Battle of Tonle Sap Lake.

In 1925, the temple was recognized as a Buddhist sanctuary, and in 1928, thanks to the efforts of F. Stern and J. Sedes, it was correctly dated.

In 1933, a statue of Buddha was found in a foundation well, whose facial features were similar in appearance to Jayavarman VII and which, during the Brahminist restoration (immediately after the death of Jayavarman VII) was desecrated. It was restored and installed on a terrace east of southern Khleang.

Main article:

Bapuon

After enjoying the wonderful atmosphere of Bayon, you can go to the neighboring Bapuon Temple (Baphuon). For a long time, only a construction site could be seen here. Only two years ago this ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva was opened to the public. Several decades of restoration work in the temple have been called “assembling one of the most complex puzzles” in the world.

In ancient times, the Baphuon Temple was one of the most beautiful buildings in Angkor. However, by the early 1950s it was on the verge of complete destruction. A team of restorers led by French archaeologists decided that the only way to save the temple was to dismantle it into pieces to strengthen the foundation, and then put the building back together. In the early 60s, the project was launched and Bapuon was dismantled. During the deconstruction, the temple blocks were carried into the surrounding jungle, each block being numbered. In the mid-1970s, the Khmer Rouge came to power and work was suspended. As it later turned out, the Khmer Rouge destroyed the documentation for dismantling the temple, and there was no information left in what order the 300,000 stone blocks should be stacked. The task was extremely difficult - there were no two blocks that were identical, each stone could only lie in its place. The architects had to rely only on numerous photographs and memories of Cambodian workers. The work was further complicated by the fact that at a later time, in X V-XVI centuries, a 60-meter unfinished Buddha statue was carved into the wall of the second level, breaking the uniform style of the temple. One way or another, today the giant puzzle has been assembled and the main work on the temple has been completed. True, some finishing work remains; part of the temple is still covered with scaffolding, which makes it difficult to photograph it.

A steep staircase with very high steps leads to the top of the temple. If you decide to climb up, do so carefully.

North of Bapuon is the famous Elephant Terrace (Elephant Terrace), a thick wall 320 meters long, along which are carved images of elephants, lions and garudas - mythical half-humans, half-birds. You can climb the wall and walk along the top, or look at the images below. It is better, if time allows, to do both - images from the inside of the wall, which are visible only from above, are no less interesting. At one time, the terrace served as a platform from which the king and the invited public could observe official ceremonies and review troops. Also on the terrace there are traces of pavilions in which the king could receive delegations. There are 5 massive arched entrances to the terrace from the Royal Square: three in the central part and one at each end. The eastern and western terraces are decorated with bas-reliefs and statues of garudas and lions, they support the terrace in the manner of the Atlanteans. At Angkor Wat, in the bas-relief of heaven and hell, the same figures support the heavenly palaces. The northern and southern sides are decorated with life-size bas-reliefs of elephants with their drivers. A small Buddha carved on the wall of the central section confirms that the terrace is the work of the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII. The central staircase is decorated in the same way as the gates of Angkor Thom - three elephant heads with trunks forming pillars, crowned with lotuses. The Elephant Terrace has an unusual topography: in some places the figures protrude forward quite a bit, and in others they protrude very much. In some places the trunks form columns, and the remains of stairs have been preserved. This is an impressive sight, there is only one problem - a lot of tourists clicking cameras.

A little further north is another terrace - the Terrace of the Leper King (Terrace of Leper King)- a platform seven meters high, 25 meters long. The terrace is part of the Royal Square. On the three outer sides of the terrace, images of gods, demons, mythical nagas and inhabitants of the deep sea are carved in several rows. Best images- from the east (front) sides of the terrace. At the top there is a stone figure of a man surrounded on four sides by warriors, from which the terrace got its name. There are several versions of who is depicted on the statue and why it is a leper. According to one, the terrace was given this name because of the lichen spots covering the statue. According to another, numerous chips on the face of the statue suggested leprosy. (they are not on the copy standing today; the original is kept in a museum in Phnom Penh). There is a theory that the statue actually depicted one of the two Cambodian kings with leprosy. However, the Khmers never depicted kings without clothes. The most common versions are that the statue depicts the god of death Yama, that the terrace was used for cremations of members of the royal family, or that the statue symbolizes the inhabitants of the underground kingdom of the Yakshas.

Legend of the Leper King

A young king reigned in the newly built capital. He became famous in military campaigns and in governing the country, but his heart was cruel. He was hated by everyone except his four concubines, whose whims were his law. When the women got bored with court life, they wanted to go on a trip with him, and the king, without notifying anyone, left the palace. The very next day, discord broke out in the kingdom - two noble nobles began to fight for the throne and launched civil war. While traveling, the king and his concubines decided to visit a hermit who predicted the future. When the disguised king appeared before him, he guessed the high rank of the guest and said: “You were a great sovereign, but from now on you will never be called king. Two large armies are fighting to dethrone you, and only you can put an end to the feud. But at the zenith of your glory and triumph you will know the bitterness of existence and a terrible fate will befall you.” These words shocked the king. After a while, he entered the camp of one of the rebel nobles, formed an alliance with him and led his army. Having put another to flight, he subsequently killed the nobleman with whom he entered into an alliance. At the head of both armies, the king returned to the capital to restore peace. It was then that the hermit’s prediction came true. When the king rode his horse through the city, old woman in rags, she suddenly plunged a dagger into the chest of the horse - it collapsed, and the old woman rushed at the king and pressed her flabby body against him. The king was released from these embraces, and the woman fell, wounded by a thousand blows. The old woman took revenge because several years ago her daughter was kidnapped and imprisoned in the royal harem. She was a leper and infected the king. Leprosy developed quickly, and everyone abandoned him except four concubines. He lost his right to the throne and had to live outside the palace, doomed to despair and starvation. IN legendary history In Cambodia, this king is identified with Prince Preah Thong, who came from India to marry the daughter of the Naga king, and he allegedly founded the first capital of Cambodia - the city of Angkor Thom.

