Angkor, Cambodia: description, photos and reviews. Excursion to the Angkor Wat temple complex: feel like the king of Cambodia! Temple complexes of Cambodia

Once upon a time I read in a beautiful book with pictures about ancient temple in the middle of the jungle. And I had a dream to see Angkor - an amazing temple complex built between the 9th and 13th centuries by the ancient Khmers. This ancient architectural structure is both the main attraction of Cambodia and its pride. are located a few kilometers from the city of Siem Reap. They are popular among tourists from all over the world and each of them wants to visit Angkor Wat - the largest Hindu temple in the world and a real treasure of the Khmer Empire. To look at them, I came to Cambodia three different times, and each time I discovered something new.

What is Angkor?

Angkor is an area in Cambodia that contains numerous ruins of temples from the ancient Khmer Empire, which flourished at the beginning of the last millennium. It contains entire constellations of ancient Khmer cities, which combine a variety of architectural styles. Each of the temple cities is connected with the other, and at the same time they are independent and represent different stages in the development of the empire. Some temples (for example) were forgotten immediately after the overthrow of the king who built them, others ceased to have value after another form of construction was found, like the unfinished Ta Keo. But each of them is unique.

The central part of the Angkor territory is Angkor Thom city, surrounded by a deep moat with water and walls 8 meters high and 3 kilometers long. There was a huge palace on it, built under Jayavarman VII, in which the king and people close to him lived, as well as temples and important government agencies. The most famous of them are the Bayon Temple, the terraces of the elephants and the leper king, as well as the Royal Palace and the nearby temple-mountain Bapuon.

Basic information:

Name	Angkor
What is	An area in Cambodia containing the ruins of temples from the ancient Khmer Empire. Also, the word Angkor refers to many Hindu temples built by the Khmers from the 9th to the 16th centuries and distinguished by a unique architectural style.
Where is	In the Kingdom of Cambodia, on the Indochina Peninsula South-East Asia
Cultural and historical affiliation	Khmer Empire, Khmer Civilization
How to get there	Fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia or travel there by bus or car. After that, rent a vehicle with a driver-guide or rent a bicycle / motorbike / electric bike and go to the Angor temple complex, located a few kilometers north of Siem Reap.
Main attractions	1) Angor Wat Temple, 2) Angor Thom Temple City, 3) Bayon Mountain Temple, 4) Koh Ker Pyramid, 5) Ta Prohm Temple and Beng Melia, miniature pink Banteay Srei Temple.
Ticket price	For 1 day - 37 dollars, for 3 days - 62 dollars, for 7 days - 72 dollars. Entrance to some Angora temples costs extra (from 5 to 15 dollars).
Angor in films	1) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, 2) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Where is Angkor and how to get there

Angkor is located in Cambodia, north of the lake near the city of Siem Reap. It is located on flat terrain, like the ancient city, among fields and forests south of the Kulen plateau. GPS coordinates of Angkor: 13° 26′ 0″ N, 103° 50′ 0″ E. The size of Angkor is amazing, its length is 24 kilometers from west to east and 8 kilometers from north to south.

Getting to Angkor can be done in several ways:

Angkor Wat on the map of Southeast Asia

What is the Angkor temple complex?

Angkor temple complex is an architecturally unique collection of temples made of stone (mainly sandstone and laterite), differing in shape: mountain temple, ground-level temple, Angkor Wat (a unique combination of the forms of a mountain temple and a ground-level temple), temple-monasteries , as well as the huge cities of Angkor Thom and Koh Ker. The temple complex was built by the Khmer civilization between the 9th and 12th centuries on the territory of modern Cambodia. The main attraction of the temple complex is the Angkor Wat temple, which occupies an area of ​​2.5 km 2. And Banteay Srei, built in 967, is considered the most beautiful temple of Angkor, according to many travelers, and this is especially noticeable in the morning rays of the rising sun.

Pink sunrise and silhouette of Angkor Wat temple

- These are amazing ceremonial structures of the Khmers, not similar to each other. They are united into a temple complex, grandiose in scope and historical significance, built during the rule of the Khmer Empire (IX-XVI centuries).

