!!!Angkor Wat

by Stanislav Sedov
and Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

3 December 2012

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Cambodia, exotic state in Southeast Asia, dates back to 612 AD. Its most
famous monument is the temple complex of Angkor Wat, but it's not the
only thing to see here. Among other Cambodia landmarks are unspoilt
beaches, unique nature, museums, and churches.

The ancient city of Angkor used to be a capital of the ancient Khmer
Empire and one of the largest cities in the world. This huge complex of
buildings, covering about 600 square kilometers, was known far beyond
the Khmer Empire until it was destroyed by Siamese troops in 1431.

[{Image src='01_Angkor Wat.jpg' caption='Angkor Wat, Cambodia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='563'}]

Till the end of the XIXth century, more than 100 palaces and temples
were concealed under the shadow of lush tropical forest, when a French
naturalist Henri Mouhot rediscovered it for humanity. In year 1992 the
whole territory of Angkor was taken under the protection of UNESCO.

Angkor became more famous when the blockbuster Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
were filmed there. One of the temples Ta Prohm is known even to those
who have never traveled to Cambodia before: this is where the most
impressive scenes were created.

Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - 2001

[{Image src='02_Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2001.jpg' caption='Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider — 2001»' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='507'}]

Of course, the scene where sexy heroine fights statues is no more than a
fiction. On the contrary, only peace and quiet fills this place and it
will be shown in our panoramas next week when the virtual tour "Ta
Prohm" is released.

Angkor includes a number of majestic temples complexes, the most famous
of which is the "Temple City" of Angkor Wat. It was built as a temple
and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II in 1112-1152. It's considered to
be one of the biggest cult buildings in the world.

Angkor Wat is also called a "funeral" temple: the reason for its
construction was so that the king's ashes could be placed there. To
simply it, the purpose of this complex is the same as that of pyramids
of Egypt.

[{Image src='03_Angkor Wat, Cambodia.jpg' caption='Angkor Wat, Cambodia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='713'}]

There is, however, a story about a divine origin of Angkor Wat. Legend
has it that the Angkor Wat in Cambodia was built by a son of Hindu god
Indra, Khmer King Preh Katomialia. One day he went to the heavenly
palace of his father, where everything was perfect, including the barn.
He loved the place reserved for the sacred animals so much, that he
decided to make its copy on Earth. And that is how a replica of Indra's
barn, Angkor Wat, came to existence.

The complex is, indeed, very majestic. The central tower (with the
height of 65 meters) and four small surrounding towers represent the
five peaks of the sacred Mount Meru. The giant moat around the temple
(190 meters wide and over 5.5 kilometers in length) represents world
oceans. A stone-paved road leads to the lavishly decorated temple with a
form of a three-level pyramid.

In fact, Angkor Wat alone would be enough for Cambodia to make one of
the top countries with the most famous architectural ensembles. But this
monument is only a drop in the ocean! ??Angkor has dozens of other
incredible places to visit.

[{Image src='04_Angkor Wat, Cambodia.jpg' caption='Angkor Wat, Cambodia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='539'}]

For example, Pre Rup is a huge temple mountain dedicated to Shiva. Its
name is translated from Khmer language as "turn the body." At the end of
the Xth century Pre Rup was a new capital of the Khmer Empire. The
complex is surrounded by a moat and a fence, and the main building is
located on a hill. A strange name comes from a cremation ceremony during
which the body was rotated on a funeral pyre. But nowadays, having lost
its dark atmosphere, it's considered to be the best place in Cambodia to
enjoy the sunset.

[{Image src='05_Angkor Wat, Cambodia.jpg' caption='Angkor Wat, Cambodia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='563'}]

Among other grand monuments are Angkor Thom ("Great City") and a
three-level pyramid of Bayon. From a distance it looks like a bizarre
pile of huge stones, but from a closer look you can see amazing
bas-reliefs depicting various scenes from the everyday life of the
ancient Khmers, and the famous faces of Avalokitesvara, which are
executed with such skill that, depending on time of the day and the
angle of the sun, they seem to change their expression.

[{Image src='06_Planet of Angkor Wat.jpg' caption='Planet of Angkor Wat' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='587'}]

There is also a unique Terrace of the Elephants which was used by Khmer
kings as 350 meter high platform to watch ceremonies in the main square
of Angkor Thom. In the southern part of Angkor lies West Baray, a giant
artificial lake measuring 7 X 1.8 kilometers.

One kilometer east of Angkor Thom is previously mentioned Ta Prohm: a
beautiful temple, bound by massive roots of huge trees. Back in the days
it was very different: one could see walls decorated by precious stones,
hear beautiful music, and dancing in the halls. When in late nineteenth
century Ta Prohm was discovered by French, they decided not to conduct a
full-scale restoration of the temple. The decision was made due to the
fact that giant trees, such as ficus and silk tree, were so merged with
ancient walls that eventually they became whole. So now we can see this
unique Cambodia monument in the state it was discovered by the
researchers.

[{Image src='07_Angkor Wat, Cambodia.jpg' caption='Angkor Wat' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

There is another Khmer capital in Angkor vicinity: Hariharalaya built
by Jayavarman II. There are numerous interesting monuments on its
territory, including the five-level Bakong temple. Here you can also
find Phnom Kulen mountain and Kbal Spean river ("Valley of a thousand
lingas") with stone phallic symbols and statues of Gods at its bed.

But it's pointless to give you all these brief descriptions of Cambodia
monuments: each one of them deserves its own article. And they say a
picture is worth a thousand words: it's time to see our panorama.

Our tour today is about Angkor Wat temple complex. Other temple tours
are to be released in the near future.

\\ \\
[6 Panoramas of Angkor Wat|Geography/Asia/Cambodia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Angkor_Wat]









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