There are also several small temples and chapels inside Angkor Thom. The most interesting of them is Tep Pranam (Tep Pranam)- a large open terrace in the shape of a cross with a statue of a huge Buddha sitting on a lotus in the “calling the earth to witness” pose, made of stone blocks. The statue reaches a height of 6 meters and is located on a lined pedestal 1 meter high. Constructed from reused stones, the statue has a rough-hewn appearance, with the Buddha's head "crowned with flames" clearly dating from a later period. The statue itself dates back to the 16th century and was restored in 1950. Nearby is another restored statue of a standing Buddha in the rarely seen “no-fear” pose. Nearby there is a small monastery where Buddhist nuns live.

This small Buddhist shrine in the forest north of the Leper King's Terrace at Angkor Thom is attractive enough to warrant some attention when visiting the other monuments on the west side of King's Square. Interestingly, above one gate one can find the Hindu god Indra on his three-headed elephant Airavata, and above the other is the “temptation of Mara with her army of demons” attacking the Buddha, who himself has not survived. This neighborhood is quite unusual for the Khmers - it is assumed that the Buddhist images of Preah Pallilai (Preah Pallilay) managed to escape destruction by the staunch Hindu successors of Jayavarman VII due to its proximity to Tep Pranam and the Saugatashrama monastery, whose official status and proximity to the Royal Palace may have saved the precious images and given them sanctity.

Exit Angkor Thom through the south gate. Ahead, a few hundred meters away, stands the 67-meter hill of Phnom Bakheng (Phnom Bakheng), with the construction of the temple on top of which the entire development of Angkor began. Crowds of tourists used to flock here at sunset to photograph Angkor Wat in the setting sun. The views remain the same, but now only 300 people are allowed up at sunset, so if you want to enjoy the sunset from above, arrive early. The staircase leading to the top is closed for repairs; you can climb to the top along a winding path on the south side of the hill. For $15 you can ride an elephant to the top, but you usually need to reserve a spot in advance.

Construction of Ta-Keo (Ta Keo) was started in 975 by Jayavarman V (968-1001) . This is the first Angkor temple built from sandstone. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. For unknown reasons, probably due to the death of the king, it was left unfinished and undecorated - it seems that it burst out of an underground cave, pushing aside the jungle surrounding it. It is known that the temple was originally called Hemasringagiri - “Mountain of Golden Peaks”, possibly prasats (towers) The temple was planned to be covered with gold. Ta-Keo is the modern name meaning "tower of crystal".

According to tradition, the main temples were built in the center of the royal city, Jayavarman V broke the tradition by building Ta-Keo not in the center of his capital, but to the north - near the East Baray. With barai (body of water) The temple is connected by a procession alley with two rows of columns. The temple itself is a 22-meter rectangular pyramid. Conceived as the embodiment of the five peaks of Mount Meru, Ta Keo has five prasats located in the center of its main tier, and is surrounded by a now dry moat, symbolizing the ocean.

On the first level, on a high plinth, there is a fence measuring 120x105 meters and a blank wall with axial gopuras (gate towers), the main one facing east. The two rectangular buildings are preceded by porticoes parallel to the east wall.

The second level rises to a height of 5.6 meters - there is a continuous gallery measuring 79x73 meters with a false stepped brick vault, blind windows covered with columns on the outside and open windows with columns on the outside. The gopuras are built into the walls with corner towers. It is impossible to enter the gallery formed by more ancient rectangular buildings, which indicates its purely symbolic purpose. Inside the enclosure, two rectangular buildings are located along the eastern wall, two “libraries” are located on either side of the access road. To ensure there was enough space for these buildings, the eastern side of the terrace was made wider than all the others. The libraries have an interesting structure: inside they have only one room, but outside, thanks to two lowered semi-cylindrical vaults resting on the walls along the perimeter, a semblance of a nave and two aisles are formed. Compared to other ornate Angkor temples, Ta Kaew may look spartan, but this does not detract from its unique atmosphere. There are steps leading up to the very top of the temple pyramid. Each step is about 40 cm high and about 10 cm wide, so you can only place your foot sideways, holding onto the upper steps. And so 22 meters - the climb is not for the faint of heart, but we highly recommend climbing to the top. It is not known whether the Cambodians chose any energy nodes to build their temples, but the feeling of the amazing atmosphere and closeness to the sky here is indescribable. At some point it becomes unclear whether it is necessary to descend from here back to earth...

Ta-Prom

Kipling described some abandoned temple in India, but this description is simply perfect for the Ta Prohm temple (Ta Prohm)- a huge temple-monastery, swallowed up by the jungle. Of all the temples of Angkor, Ta Prohm is the most poetic, with the most amazing atmosphere created by the huge trees that wrap around the walls, grow through the stones and hang over the towers. Over the centuries, the roots have fused with the walls to such an extent that it is impossible to remove the trees without the buildings collapsing. Ta Prohm was built in the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist temple. The territory of Ta Prohm is very large, like the territory of Angkor Wat, but in terms of architecture the temple is completely different from other temples of Angkor. It consists of a chain of one-story long buildings connected to each other by through passages and galleries. In fact, this temple-monastery is a series of concentric galleries with towers and many additional buildings, surrounded by powerful walls. It is known from various sources that the temple had 39 prasats, 566 stone and 288 brick structures, in which there were 260 statues of gods.

Many passages are blocked with stones and are inaccessible. The uniqueness of Ta Prohm lies in the fact that there are many ancient inscriptions carved into the stones here - more than in any other Angkorian temple. On a stone stele now in the Angkor National Museum it is written that better times The temple owned 3,140 villages and employed 79,365 people, including 18 high priests, 2,800 clerks and 615 dancers. More than 12,000 people lived permanently inside the temple. The forest that surrounds the temple today was once a large, bustling city, and the temple's treasuries contained many treasures. Now all this is hard to believe, because most of the buildings have turned into ruins. Stones and trees are so intertwined, forming a common ensemble, that sometimes you begin to doubt whether the stone or the tree served as the basis in this complex. There are two types of trees: a large one - banyan (Ceibapentandra) distinguished by thick, pale brown roots with a knotty structure, and the smaller ones are the strangler fig tree (Ficus gibbosa) With big amount thin, smooth and gray roots. Typically, a tree seed falls into a gap in the masonry of a building and the roots grow down towards the ground. The roots work their way between the masonry and, becoming thicker, actually become the frame of the building. When a tree dies or falls in a thunderstorm, the building collapses with it.