It will take several days to explore all the temples of Angkor, since the archaeological park covers an area of ​​about 200 km 2. The most famous of the temples is Angkor Wat, and the neighboring Angkor Thom and Bayon are known as the most outstanding architectural monuments Khmer Empire, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Basic information about the temples of Angkor:

Name	Temples of Angkor
Where are they located?	On the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. The main temples of Angkor are concentrated north of the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia, but there are many separately standing temples in other provinces of the Kingdom of Cambodia, as well as in Thailand and Laos.
What are they?	Religious and cult Hindu buildings built by representatives of the Khmer Empire in the period from the 9th to the 16th centuries, the main distinguishing feature of which is their unique architecture.
Main temples of Angkor	Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei, Koh Ker, Beng Melia, Kbal Spean, Preah Khan, Phnom Bakheng
	1) Temple-mountain; 2) Temple at ground level; 3) Temple-monastery; 4) City-temple.
Division by geographical location	1) Near Angkor temples (next to Angor Wat); 2) Distant temples of Angokra
How to watch	The best way to see the temples of Angkor is independent travel to Cambodia (Siem Reap city).
Number of Angora temples	More than 1000
Main building material	Sandstone, laterite

Temple-mountain is a ceremonial structure on the territory of modern Cambodia in the form of a stepped pyramid, personifying Mount Meru and fully embodying the cosmogony of Hinduism. It was dedicated to the god Shiva, was the center of religious life among the ancient Khmers and the repository of the royal linga. This form of Angkor temples was characteristic of the beginning of the heyday of the Khmer civilization (from the 9th to the 10th centuries). The moat around represents the world ocean in which the earth is located, the walls of the temple are mountain ranges, and the second ditch is considered the sea. Examples of temple-mountains are Bakong, Phnom Bakheng, and the Ta Keo temple, also part of the Angkor temple complex, was never completed.

Ground level temple- a Khmer type of temple dedicated to ancestors, the characteristic feature of which is massive platforms at the base, as well as rich sculptural decoration of stairs, facades and passages and masterfully executed carvings on stone pediments. The design of the Banteay Srei temple was a real masterpiece of such carvings. This form of temple construction was also characteristic of the first half of the Khmer Empire. The first ground level temple is considered to be Preah Koh, followed by Prasat Kravan and Loh Lei.

During the construction of Angkor Wat in the 12th century, Khmer engineering attempted to embody both of these forms of temple in one structure, and the result was temple-mountain at ground level. This time is considered the golden age of Khmer architecture. There were other attempts to build a similar engineering and architectural masterpiece, as a result of which Beng Melia and Banteay Samre appeared in the Angkor temple complex.

Temples-monasteries- these are huge ceremonial buildings occupying vast territory as part of the Angkor temple complex in Cambodia. They were mainly built under King Jayavarman VII (a proponent of Mahayana Buddhism) and were surrounded by numerous buildings richly decorated with bas-reliefs and sculptures. The most famous temple-monasteries are Ta Prohm and Preah Khan.

Angkor Wat in Cambodia

Angkor Wat- This is the main temple of the huge Angkor complex. It was built in the 12th century and became the pearl of the Khmer architectural style— a balance was finally found between cosmology, between politics, architecture and the capabilities of people. And now Angkor Wat still amazes people with its sophistication and it is its five lotus towers that adorn the coat of arms of Cambodia.

Angkor Wat is located next to Siem Reap, and all the routes offered to tourists by tuk-tuk drivers pass through it. So, when you come to Siem Reap, you will definitely see it!

Angkor Wat on the map

Basic information about Angkor Wat in Cambodia:

Name	Angkor Wat
Where is	6 km from the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia on the territory of the Angkor temple complex
GPS coordinates	13° 24′ 45″ N, 103° 52′ 0″ E 13.4125, 103.866667
What is	A Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, built during the heyday of the Khmer Empire. It is the largest religious building in the world and is protected by UNESCO.
How to get there	Arrive in the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia, and then go on an excursion to Angkor on your own or by hiring transport with a personal driver in the city. You can also buy a place in organized tour to Angkor Wat with a guided tour
Working hours	From 5:00 to 18:00
Cost of visit	Ticket price for 1 day is $37 per person. A three-day ticket costs 62 USD, and a week ticket costs 72 USD.
When and by whom was it built?	XII century. Construction of Angkor Wat was started by Suryavarman II and completed by Jayavarman VII
Architectural style	Khmer
Square	200 ha
Height of central prasat	65 meters
Wall dimensions	1.5 x 1.3 km (rectangular)
Width of the water ditch around	190 meters
Best time to visit	November to February (during dry season)
Attendance (number of tourists)	More than 2.5 million people per year
Page on the UNESCO website	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668

Routes around Angkor

A visit to Angkor should be carefully prepared, because there are many temples, and all are interesting in their own way. First of all, you need to make a route, deciding which of the temples of the huge temple complex will be included in it and which will not. Fortunately, travelers and tukers in Siem Reap have long ago solved this problem.

