Secrets of Siem Reap, Cambodia
My friend and I arrived at Siem Reap, the gateway to the famous citadel of Angkor in the Kingdom of Cambodia. The airport is built in the Khmer style of architecture and the standard of cleanliness was astounding even at the historical sites.Cambodia formerly the Khmer Empire is situated in the southern portion of the Indochina peninsula which borders Thailand to the north west, Laos in the north east, Vietnam to the east and the gulf of Thailand to the south west. The country has a population of over 15 million and 95 percent of the people are Theravada Buddhists. The country is presently ruled by ex-General Hun Sen (Prime Minister) formerly of the Khmer Army who has been in power for over 20 years after the elections in 1993 were acknowledged by the United Nations.Corruption is rife. The country has a constitutional monarch, King Norodom Sihamoni who is the son of the flamboyant late King Norodom Sihanouk, known for his politicking, and playboy demeanour.
The population also consists of Vietnamese, Chinese, Chams and hill tribes. There is dissent within the country to the encroachment of the Vietnamese on the border and the refugee influx. Agriculture, Textiles, Construction and Tourism are the main economic sources of this poor country. The people are gentle, polite and courtesy to elders is featured in the method of greeting. November to March is the best time to visit. French is still spoken by the older generation, as Cambodia was once a French colony.
On the afternoon of our arrival, after obtaining our tourist passes, we visited three small temples – Prasat Lolei, Prasat Bakong and Preah Ko driving past village homes preparing to celebrate the New Year. The village homes are built on stilts for protection from animals. The landscape is similar to Sri Lanka and has palm trees reminiscent of the North. The temples despite being in ruins were a nice introduction to Cambodia and we saw apsaras projected on the walls, and intricately carved windows and doors. Prasat Preah Ko was dedicated to Lord Shiva and was built as a funerary temple for King Indravarman I and his ancestors in the 9th century.
The approach to the site of Angkor Thom, (Great city) was through a forest. This was the last capital of the Khmer Empire built in the 12th century by the great King and builder, King Jayavarman VII. The wooden structures of the city such as the Royal Palace have since perished but the stone work remains. Two serpents with a fan shape of nine heads on either side stretch the length of the bridge flanked by 54 serene gods on the left and 54 stern demons on the right. Some of the busts have been restored. A small temple in sandstone dedicated to Avalokitesvara occupies each corner of the wall encasing the city.
The State Temple of Jayavarman VII and his successors is unique. The complex is created of many stone faced towers some with two faces, others with three and as you round the bend four others.There are presently only 37 towers in existence there were thought to be 54 originally. There are many galleries and as you wander through this maze stand at a distance and see the differing heights combined with the various levels creating an impression of a forest of towers rising towards the centre. The complex within houses many small chapels for a deity and on the surrounding walls are carvings of dancing apsaras, battles fought between the Khmer and Chams and scenes from village life.
A stone’s throw away from the Bayon are the foundations of a former Royal Palace of the last king of the city, Jayavarman VII and the ruins of his temple.
The laterite pyramid rises to three levels. It was within these premises according to legend that the Khmer king lay at night with a woman who was an incarnation of a nine headed naga and had power over the kingdom. He was afraid to break the spell in case he lost his crown.
Further afield are the twin pools for the king and queen. The smaller pool was for the king and the larger pool for the queen and her entourage. Steps away are two terraces with many carved motifs of mythological characters, animals such as elephants, garudas and lions in the walks known as the Elephant and Leper King’s terrace. The former served as a platform for the king to view the public ceremonies and a base for his audience hall. The latter terrace is named after the torso of the king which is on top of the wall. The original is now in Pnom Penh and a copy has been placed on the wall. There is no concrete evidence as to who the king is or whether it is a torso of a god or of a king who was struck with leprosy.
The ‘jewel in the crown’ and the largest religious monument in the world is Angkor Wat (City of Temples) resplendent on a rectangular platform with three tiers and five bee hive shaped sandstone towers rising 65 metres from the ground. King Suryavarman II began construction in 1280 and it took took 30 years to complete. It was firstly a Hindu temple for God Vishnu but gradually developed into a Buddhist shrine. The approach to the edifice is over a broad moat with elongated nagas guarding the entrance. The complex stands on 162.6 hectares of land.
The temple in the Khmer architecture depicts the sacred temple mountain of Mt. Meru and the galleries home to the Hindu gods. The towers are the mountain peaks and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. After 27 years King Jayavarman VII established a new capital and a suitable description of this temple was made by a French explorer in the mid 19th century who said:
“One of these temples – a rival to that of Solomon and erected by some ancient Michelangelo – might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings, It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged.”
Angkor Wat in the 20th century had to be cleared of jungle and there were further interruptions in its restoration with the Khmer Rouge war. The temple is portrayed on the national flag and is considered a source of pride.