French Far Eastern School (Ecole Frangaise d'Extreme-Orient), which is restoring Angkor, decided to leave the temple in its “natural state” as an example of what most Angkor temples looked like when they opened in the 19th century. Still, it was necessary to clear Ta Prohm of the jungle quite thoroughly in order to prevent further destruction and make visiting the temple possible. To see a truly jungle-conquered temple, visit Beng Mealea Temple (Beng Mealea).

One of interesting riddles Ta-Prom is an image of a stegosaurus carved on the wall that guides like to take you to. Few people know that there is another image of a dinosaur here; it is almost impossible to find it without a guide, and only experienced guides can show it. Where the ancient Khmers could have seen the dinosaur and how it ended up on the wall, no one can explain. The most popular place among tourists in Ta Prohm is the courtyard with fig tree roots, where the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was filmed. At this point, the main character picks a jasmine flower and falls underground. It would be ideal to walk around Ta Prohm when there are no dense masses of tourists around. Unfortunately, this is almost impossible. The only chance is to come here right at dawn and be the first, or to be here just before closing, when most tourists are busy contemplating the sunset.

Kipling about the Ta-Prohm Temple

The Monkey People in the Cold Dens did not think at all about Mowgli's friends. They dragged the boy to the abandoned city and were now very pleased with themselves. I've never seen Mowgli before Indian city, and although this city lay completely in ruins, it seemed to the boy magnificent and full of miracles. One sovereign prince built it a long time ago on a low hill. Still visible were the remains of stone-paved roads leading to the destroyed gates, where the last fragments of rotten wood still hung on rust-eaten hinges. The trees had grown their roots into the walls and towered over them; the battlements on the walls collapsed and crumbled to dust; creeping plants escaped from the loopholes and spread along the walls of the towers in hanging, shaggy vines. Grand Palace stood roofless on the top of a hill. The marble of its fountains and courtyards was all covered with cracks and brown spots of lichen, the very slabs of the courtyard, where the princely elephants had previously stood, were raised and pushed apart by grasses and young trees. Behind the palace one could see row after row of roofless houses and the whole city, like an empty honeycomb filled only with darkness; a shapeless stone block, which had previously been an idol, now lay in the square where four roads intersected; only holes and potholes remained on the street corners where wells once stood, and the dilapidated domes of temples, on the sides of which wild fig trees sprouted.

R. Kipling. The jungle book

Preah Kan

One of Jayavarman VII's largest projects, Preah Kan (Preah Khan), was much more than just a temple - it was a Buddhist university with over a thousand teachers, surrounded by a large city. As at Ta Prohm, a stele with information about the temple was discovered here: the inscriptions reveal the history of its foundation and purpose. The Royal Palace of Yasovarman II previously stood on this site, and the inscription on the stele about the “lake of blood” recalls that the temple was built on the site of a major battle with the Cham, which prevented the capture of Angkor - in that battle the Cham king was killed. The city was named Nagara Jayasri in honor of King Jayasri, who became famous in this battle. (Nagara means "city" in Sanskrit), and the modern name Preah-Kan - “Sacred Sword” - is a translation of the name Jayasri from Sanskrit.

If Ta Prohm was dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII, then Preah Kan five years later, in 1191, was dedicated to the king's father, Dharanin-dravarman. A statue of the bodhisattva Lokeshvara was created from it. There were 430 minor deities in other chapels in the city. Following the entrance alley with pillars is a naga bridge, exactly the same as the one that crosses the moat of Angkor Thom - the bodies of two giant naga snakes on both sides of the dam are held by a row of devatas (demigods) left and asuras (demons) on right. Unfortunately, the relatively remote location of the temple allowed treasure hunters to steal their heads. Overall, this type of giant figures is reminiscent of the famous scene on the Angkor Wat bas-relief, “The Churning of the Ocean of Milk.” As in Angkor Thom, the nagas lead us across the moat - it is likely that here too they symbolize the bridge between the world of people and gods.

The eastern tower of the outer enclosure has three entrances, the central entrance being the largest; a cart could pass through it. On the walls there are magnificent stone sculptures of giant garudas holding in their hands the tail of a naga serpent - their traditional enemy. These 5-meter-tall figures are located at 50-meter intervals around the entire perimeter of the fourth encirclement - there are 72 of them in total, with the largest garudas located at the corners. The gopura of the third enclosure is the largest in Angkor. In front of it is a large cruciform terrace with balustrades of nagas and lions. On the right is the so-called House of Fire, one of 121 chapels built by Jayavarman VII along the main roads of the empire. All chapels are built in the same way, oriented west to east, with towers on the western exits and windows only on the southern sides. From their names on the engravings it can be understood that they were related to the arks with the sacred flame and, perhaps, served as transit points on a ritual journey. The gopura of the third enclosure is the richest of all. Its three widely spaced towers and small pavilions at either end are connected by columned galleries on the outer sides. The length of the gopura is 100 meters, there are five entrances in total, as well as a gallery on the left side. The entrance was guarded by two demon guards, today only one of them remains - only the surviving pedestal reminds of the second. Between the central and southern towers grow two giant beautiful trees, their trunks are located at an angle to each other. The trees are very old - there is a great danger that they will fall and seriously damage the stonework.

Immediately behind the gopura, just like in Ta-Prom, there is a large building - the Hall of Dancers (now it is without a roof). The building consists of four small courtyards, each surrounded by 24 columns, and together they form a gallery. The building got its name from the bas-reliefs of apsaras depicted in dance. Note the empty niches above the bas-reliefs of the dancers. Carved figurines of Buddhas once stood here; they were destroyed during the reign of Jayavarman VIII, the restorer of Hinduism, along with thousands of others throughout Angkor. Inside the galleries of the second enclosure, allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness and admire the exquisitely carved garudas. In the vestibule to the west of the sanctuary there is a linga - a symbol of Shiva, installed here, probably in the second half of the 13th century.

Immediately behind the gopura of the second enclosure there is a small temple of Vishnu with a long pedestal at the eastern entrance, on the pedestal there are holes for three statues and a spout for the ritual of blessing water, like on a linga. An inscription on the doorframe states that the missing statues were of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, and the side of the same doorway is decorated with carvings. The western pediment depicts the scene of Krishna lifting Mount Govardhana. Next, three small rectangular temples surround the Buddha temple: the northern one is dedicated to Shiva, the southern one is dedicated to deceased kings and queens, and the western one is dedicated to Vishnu.