What is the large and small circle of Angkor

- This is an examination of the main attractions of the temple complex, built during the power of the Khmer Empire. During an organized excursion, tourists who come to the city of Siem Reap, which is located near Angkor Wat, are accommodated in hotels, and during the day they visit ancient temples. Self-guided tour Angkor is more popular among travelers. There is nothing difficult about how to organize it. To do this, you need to hire a vehicle with a driver in Siem Reap, who will take you from one inspection site to another, or you can rent a bicycle or motorbike in the city and drive yourself.

It is possible to come to Angkor from neighboring countries. A very popular excursion among tourists from Pattaya to Cambodia, during which an organized group with a Russian-speaking guide is brought by bus to Siem Reap for 1-2 days to show the main attraction - Angkor Wat. There are also excursions from Ho Chi Minh City and Sihanoukville.

The most interesting thing that awaits you during the excursion to Angkor:

• Go watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat
• Admire the many faces of the Bayon Temple, whose faces sometimes smile or feel sad in different lighting conditions
• Visit the ruins of Ta Prohm from the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie
• Climb above Angkor hot-air balloon
• You can ride an elephant to Mount Bakeng and watch the sunset there
• Buy souvenirs, knitwear and black pepper at the market
• Go to the evening Apsara dance show

Hotels in Siem Reap

Upon arrival, first of all, you need to stay in a pre-booked hotel or find it with the help of a tukker, who will certainly offer his help in exchange for a promise to take you to the sights of Angkor. There are a lot of hotels in Siem Reap - for every taste and budget: cheap guesthouses for $10 and expensive villas for $100 or more.

• Important: all the details about the city of Siem Reap and what hotels there are,

You can compare prices for Siem Reap hotels and choose the most suitable one right here:

How to watch Angkor - all options

Besides organized trip by bus to Angkor or hiring a tuk-tuk with driver to Siem Reap, there are several other options. Since 2016, it has become possible to explore the temple complex on a rented motorbike or electric bike. This is the most important innovation and it mainly concerns independent travelers.

• The first thing that catches your eye when walking around Siem Reap is the rows of new motorbikes. Now they are rented out to anyone! So the opportunity arose independently explore the temples of Angkor on a motorbike. Previously, the tuk-tuk guild was against tourists moving around the temple complex on their own (unless no one touched cyclists, they were simply waved at!). But now tukers have lost part of their audience. You can rent a motorbike on any street - prices range from 12 to 20 dollars. We borrowed a motorbike from an enterprising Chinese owner of a souvenir shop, which is convenient for two to ride. Initially it was sold for $15 (in other offices it was $20), but we negotiated it for $13. Moreover, the bike was good, Japanese, new and powerful. And the number on this bike was from the capital. A motorbike is, of course, real freedom for independent travelers who have either already been to Siem Reap and roughly understand the territory of the archaeological park, or for the independent and courageous, who only need a map or navigator for adventure.
• Bicycles also available for rent - price from a dollar to two per day, depending on the location. We rented at our hotel and paid $1.5 for one day, and if we had ridden for two days or more, the price would have dropped to a dollar a day. In addition, guided bike rides around the temples of Angkor have become fashionable. After all, in Europe it’s common to ride bicycles, so why deny yourself this on vacation? And the whole company, 5-10 people each, hires a guide, sits on their bicycles and rides together between the temples. I can’t even imagine how much the guide is paid for his torment.
• There is also a new option - electric bikes. But, they say, they are still low-power, slow and have weak batteries. That is, they will be suitable for a ride around the city of Siem Reap. But it’s better not to ride them to temples, otherwise who knows who else will carry whom... The price of electric bikes is $10. On the roads we even sometimes saw green signs where you can charge your electric bike for free. How this works in reality has not been tested. We rode an electric bike around Bagan during , and decided that if you follow some rules, an electric bike is very useful when exploring the countless pagodas of Bagan. About our e-bike rental experience in Bagan.
• Tuk-tukers there are still a lot and they are happy to offer their services and take you around the temples of Angkor. Read about how important it is to choose a good tukker. By the way, as we found out, tuk-tuk is a name for tourists. But the Cambodians themselves call their carts with a motorcycle - remork.
• Angkor Wat in a hot air balloon. There is also the opportunity to view the main temple of Angkor from a bird's eye view. You can go up in a hot air balloon for $20.