The detailed reliefs carved on the walls are taken from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The extent of the carvings is enormous and it is impossible to take in the detail on a single visit. “The Churning of the “Sea of Milk” and the story of Rama and Sita were of importance. The former myth portrays a naga coiled around Mt. Mandara with the gods and asuras rotating the mountain for 1,000 years to churn the cosmic sea and produce the Sea of Milk, amrita the elixir of immortality. However, the co-operation between the gods and the asuras is broken and as soon as the elixir begins to be produced the gods back down on their promise to give half to the asuras who then try to steal it. There are other reliefs of Gods Vishnu and Krishna. We gazed at the carvings of the battle of Lanka, identifying the principal players in the tale.
The Bayon Temple
Early one morning we drove to the Banteay Srei temple (Citadel of beauty) 23 miles north of Angkor Wat. The red sandstone temple was built and dedicated in 967 AD to God Shiva. This is the only temple built by a courtier and not someone of royal lineage. The reliefs on the walls are intricately carved supposedly by women. The central towers are dedicated to God Shiva and the northern part to Vishnu. As one explores this complex, the reliefs portray mythological stories. A site I would recommend, if time permits.
Prasat Kravan was small and a reddish five towered temple built in the 10th century and dedicated to God Vishnu. The three brick reliefs on the walls inside depict Vishnu in different poses and one with his consort.
Ta Prohm or Rajavihara was the location for the film “Tomb Raider”. The temple built by Jayavarman VII has an eerie feel as one explores and walks across gigantic roots of trees, which have been allowed to grow over the centuries. The temple monastery was built in 1186 in honour of the king’s mother and to transfer merit to her. The principal deity was carved in her likeness. The atmosphere of the large trees that crowd the complex and intertwined roots among the ruins make this a site that “must” be visited. Look out for the silk cotton tree and the fig tree, which are interwoven into the masonry and support the building. Try and identify the apsara hidden amidst the roots and meditate on the eventual power of our environment.
The temple was left in its natural state to indicate how most of the ancient city of Angkor was discovered in the 19th century.
We ended our visit of the ancient city at Preah Khan, a Buddhist University again another of King Jayavarman VII’s project. This was a site of a palace and then a great battle between the ruler and the Chams where the Cham king died. The temple was dedicated to the king’s father.
A boat trip took us to Tonle Sap, a fishing village on the Mekong River. A feature of this village is that the houses are built on the water and migrants from Vietnam settle here with their families. We saw a school in session and a church and visited a crocodile trap on a boat. The skins are used for leather goods.
Siem Reap is very clean with no graffiti, or rubbish strewn around, a lesson that we can learn as we promote tourism. Cambodia has over 4 million tourists an year.
An hour’s flight took us to the capital Pnom Penh, which is located on the banks of the rivers Mekong and Tonle Sap. We stayed at a hotel near Penh Hill. According to legend, Lady Daun Penh in 1372 during a storm found Buddha statues and a statue of Vishnu in a tree. A hill to the north east of her house was raised and a temple built. This was considered a divine blessing and the capital was shifted from Siem Reap to Pnom Penh. Pnom Penh remained the capital for 73 years and thereafter shifted to various other locations due to infighting between the royals and pretenders. It was in 1860 that the capital shifted back to the city and the Royal Palace was built. The French were invited to rule in Cambodia to safeguard the country from Vietnam. During the Vietnam War Cambodia was used as a base by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong in the war between the Government, the South Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge. When the Khmer Rouge finally took control of the city, a number of hardships and problems arose.
Tuol Sleng High School was turned into a prison camp. We visited the school now a genocide museum and met one of the survivors. We saw the prison cells, where under torture people confessed even if innocent. An inmate who was spared as his services were invaluable for repairing typewriters was present on the premises. Pol Pot wanted the country to be turned into an agrarian economy and a number of intellectuals were made to labour in the fields and others were killed. The “killing fields” are 9 kms out of the city and now a memorial for those who died. Liberation eventually came through the Vietnamese in 1979 . Pol Pot eventually died of old age in a camp on the Thai border.
The Royal Palace in Pnom Penh overlooking the river was constructed a century ago. The king sits on his throne only on the day of his coronation. Tourists are allowed in at specific times and one can wander through the large garden, see the throne hall with its frescoes, the private vihare and the pavilion where the king waits to mount an elephant for Royal processions. The building presently serves as a museum.
We also went to a branch of “Les Artisans Angkor” and the National Museum where there was a good display of the antiquities and artefacts.
We were warned about wandering out at night as there were snatch thieves and so precautions were taken when walking to the central market or in the vicinity.
Cambodia is certainly memorable for a holiday.