The central sanctuary, as usual, is shifted to the west. The internal walls here are dotted with small holes, which served for fastening bronze facing sheets. The engraved inscriptions of the temple claim that more than 1,500 tons were used. In the center is a small stupa, added around the 16th century. In the morning, from a certain angle, you can achieve the illusion that the top of the stupa is dazzlingly glowing. Originally there was a statue made of Jayavarman VII's father, Jayavarmeshwar; it was probably destroyed by Jayavarman VIII during the restoration of Hinduism in Angkor. As in Ta Prohm, huge trees grow here right on the walls; it is impossible to remove them without damaging the stonework. However, Preah Kan is much more cleared of jungle than Ta Prohm.

2.5 km to the east a narrow path leads to the Neak Pean Temple (Neak Pean), translated as “Coiled snakes.” It was built by the same Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. This unusual architectural monument, small by Angkorian standards, with a cross-shaped arrangement of reservoirs and a sanctuary tower on a round island in the middle, is very symbolic. The base of this building, laid out in the shape of lotus petals, makes it look like a huge flower that has floated to the surface: however, this can only be seen for a short time - during the rainy season, when the pools are filled with water. At this time, the temple is reflected in the water and is unlike any other. Neak Pean is undoubtedly one of the gems of Khmer art.

A stone stele in the Preah Kan Temple mentions this temple, calling it "The Happiness of the Kingdom", and tells that King Jayavarman VII built the "North Lake" "like a mirror, decorated with stones, gold and garlands." The pond sparkled, illuminated by the light of the golden temple and decorated with red lotus flowers. Inside is a towering island made especially beautiful by the waters surrounding it. An inscription on one of the walls found during the clearing of Preah Kan mentions Neak Pean "as a famous island, attracting with its pools - they wash away the dirt of sins from those who come there." The temple was a place of pilgrimage: people came here to bathe, and “the sick returned healed.” In the 13th century, the Chinese Zhou Daguang described the temple as follows: “The North Lake lies a quarter of a mile north of the Walled City. At its center stands square tower made of gold with several dozen stone rooms. If you are looking for golden lions, bronze elephants, bronze oxen, bronze horses, here you will find them." Two naga circle the base of the round island, hence the name Neak Pean. Their heads spread out to the east to give passage, and are designed in the style of the head of the serpent king Mucalinda, who protected the Buddha in meditation when a thunderstorm was approaching. The upper platform appears like a huge corolla of a blooming lotus. The Buddhist sanctuary lacks a statue, but the entire surroundings are preserved - two tiers with lotuses and pediments decorated with bas-reliefs from the life of the Buddha: “Cutting of Hair” in the east, “Great Departure” in the north and “Buddha Meditating Under the Bodhi Tree” in the west. On the outer walls of the temple there are bas-reliefs in the form of three beautiful groups with large images of Lokeshvara, a compassionate bodhisattva.

Within the steps of the central pond are four identical chapels. They served to purify pilgrims who, as can be judged by the bas-reliefs on the pediments, came here in the hope of being cured of illnesses or getting rid of misfortunes. The bas-reliefs on the walls of the chapels depict scenes where the deity, the savior Avalokiteshvara, stands in the center: on one side of him, a weak patient crawls with difficulty on the ground, and on the other, the same person straightens up and regains the ability to walk. A number of lings can be found in the south (symbols of Shiva), no doubt part of the "thousand lings" described in the Preah Kan inscriptions.

In the east, the sculptural group, unfortunately badly damaged, represents a horse carrying small people hanging on it. This image is associated with a legend taken from a Sanskrit text: the merchant Simhala, along with his companions, went in search of precious stones. A terrible storm sank his ship off the coast of Tamradvipa (Island of Ceylon), and the merchants became prey terrible cannibals who threatened to eat them. And then the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara turned into a horse, found himself on the island, and then rose into the air and carried the merchants to the Buddha, saving them from death.

East Mebon

Huge Eastern Baray (reservoir), which surrounds East Mebon (Eastern Mebon), now dry. The reservoir was built by King Yasovarman I almost half a century earlier than the temple to regularly supply water to the new city of Yasodharapura and was 7.5 km long and 1830 meters wide. In each corner of the barai there were steles engraved with verses in Sanskrit, they proclaim the patronage of Ganga, the goddess of the sacred river Ganges in India. The baray was filled with water from the nearby Roluos River. The rather non-standard construction method is interesting - the reservoir was not dug into the ground, instead walls were poured in - this is how a huge “pool” turned out.

King Rajendravarman decided to build a temple on the island. East Mebon is not actually a "mountain temple", despite its similarity. The appearance of height is due to the fact that the water has left the reservoir that previously surrounded it, exposing a powerful five-meter foundation. The temple ends with a rather modest platform with five towers. Standing in pairs around the enclosure are eight small brick towers with interesting foliate lintels and octagonal stone columns. Built by the king's architect Kavindrarimathan (only the Khmers left us the names of their architects), the main deity of the temple, Rajendreshvara, was consecrated on Friday, January 28, 953 at about 11 a.m., as evidenced by the corresponding inscription. Since the temple stood on an island, there was no need for fences, ditches and dam passages; instead, four piers were built on the foundation at the cardinal points. The outer surround, 108x104 meters, is walled with a cutout in the middle of each side to provide ample space between the jetties and the four gopuras. The fence is surrounded by a series of long galleries. The next level of internal fencing features a 2.4-meter laterite terrace. Its low walls also have cutouts to provide space for the northern, eastern and southern gopuras. IN open space between the inner encircling wall and the central platform stand in pairs, on the cardinal points, eight small brick towers and five laterite buildings - three facing west and two facing east. The central platform, 3 meters high, is lined with sandstone and carries east-facing brick sanctuary towers. The central tower, as usual, is larger than the others and stands on a two-meter platform.

Behind the eastern gopura, made of laterite and stone, there are remains of a series of long galleries on either side, the best preserved gallery being on the south side. All galleries were built of laterite with windows protected by a balustrade and tiled roofs. On the next terrace there are two elephants in the corners, looking out - they are made of monolithic stone. Eight almost identical elephants stand just outside the walls, at the corners of both fences. To reach them, you need to climb the stairs leading to the inner circle gopura, turn left along the cornice to the door and walk along the elephant in the southeast corner.