Cute bikes for rent

Motorbikes can now also be rented

Prices for tuk-tuk in Siem Rim

These are the prices you can use as a guideline for excursions to Angkor Wat in 2016-2017

Tickets to Angkor

The cost of tickets to visit the temples of Angkor has not changed for many years.

• 1 day – $37
• 3 days – $62 (ticket valid for 10 days)
• 7 days – $72 (valid for a month)

Tickets are personal, or rather “face” tickets. They contain your instant photo, which is taken by the cashier during the sale, and cannot be transferred to other people.

The availability of tickets is now checked at every temple, and they look not only at their expiration date, but also often compare your appearance with the photo on the ticket. The guards at the entrance every day put a mark that you have already visited the park today, so that you cannot cheat and use a three-day ticket for more days.

You can skip days and visit the temples of Angkor at a time convenient for you. During the day you can enter and leave the park as many times as you like. On your first visit, the archaeological park staff will still note that you have already been there that day.

What else you need to know about Angkor

Rules for visiting Angkor:

• Working hours. All temples open at 7.30 am and close by 5.30 pm. Before and after, tourists are not allowed into the temple grounds. The exceptions are Angkor Wat, which opens at 5 a.m. to allow travelers to watch the sunrise, while Pre Rup and Phnom Bakheng are open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Here you have the opportunity to watch both sunrise and sunset. But in reality, almost everyone goes to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, and for sunset they gather on Bakeng Hill. It is worth adding that there are guards on duty near each of the temples, so it is unlikely that you will be able to easily enter at the wrong time.
• Dress code. The temples of Angkor are not active, so you can walk around the territory in shoes that should be comfortable, because in the heat the stones become very hot. However, walking up stairs in flip-flops will be extremely uncomfortable. It is better to choose clothes that are light and comfortable, but not overly revealing.
• Be careful on stairs. Some temples, especially Ta Keo, with steep and high stairs, should be visited with caution. Keep your hands free when you're on ladders so you can always grab a hold. Be as vigilant as possible and watch your step!
• Mines in Cambodia. Don't forget that Cambodia went through a terrible civil war just a few decades ago, and not all of its lands are free of mines. The areas near Mount Phnom Kulen, the Kbal Spean River and the Koh Ker pyramid are still mined. Stay on the hiking trails and don't ignore the Danger! Mines! This is not a joke or a prank.
• Drink water. Always take enough drinking water with you!

Angkor Wat is one of the interesting attractions of Cambodia - it is huge complex temples available for tourist excursions.

How to get to Angkor

You can get to the ancient capital of Cambodia, Angkor Wat, in several ways, for example, by car or minibus. There are several excursions lasting several days. The temple complex is located in Cambodia, near the city of Siem Reap. You can get to this city by any transport, bus, plane and even by boat. If you decide to spend your holidays in Pattaya or, you can take part in excursions, they are regularly held at Angkor Wat.

Let us draw your attention to the fact that the Angkor complex refers to all the temples located on a huge site; in addition, there is also Angkor Wat, it was erected by the ruler Suryavarman II. This temple is considered the main one and is called the pearl of Angkor.

From Bangkok to Angkor

Traveling from Bangkok to Siem Reap or Siem Reap (the name is pronounced in two ways) involves several steps:

• you need to get to the border (to the town of Aranyaprathet);
• You won’t be able to cross the border without a Cambodian visa, so you should worry about its availability in advance;
• get from the border (Poipet town) to Siem Reap.

Tours from Bangkok to Angkor Wat are available both individual and group.

Where to stay in Angkor

So, we have already found out where Angkor is. The closest city to the complex is Siem Reap. There you can stay at any hotel you like, because you still have to use transport to get there. There are a large number of hotels in the city; any vacationer, if necessary, can choose a suitable hotel for themselves. It is possible to rent a bicycle (but, again, it will be difficult to get to the right place) or take a bus.

