The temple of Angkor Thom has 216 heads carved in stone. This is a photo of three of them, counting the two profiles on each side. There are places where as many as 7 heads are in view in the same spot. It was built in the 12th Century on the site of a temple from 300 years earlier.
Walking and climbing through the temples leads to unexpected discoveries, such as this little Buddhist shrine in one of the passageways.
There may come a time in the future when visitors are limited to escorted tours, rather than having the freedom to discover the temples on their own pace, as is evident from this photo of me. Dave and I rate the temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia as being as impressive to visit as any of the world's great architectural monuments, such as the Pyramids, Petra, the Roman Forum, or Machu Picchu. This photo illustrates the intricate detail of temples.
The banyon trees of the jungle have dropped roots onto some of the temples. At some point, there will certainly be preservation efforts to curtail the damage from the vegetation. Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are the most famous but are only two of 400 temples in the vicinity of Siem Reap.
I mentioned the intricate detail of the temples. It seems that there are unexpected details around every corner.
6 comments:
You know this is one of two places I most want to visit. Just wonderful!
Such an interesting place. These are some great shots.
I once had a refugee student from Cambodia who did her research paper on Ankor Wat. Interesting as are your photos!
Wow, you have another great blog ! amazing place ! very nice to learn !
These are, again, great photos of an amazing country.
SUPERB images.
I have been there, and have been to several places in Cambodia. A unique and very pretty country.
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