The buildings on the east side have all the signs of “libraries” - this is evidenced by their position in the corners, orientation to the west and size. They appear to have originally had brick vaults. The western doorposts of the building in the north-eastern corner are decorated with two elephants sprinkling water from their trunks on Lakshmi. On the lintel of the eastern door of the western gopura there is an image of Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu in the form of a lion tearing apart the king of the asuras. Of particular interest in the towers are the lintels and false doors in the north, west and south. On the central tower, the eastern lintel depicts Indra on the three-headed elephant Airavata, and on the western lintel Varuna, the guardian of the West, along with figures holding lotuses. The southern lintel depicts the god of death Yama on a buffalo. On the southeastern tower, in which there is a statue of Brahma, on the northern lintel, a monster devours an elephant. On the eastern edge of the northwestern tower there is an image of Ganesha. Not far from East Mebon there is a similar temple called Pre-Rup. The structure itself is not that interesting, but from the top it offers wonderful views and is a great place to watch the sunset.

Rulos Temple Group

The Rulos complex is located southeast of the main Angkor complex. Several centuries before Angkor, King Jayavarman II (802-850) founded the first capital of the Khmer Empire, Hariharalaya, on this site.

Indratataki construction ("pool of Indra") in Hariharalaya, around the Lolei temple, where the waters of the Rulos River flowed, made it possible to constantly provide water to the rice fields and various temple complexes adjacent to the settlements, where, according to rough estimates, at least 15,000 people lived. The waters of Indratataka were channeled into canals around the temples of Preah Ko, Bakong, Preah Monty, near the latter temple the palace of Jayavarman II's successor, Indravarman I, was possibly built. The monuments of Roulos are among the earliest large permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of the era of classical Khmer art. Before the construction of Rulos, even for the construction of religious buildings, only light ones were used (and short-lived) Construction Materials.

Build the Hindu Bakong Temple (Bakong) King Jayavarman III began, but he did not have time to finish it during his lifetime. The temple was completed and consecrated by his successor Indravarman I in 881. The five tiers of the temple pyramid and other elements symbolize the sacred Mount Meru, and the temple itself was dedicated to the god Shiva. A stela placed at the base of the temple records the consecration in 881 of its linga, Sri Indreshrava. Although Ak Yem Temple on the south bank of West Baray was built earlier, Bakong is considered the first true "mountain temple" - partly because it is the first such structure made of sandstone, and also because it is larger and more complex structurally. respect. Bakong is the largest and most interesting temple in the Rulos group. Its dimensions are quite significant: 900x700 meters, inside there are two ditches and three concentric fences. The outer ditch, on average 3 meters deep, is the boundary of the outer, third enclosure without a gopura, but with the remains of two sidewalks, one leading to the east, the other to the north. Between the outer and inner moats there are 22 evenly spaced brick towers, not all of them finished. The second fence, of which only laterite ruins have survived to this day, formed the border of a site about 25 meters wide - servants lived here. Currently, there is a Buddhist monastery in the northeast corner of this site. The entire complex is surrounded by a moat 59 meters wide, forming a rectangle measuring 315x345 meters. From east to west, the ditch is crossed by two causeways, an extension of two of the four Hariharalaya axial roads. The roads run between rows of giant stone nagas - forerunners of the magnificent balustrades of the classical era.

At the corners of the inner enclosure there remain eight small square brick buildings, one each at the north-west and south-west corners with entrances to the east, and two each at the north-east and south-east corners with an entrance facing west. The ventilation holes in them have led some researchers to believe that cremations were carried out in these prasaths. The remaining two are later, long “libraries” made of stone, oriented from east to west. Here, just beyond the eastern entrance, are the remains of two other long laterite "libraries", oriented north-south, and traces of another, oriented east-west in the south-east corner.

The pyramid itself, almost square in plan, has a clear profile. Each of the five tiers represents the kingdoms of mythical creatures, from bottom to top: nagas, garudas, rakshasas (demons), Yaksha (tree deities) and finally devat (demigods). The pyramid is 67x65 meters at the bottom and 20x18 meters at the top, decreasing at each step. Four gopuras lead to four staircases, on each landing the next flight is preceded by an elegant semicircular threshold, on both sides there are statues of lions. To correct visual perception, the height and width of the stairs imperceptibly decrease as they rise - the craftsmen applied the law of proportional reduction, which until then had been used only when constructing prasat roofs. Each terrace of the pyramid is slightly recessed to the west, again to correct perspective.

The elephant statues at the corners of the first three steps of the pyramid are reminiscent of the legendary animals that support the earth. They are designed to convey their power and stability to the building. In addition, the elephant was the mount of the god Indra, as well as earthly rulers. The fourth terrace contains 12 sandstone towers, each of which probably contained a linga. On the wall of the fifth and last terrace, the remains of bas-reliefs are still visible.

The pyramid is crowned by a tower from a much later period (XII century), similar in style to the towers of Angkor Wat, with three false doors and one real one. The goddesses carved into the niches on both sides of the doors are badly damaged, since this tower was almost completely destroyed and restored only in 1941, but in some places they are still well preserved. The entrance to the sanctuary is guarded by lions in traditional Khmer style. The tower is crowned with a dome in the shape of a lotus.

Bakong exactly corresponds to Hindu cosmic symbolism: the temple depicts Mount Meru, the first ditch is the cosmic sea from which this mountain arose, and the dry patches of land represent the land inhabited by people, which, in turn, is surrounded by mountain ranges (city walls) and another sea (second ditch).

This elegant small brick temple with six towers, decorated with mortar stucco, was the first sanctuary built by Indravarman I in the 9th-century Angkor capital of Hariharalaya. Its surrounding moat is so large in relation to the temple that there is a version according to which it was part of the royal palace, traces of which have not yet been found.

(Preah Ko)- the modern name of the temple, meaning "sacred bull", in honor of Nandin, the flying mount of Shiva. The temple got its name because of the three large bull statues installed on its premises, indicating that the temple is dedicated to Shiva.

On a superbly preserved stele at the base of the temple, after the traditional eulogy of Shiva, a brief genealogy of Indravarman I is given, followed by a eulogy in Sanskrit for the “right hand of the prince”, describing how “long, strong and fearsome in battle, his shining sword falls upon his enemies, defeating kings in all directions. Invincible, he calmed down only when his two enemies showed their backs and, valuing their lives, submitted themselves to his protection.” The inscription is accompanied by a reference to the cult of Devaraja, or "god-king" on Mount Mahendra (Phnom Kulen) and ends with a mention of the installation in 879 of three statues of Shiva and Devi. The other side, written in Khmer, dates back to 893 and describes offerings to the deities Parameshvara and Prithivindreshvara. The temple begins in the west with a laterite pavement that divides the surrounding moat. Once upon a time there were two parallel galleries on both sides, but to this day only the foundation has survived from them. A small terrace leads to the gopura of the second environment.