A little history

Angkor Wat, whose history is quite interesting, was founded around the 10th-12th centuries. At that time, Angkor was one of the most major cities planets. The temples from that time became famous even far from the Khmer Empire.

In 1431, Siamese troops almost completely defeated and plundered the city, after which all residents had to leave their homes and go in search of new ones. Since that time, Angkor and more than 100 palaces and temples that remained intact were hidden under the arches of tropical forests. Until, at the end of the 19th century, the French naturalist Anne Muo presented a sufficient number of works that were created and written in honor of Angkor.

It became known that even Rudyard Kipling published his “Jungle Book” about Mowgli only after he had the good fortune of becoming a visitor to the beautiful Angkor. In 1992, the temple complex was taken under the supervision of trustees from UNESCO.

Angkor Temples

The temples included in the regular Angkor ticket are referred to by guides as near temples, and those located a little further from Siem Reap are called distant ones. The nearby temples are part of several routes designed as a tour taking place in the town square: the small circle and the large circle of Angkor. The Batni Shri and Batni Samri temples are also included in the complex, but are located a short distance from the excursion route.

Visits to the small and large circles of Angkor are designed for several separate days, as they occupy a very large area. One small circle is about 17 km. The mileage of the big circle is 26 km.

There is a certain scheme where you can find the desired temple. The red line indicates that you are traveling in a small circle, the green line indicates that you are traveling in a large circle. . You can choose excursions to Angkor Wat according to the route that interests you.

Meaning of the word

Angkor, the meaning of the word comes from the Sanskrit “nagara”, which means “sacred city”. The beginning of the first Angkor period is considered to be the beginning of 802 AD. BC, while the Khmer Emperor Jayavarman II declared himself the “Ecumenical Monarch” and “God King”. The end of this period occurred at the end of the 14th century.

Having decided on a tour of Angkor, you need to pay attention to how the city of Angkor is located, the map of which will help with this. The country delights visitors with sunshine most of the time of the year.

When choosing the clothes you will wear during the excursion, give preference to breezy clothes that cover most of the body, because you can get sunburn being in the sun all day.

Covering your face and head will also make your journey more enjoyable. Too much bright sun Angkor can cause headaches and eye pain, so it is worth wearing a hat and, if possible, sunglasses.

If you love ruins, then in order to climb them, it is better to wear well-laced sneakers, because summer flip-flops can easily be lost. You don't have to worry about going hungry while on this excursion. You can buy food and drinks near the temples. There are no strong drinks on sale, only beer. If you wish, you can take something stronger with you, but be careful, in the heat this can lead to unpredictable consequences.

Video

Lost among the jungles of Southeast Asia mysterious Cambodia, striking in contrasts between untouched nature and bustling cities with a vibrant 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 specific 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 they say 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.

During difficult 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 of the Milky Way on earth. The placement of the structures resembles the spiral of the Draco constellation. As a result of a computer study, 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 are not able to recreate the grandeur of temples, which 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 cross stone bridges leading to 2 opposite sides of the temple's step pyramid. 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.

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 renewed vigor. 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. The building material is sandstone, which 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 - 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.

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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 the 15th-16th centuries, a 60-meter unfinished statue of Buddha was carved into the wall of the second level, which violated 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. The best images are 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 started a 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 was riding a horse through the city, an old woman in rags 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 the legendary history of 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 remained 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 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 a large number of 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. Mowgli had never seen an Indian city before, and although this city lay all in ruins, it seemed to the boy magnificent and full of wonders. 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 above them; the battlements on the walls collapsed and crumbled into 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 parted 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 big 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 external 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 a square tower 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 to 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 the open space between the inner encirclement wall and the central platform, eight small brick towers and five laterite buildings stand in pairs, facing the cardinal directions, 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 sacred mountain 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. Despite the fact that the Ak-Em temple is on south coast Western Baray was built earlier, Bakong is considered the first true "temple-mountain" - partly because it is the first such structure made of sandstone, but also because it is larger and more complex structurally. 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 one big temple made of brick with six towers, decorated with lime 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 a royal palace, no traces of which have 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. East, first row middle tower higher 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, the settlement ordinary people surrounded this temple, and so it was formed small town called Iswarapura. 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, the authorities replaced the original statues with exact copies, but this did not stop thieves from stealing 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 on both sides with pillars - in former times they were destroyed every year by 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 no less famous story from the Ramayana, how Ravana, depicted as a multi-armed and multi-headed rakshasa, tries to shake Mount Kailash, 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. At that time, Beng Melea stood at the crossroads of several important roads to Angkor, Koh Ker and North Vietnam. The temple occupies an area of ​​one square kilometer, it is all covered in jungle and very little visited - this creates the feeling of " 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 built an impressive royal city 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 the underworld. 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 evidence 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)- small mountain range 50 km north of Siem Reap and 25 km from Banteay Srei. His highest point- 487 m. If you are planning a trip to Phnom Kulen, keep in mind that Mountain road it is so narrow that two cars cannot pass each other, so all transport goes up before 11 a.m., and back after 11. A taxi to Phnom Kulen and back 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 the holy mountain in Cambodia, the peak of the mountain is 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 also played its 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. It's 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 shouldn’t try to fit as much as possible into your trip. more temples- 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 the 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)

