Enchanting country of ruins...Welcome to Cambodia...Series 1

Cambodia and its mystic temples are both a visual treat for your eyes and a great exercise for your mind...for all the creative visualisation you might have to do. The wonderful temples, apart from Angkor Wat, are quite a bit in a dilapidated state, due to series of invasions and civil wars, as latest as until 1997. Unfortunately, it is the temples and the statues inside that have borne the brunt of all these violence and stands today as a stark reminder of the dark past. One cannot stop wondering what a spectacle it would be if the temples were in its original gleaming beauty. You can only feel sorry for it now. All said though, even the remnants, as it stands today, still cast a magic charm on the viewers. For the history and trivia lovers, Cambodia has a mention in some of our sacred texts as a famous Shiva sthalam (holy abode of Shiva in the name of Campuchia). In fact, it is also believed that the carnatic raga, Kambodhi, came from this part of the world.

Angkor Wat with all its glory reflected in the lake near-by

So, here we go on a quick tour of temples of Siem Reap, the cultural capital of Cambodia. Siem Reap boasts of an international airport with good regional connectivity, especially from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, that makes reaching the place quite easy. Two days are good to cover a tour of the major temples. One could take a 1-day or a 3-day pass to cover all key temples in the city. For a more avid enthusiast, there is also a 7-day pass available. Alternatively, if one wants to break away from the temple routine and wants to explore the other side of Cambodia, Kampong Phluk floating village and waterfalls of Kulen mountains may be worthy near-by alternatives. For the one looking for modern works of Khmer architecture and one looking to gather some bit of history, Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, is a good option. We will touch upon Phnom Penh a bit later..now back to Siem Reap and its glorious temples.

ANGKOR WAT: Obviously, we cannot start with a temple other than Angkor Wat. Undoubtedly, the most magnificent and also the best in shape of all the temples. The name 'Angkor Wat' in Khmer translates into 'city of temples' in English. How true? For it is the largest religious compound of the world. Now, that sets the size in perspective. Temples in Cambodia are structured in a similar fashion. The temple is believed to be the maha meru in an ocean that represents the mountain on which the Lord resides and one that is believed to have been churned by asuras and devas in an ocean over thousands of years. Several resources and other forms of god are supposed to have emanated from this grand churn including goddess Lakshmi. Vasuki, the king of Serpants was used as a rope for the churn.

Grandeur gets bigger as we inch closer to the central tower

This theme is so well-entrenched in all the temple architecture here. Most of the temples are surrounded by a pool of water representing the ocean with a bridge connecting to the maha meru, viewed as a rainbow leading to the holy abode.The bridge invariably gets decorated by Vasuki being churned on both sides by devas and asuras. Angkor Wat is no exception.

View of Angkor from Bakheng Hill...looks like a fairy tale pic

From afar, the temple offers a sight of a fairy tale castle as can be seen from the nearby Bakheng Hill. Up close, it is the grandeur that strikes you. The main temple has five entry points earmarked for various class of people like royalty, noble and common men. Once in, it a sculptural treat of Hindu gods as well as Buddha. It was originally built by a Hindu king Suryavarman II in 12th century AD. However, future kings and kingdoms turned Buddhists and today, Angkor carries a mixed influence. Unfortunately, with very few exceptions, most of the statues are either disfigured or damaged. Catching a glimpse of the very few ones that are left behind gives a sense of how the place would have been when it was constructed.

As you walk through the long bridge, you are invariably busy clicking one pic after the other, for as you get closer and closer to the main temple, it starts to look more and more magnificent. Given the tourist crowd, it is always tough to get one neat pic of yourself with the wonder behind. But, whatever you take turns wonderful, thanks to the grandeur on offer. Also, given the water around the temple, you will be able to capture a nice shot with the reflection of the temple in water. This makes it appear even more appealing.

Scenic lake around the temple representing the ocean

The central tower of Angkor Wat can be climbed up through a series of steep, renovated steps. As one climbs, two thoughts strike you: one, people then should have been really healthy, for the steps are really steep and second, they must have been quite short, for the steps are really small in terms of breadth. Once we are up there, it is again a feast for your eyes and camera lens with a lot of interesting sculptures to focus. It also gives a good view of the place around Angkor including its big surrounding lake.

The temple corridor walls are filled with intricate carvings largely from Ramayana. It is really wonderful to see the strong presence of Indian culture and literature in Cambodia and equally sad that it did not continue beyond the 12th century AD.

Wall inscriptions depicting an episode in Ramayana

For someone looking for souvenirs or some local artwork or even wanting to try out the local clothing, there are a lot of shops around the temple. It is always good to exhibit your bargaining skills in these shops and you can really strike a very good deal. Food is a problem in this region, if you are a vegetarian. So, you try and make the best use of what is available.

The exit for the temple is through the back gate and is less splendid. Nevertheless, once you are out, taking a look back will remind you of the wonderful experience you have just witnessed. And yes, before I move on, one word of advice, given the amount of walking you need to do at Angkor and at other temples, do ensure you have a good pair of shoes for support.

This is just Angkor Wat...more temples to follow in the next edition. Stay tuned.