The sandstone-clad plinth forms a common platform for the six towers. On the eastern side it is cut by three staircases, the side walls of which are richly decorated with guards (dvarapalas) and dancers (apsaras) and are guarded by sitting lions. In front of every staircase lies Nandin. There is one central staircase on the west side. The brick towers of the sanctuaries are arranged in two rows and vary in size. In the eastern, first row, the middle tower is taller than the others and shifted slightly back. As usual, all six towers of the sanctuary are open to the east. Each tower has four tiers. The towers are covered with lime plaster with sculptural bas-reliefs - it is amazing how, after 11 centuries of existence, they have survived to this day. Note the sandstone false doors with superb octagonal columns on the east side - they are undoubtedly some of the finest examples of Khmer art.

Three prasats (towers) in the background are similar to the towers of the first row, but slightly lower and intended for female deities. They are made entirely of brick, with the exception of the sandstone door frames. In the niches in the recesses of the walls of the prasat of male ancestors there are statues of young armed dvarapalas (guards) and statues of devatas (demigods), guarding the prasats of female ancestors.

The sanctuary was intended for male deities. The corner walls are richly decorated, guards stand in blind arches (dvarapalas). Here, unlike those in Bakong, they are unique in style - made of sandstone and inserted into brickwork. The northern prasat contains the Rudreshvara linga, the emblem of Rudravarman, the maternal grandfather of Indravarman I, and the southern one contains the Prithivindreshvara linga, the emblem of Indravarman I's father. Their wives Narendradevi, Dharanindradevi and Prithvindradevi were worshiped in their deified form (devi means "goddess"). Like Bakong, Preah Ko has only a few surviving sculptures. Of these, only Shiva in the south-eastern corner tower and the headless goddess in the rear central tower were retained in the temple. Both of these statues date from the period of the temple's creation.

Loley

Another small temple in the Rulos group, Lolei (Lolei), was built by Indravarman I's successor, Yasovarman I (889-910) on a small island in the Indratataki reservoir - today there are rice fields in this place. All that remains of the temple are four towers, repeating the design of the towers of Preah Ko. On the doorways, inscriptions in Sanskrit state that the king dedicated the temple to his parents and royal maternal ancestors.

(Banteay Srei)- the modern name of the temple, it means "Citadel of Women", or perhaps "Citadel of Beauty", the latter reflecting the size and beauty of its decoration. The actual name of the temple, inscribed on its central linga, is Tribhuvanamahesvara, which means "Great God of the Triple World". The monument is built of red sandstone and is unusual in that it does not have the monumentality characteristic of other temples. Its buildings are miniature by local standards and very beautifully decorated with intricate patterns and carvings. For the first time in the history of Khmer architecture, the pediments of the sanctuary depict not individual elements, but entire mythological scenes. Banteay Srei is deservedly called the “pearl of Khmer art”.

The temple buildings are divided along a central axis oriented from east to west. The buildings south of the axis were dedicated to Shiva and those north of the axis to Vishnu. Later, in the 12th century, Banteay Srei was “rededicated” to Shiva, as reported by a found tablet made by one of the priests.

Unlike the main temples at Angkor, Banteay Srei was not royal. It was built by one of the advisors of King Rajendravarman II, Yajnavaraha, on land donated to him by the king on the banks of the Siem Reap River. As always happened, a settlement of ordinary people surrounded this temple, and thus a small city called Iswarapura was formed. Discovered by the French only in 1914, Banteay Srei gained fame when the writer André Malraux, who later became Minister of Culture under de Gaulle's government, stole four apsaras from it in 1923. He was immediately caught and the stolen parts were returned to the temple. It was this temple that was first restored in 1931-1936 using the anastylosis method. The method, developed by Dutch restorers in Java, involves the restoration of destroyed objects using exclusively original materials. Thanks to the success of this method at Banteay Srei, the French archaeological service involved in the restoration of Angkor began to widely use it in the restoration of other treasures of the ancient city. On the one hand, the task at Banteay Srei was made easier by the small size of the buildings, small blocks of stone cut from durable sandstone that retained their clear carvings with profusion of decoration. On the other hand, the restoration process was complicated by the remoteness of the temple, minimal funds and the inexperience of the workers who learned on the job.

To eliminate the threat of damage to the temple due to flooding, a drainage system was built under a joint Cambodian-Swiss project in 2000-2003. Measures have also been taken to prevent trees from damaging the temple walls. Unfortunately, the temple was and is still subject to theft and vandalism. By the end of the 20th century, authorities replaced the original statues with exact copies, but this did not stop the thieves - they began to steal copies. An attempt was made to steal a statue of Shiva, placed in the National Museum in Phnom Penh for safekeeping, directly from the museum itself.

After the discovery of the temple foundation stele in the eastern gopura in 1936, it became clear that Banteay Srei was designed as a whole, this is also confirmed by the uniformity of style. Engraved in 968, the first year of the reign of Jayavarman V, the inscription gives the date of the start of construction of the temple: April-May 967, along with the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets. This was the last year of the reign of Rajendravarman II. After the traditional prayer to Shiva, the text of the stele contains a eulogy for the ruler Jayavarman V and his guru Yajnavarah, who founded Banteay Srei along with his younger brother, installing a Shiva linga in the central sanctum. Other inscriptions engraved on the door frames mention the placement of another linga in the southern sanctum and a statue of Vishnu in the northern one. The temple is greeted from the east by a cross-shaped gopura made of laterite with sandstone columns and beautiful decorations.