Angkor Wat is a giant temple complex dedicated to the god Vishnu in Cambodia. It is the largest religious building ever created and one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Built during the time of King Suryavarman II (1113-1150).

Angkor Wat is located 5.5 km north of modern city Siem Reap, the capital of the Cambodian province of the same name, is part of a temple complex built in the area of ​​the ancient capital of the Khmer state, the city of Angkor. Angkor covers an area of ​​200 km²; Recent research suggests that it may have had an area of ​​about 3,000 km² and a population of up to half a million inhabitants, making it one of the largest human settlements of the pre-industrial era.

It was discovered only in the 19th century by the French traveler Henri Muot. Many bizarre buildings with trees and bushes sprouted in them appeared to his amazed gaze. Currently, this complex attracts many tourists from all over the world.

13th century Khmer Buddhist temple at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Trees grew through the buildings.

Angkor Wat from a bird's eye view. The surrounding moat of water is clearly visible.

Pre Rup, one of the many ruined temples at Angkor Wat. It was built in 961, by order of the Khmer king Rajendravarman, who was buried here.

Statue at Bayon Temple.

The Angkor Thom terrace consists of elephant statues.

Bizarre combinations of trees and buildings, corridors and labyrinths of Bayonne.

Apsaras, detail of the lower pediment. Bayon style, end 12 - beginning. 13th century, sandstone.

Terrace of the Leper King in Angkor Thom.

Banteay Srei (left): This is a temple of 10th-century Khmer architecture dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Banteay Samre (right): Located about 500m east of the East Baray, is one of the Angkor temples.

Banteay Srei Temple is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century: Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom.

An image of Buddha appears through the roots and trunks of trees.

Buddhist monks in front of the pool, which is located in front of the central temple of Angkor Wat.

Two small temples, Thommanon and Chao, are located east of Angkor Thom.

Bas-relief on the wall in the Terrace of the Leper King, part of the Royal Square of Angkor Thom - Angkor Wat.

Ta Prohm Temple, Angkor, Cambodia.

Bas-reliefs and corridors of the Buddhist temple of Angkor Ta Prohm. It dates back to the 12th century and was built by King Jayavarman VII, who is considered one of the greatest rulers of the ancient Khmer Empire.

Close interweaving of tree roots and stones of the Ta Prohm temple.

The heads of mythical characters are located above the moat leading to the southern gate of Angkor Thom.

This artificial island with the Buddhist temple Preah Khan Baray.

Phimeanakas was "built in the late 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman (941-968), and later rebuilt by Suryavarman II as a three-tiered pyramid, like a Hindu temple.

Between Angkor Wat and Bayon is the Phnom Bakheng Temple.

Prasat Preah Palilay.

Prasat Sister Prat is a series of 12 towers at Angkor Thom.

View of the ruins of the Preah Khan Temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Preah Khan was built by the Khmer king Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century, dedicated to his father, Dharanindravarman II.

Tree roots and Ta Prohm temple.

A boy plays in the pool in front of the central temple of Angkor Wat.

Sunset over Angkor Wat.

On the left is Ta Prohm, on the right is Angkor Wat.

One of the most famous places complex - an empty doorway in Ta Prohm.

Dressed statue at Bayon Temple. Here the monks talk to the spirits.

A look through the many doors of the Angkor Wat temple complex.

The Srah Srang pond was dug in the mid-10th century and has a staircase flanked by lion statues.

The 12th-century temple is dedicated to Buddha.

Temple of Ta Prohm.