The pediment on this gopura depicts Indra on a three-headed elephant and in addition to the beautiful pink shade of the stone, gives a rich artistic design to the temple. Banteay Srei is surrounded by three walls measuring 95x110 meters, 38x42 meters and 24x24 meters respectively. From the gate to the third fence there is a wide sidewalk, decorated with pillars on both sides - in former times they were destroyed every year wild elephants. On the left side of the pavement on the pediment of the "library" is a scene known as "Umamaheshvara", in which Shiva holds a trident and rides the bull Nandina with his wife Uma. On the right side is a “library” with a superb pediment where Vishnu, appearing as the lion Narasimha, tears into pieces the asura king Hiranyahasipu at the moment when he was about to kill his son, a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

On the pediment of the eastern tower of the second enclosure, under a garuda holding a branch with leaves, two elephants pour water from pots on Lakshmi - the goddess of beauty and fertility, the wife of the god Vishnu. Inside the third, very last, central enclosure, on the “library” to the right of the entrance, the famous bas-relief of the pediment depicts the no less famous story from the Ramayana, how the multi-armed and multi-headed rakshasa Ravana is depicted trying to shake Mount Kailasa, where Shiva lives. The mountain itself is depicted as a multi-tiered pyramid against a stylized forest background. At the top sits Shiva with his wife Uma, crouched beside him in a delightful pose. Shiva presses the mountain with his right foot to stop the shaking. The second row depicts visibly alarmed priests and pilgrims pointing at Ravana. On the right is a praying female figure. On the third row are worshipers with the heads of elephants, lions, birds and horses. On both sides there are monkeys wearing elaborate headdresses. The lower tier is occupied by animals who are running in horror from Ravana.

On the pediment of the “library” on the left is another famous bas-relief, this time a plot from another epic, the Mahabharata. Krishna and Arjuna, who were resting on the banks of the Yamuna River near the Khandava forest, were approached by a brahman who turned into the god Agni (God of fire). Further, the options diverge: either Agni said that he wanted to burn the Khandava forest in order to eat its vegetation and animals, or he wanted to destroy the serpent Takshaka, or Krishna and Arjuna wanted this forest to be burned to found the city of Indraprastha. One way or another, Indra, on the three-headed elephant Airavata, prevents the fire, releasing torrents of rain to protect his friend, the serpent Takshaka, who lives in the forest. Krishna and Arjuna, in turn, counteract Indra by blocking the rain with a hail of magical arrows, and blocking the exit from the forest for its inhabitants on both sides.

On the western side of the same “library” - Krishna kills King Kamsa. This scene is taken from the holy book Srimad Bhagavatam and takes place in a palace - its image gives us an idea of ​​​​what beautiful wooden palaces there were in Angkor. The two large figures are presented in perspective, which is rare in Angkor bas-reliefs. Krishna holds Kamsa by the hair and is about to kill him. At the corners, in horse-drawn chariots, Krishna and Arjuna, armed with bow and arrows, apparently arrived at the palace. The rest of the rooms show excited women watching what is happening.

The western pediment depicts a scene from the Ramayana: the battle of Valin and Sugriva. Valin, son of Indra, took from Sugriva, son of Surya (sun god), the kingdom of the monkeys. Rama promised to help Sugriva regain the kingdom in exchange for helping the army of monkeys led by Hanuman against the army of Ravana in order to free his wife, Sita. During the duel, Sugriva won, but Valin resorted to cunning - he pretended to be dead and was ready to deal a fatal blow to Sugriva, and then Rama (right with bow) pierced him with his arrow. Behind Rama is his brother Lakshman. A magnificently expressive bas-relief of the dying Sugriva in the arms of his wife Rati is depicted at Angkor Wat. Inside, closer to the southern wall, in the doorway with three geese, stands the most beautiful apsara, one might say, a symbol of the beauty of Banteay Srei and partly of the whole of Angkor.

Beng Melea

Beng Melea (Beng Melea) It is interesting primarily because it was not cleared, like almost all the temples of Angkor, but was left in the condition in which it was found. The jungle has completely taken over the temple. Here you can climb roofs, ride vines and feel like an inhabitant of the jungle (which one, choose for yourself). Beng Melea was built during the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113-1150) . Created in the same style, but slightly earlier than Angkor Wat, Beng Melea may have served as its prototype. Although there are many carved vaults and doorways, there are no bas-reliefs in the complex, and the carvings themselves are quite rare. When the temple was active, the walls may have been covered with frescoes. In those days, Beng Melea stood at the crossroads of several important roads to Angkor, Koh Ker and Northern Vietnam. The temple occupies an area of ​​one square kilometer, it is entirely covered with jungle and is visited very little - this creates the feeling of a “lost world”. The trees here grow straight from the destroyed towers and galleries, these are probably the most impressive types of “trees in the temple”. A large ditch has been dug around the Beng Melea Temple, overgrown with lotuses like burdocks...

Ko-Ker

Temple complex Koh Ker (Koh Ker)- the most distant temple from Angkor in this region. From Siem Reap it is located approximately 100 km on the same road as Beng Melea. The temple represents the remains of one of the capitals of the Khmer Empire from the Angkorian period. In 928, King Jayavarman IV, who usurped the throne, founded a new capital, Koh Ker, 100 km from Angkor. The king was rich and powerful, he erected the impressive royal city of Ko-Ker, Brahmin monuments, temples and towers, built a huge barai (reservoir pool) Rahal. Jayavarman IV ruled in Ko Ker until his death in 941. His son Harshavarman II remained here for three more years before returning the capital to Angkor. The Ko-Ker complex has not been restored. There are no crowds of tourists here, and therefore you can try to imagine what such structures were like before the jungle that swallowed them was cleared.

The main ruins of the complex are Prasat Thom, an impressive 7-tiered pyramid and temple complex, towers and small temples along the road and numerous lingas. An interesting part of Koh Ker is the Shiva sanctuary. Here stands a gigantic, human-sized lingam - the largest in Cambodia. By the way, the linga can be used as a compass: the open channel of the linga always points to the north.

The main structure of the complex is the large seven-tiered pyramid Prasat Tom. There are many legends surrounding it. The Khmers believe that the shaft in the center of the pyramid is the link between the earth and underground kingdom. By order of the king, guilty subjects were thrown into it. It is said that a Khmer peasant who fell into a mine in 1996 somehow emerged with a ten kilogram gold bar. After this incident, the peasant lost his mind and could not explain where he got the gold from, nor how he got out. Later, in 2004, two archaeologists again tried to penetrate this mine, and, judging by the legend, one of them was found dead a few hours later with completely gray hair, and the other completely disappeared. Also, according to local residents, marked coconuts thrown into this well float up the next day in the Andomprey River basin, 3 km away. But no one can hear the sound of such a nut falling, no matter how much you listen. Entrance to the pyramid is prohibited; the dilapidated staircase leading to it is closed. However, if you really want to try your luck, give the guard $5 and he will look the other way. However, without special equipment it will still not be possible to go down into the mine.

When walking around Koh Ker Sanctuary, exploring the ruins and off-the-beaten paths, be extremely careful. A proven path leads past all the main objects; it is better not to go deep into the thickets - although no one has been blown up by a mine for a very long time, it is believed that the complex has not been completely cleared of mines after Pol Pot’s terror. Admission ticket in Koh Ker it costs $10.

Surroundings of Angkor

Phnom Kulen

Phnom Kulen (Phnom Kulen)- a small mountain range 50 km north of Siem Reap and 25 km from Banteay Srei. Its highest point is 487 m. If you are planning a trip to Phnom Kulen, keep in mind that the mountain road is so narrow that two cars cannot pass each other, so all transport goes up before 11 am, and back after 11. Taxi to Phnom A round trip will cost $30-40.

During the construction of Angkor, stones were mined here in quarries for the construction of temples and floated on rafts along the river. Phnom Kulen is considered a holy mountain in Cambodia, the top of the mountain is a sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists who come here as pilgrims. It is also significant to Cambodians as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire, and it was on Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarman II declared independence in 804. There is some disagreement about who exactly independence was declared from. Most believe that Cambodia was a vassal state of Java, while other scholars believe that Cambodia was under Laotian rule at the time. Jayavarman II did not limit himself to the proclamation of freedom, at the same time introducing a new cult of the “god-king,” also called the cult of the linga, which existed for many centuries even after his death.

An interesting attraction of Phnom Kulen is the stream of a thousand Lingams, where more than a thousand small religious images are carved into stone. The uniqueness lies in the fact that the images are located under water, 5 cm below the surface. This is not an accident, but the artist’s original idea: by order of the king, the river bed was diverted to the side so that the craftsmen could cut out the figures, and then returned to their original place. Among the particularly interesting figures is Vishnu reclining on his serpent Ananta with his wife Lakshmi at his feet, from Vishnu's navel growing a lotus flower with the supreme deity Brahma.

Phnom Kulen is national natural Park with beautiful waterfalls, at the largest of which you can take a break from the Cambodian heat and swim. Phnom Kulen played his role in modern history. It was here that the last battles between the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese took place in 1979. Near the mountain is Preah Ang Thom, a 16th-century Buddhist monastery with the largest reclining Buddha statue in Cambodia.

Siem Reap is one of the largest cities in Cambodia. This is a calm, cozy city, located on the shady banks of the river of the same name. Most tourists come to Siem Reap to visit Angkor, which is only 5 km away from here. But if Siem Reap was once a quiet sleeping pad for travelers, today the city has grown and offers tourists a choice of numerous hotels and restaurants with cuisines from all over the world. The name Siem Reap means "Defeated Siam". The city is named after the Khmer defeat of the Siamese (Thai) capital of Ayutthaya in the 17th century.

There are few attractions in Siem Reap. It will be interesting to coincide with a trip to Angkor with a visit to Angkor national museum (Angkor National Museum), which contains a remarkable collection of artifacts from the ancient city, including about a thousand Buddha images made of wood, stone and precious stones.

The French Quarter is a pleasant place to stroll, located by the river in the southern part of the city. To the south of it is the Old Market (Psar Chaa). In addition to looking at the stalls of merchants, here you can buy interesting souvenirs, for example, pencil “prints” of temples on rice paper; they are inexpensive and look very beautiful on the wall. Behind the market, by the river, are many vendors selling silk scarves and sarongs, wood carvings, silverware and more.

An evening in Siem Reap can be spent on the bustling Pub Street (Pub Street) with a lot of restaurants, cafes and bars. Lovers of peace and romance can stroll along the river bank to the south, to the southern outskirts of the city. Intrusive taxi drivers often offer tourists trips to an art school and a silk factory. The main goal of such an excursion is to persuade travelers to buy a painting or something made of silk, and at a price much higher than that for which you can buy a similar thing on the market.

Routes

Almost all tourists, when planning a route, ask the main question: which temples to visit? There are a huge number of temples in Angkor and its surroundings, and it is impossible to see them all - and it is not necessary. You should not try to fit as many temples as possible into your trip - by the end of the day the sensations will dull, the temples will begin to merge into one and the impressions will be blurred. It's better to focus on the minimum program: Bayon , Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Ta Keo inside Angkor, Banteay Srei and Phnom Bakheng, as well as Beng Melea and Koh Ker outside.

Classic routes

The traditional routes around Angkor are the “small circle” and the “big circle”. As practice shows, they are convenient from a geographical point of view, but are not entirely optimal for obtaining greatest impressions. It’s better not to stick to classic routes, but to make your own travel plan to the most interesting temples.

To visit the distant temples of Ko Ker and Beng Melea, you can save daytime. If you arrive in Ko Ker early in the morning, you will walk around it almost alone. Then you can go towards Angkor and stop at Beng Melea on the way. Please note that Khmer taxi drivers really do not like to work at night, even if you find a driver who agrees to this, the cost of a trip at night will be at least 50% more expensive. It is also possible to spend the night in a guesthouse (tourist hotel) near Koh Ker.

Small circle

This 17km route starts from the western wall of Angkor Wat and heads north past the Ta Prohm Kel temples (Ta Prohm Kel)(Phnom Bakheng) (with a beautiful view at sunset) and Baksey-Chamkrong (Baksei Chamkrong) to the southern entrance to Angkor Thom (Angkor Thom). In the central square of Angkor Thom behind the Bayon Temple (Bayon) the path turns east to the Gate of Victory (Victory Gate) and between the surprisingly similar twin temples of Chau Sei Tewoda (Chau Say Tevoda) and Tommanon (Thommanon) goes to Ta-Keo temple (Ta Keo). At this temple the path turns to the southeast and bypasses the dry East Baray reservoir (East Baray) leads to Ta Prohm Temple (Ta Prohm). Then you need to walk between the huge Buddhist temple of Banteay Kday (Banteay Kdei), surrounded by four concentric walls, and the dry Sras-Srang basin (Sras Srang), turn southwest and past the Hindu temple Prasat Kravan (Prasat Kravan, easily recognizable by its five brick towers)