| Phnom
Penh is the capital of Cambodia and stretches north to south along
the confluence of the Tonle Sap, Bassac and Mekong rivers. Phnom
Penh is a vibrant, bustling and ethnically-diverse city with a
mixed population of Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese peoples. Compared
to most Asian capitals it is a veritable oasis. Its 12km square
are home to a population of about 2.5 million. The French left
a legacy of crumbling colonial architecture, some of which has
been tastefully renovated. Sidewalk restaurants have sprung up
all over town, especially around the recently developed river-front
area. There are bars to suit all tastes and nightlife can be pretty
lively. The number of Wats means you can often see monks in saffron
robes wandering the streets seeking alms.
Phnom Penh International Airport:
Pochen Tong International Airport is about 15km west of the city.
It has banking, money changing, post and telephone facilities.
Pochen Tong also offers restaurants and bars serving food and
drinks at reasonable prices, compared to most international airports.
Leaving the airpot: taxis and motor taxis can be hired from the
airport to the city and cost $7 - 8 (taxi) and $ 2- 3 (motor taxi).
Cars and Taxis:
Unmetered and unmarked taxis are common and hiring them can be
arranged through your hotel or travel agent.
On Monivong Blvd cars and taxis can be hired outside hotels. They
cost $20 - $30 / day.
Sisowath Quay, opposite Street 104, forms the Port of Phnom Penh
and taxis can also be hired at the quayside to take you to and
from your hotel.
Bus, Motor Taxi and Bicycle, Cyclos
Angkor
Thom
Date : Late12th/ Early 13th century , Religion : Buddhism
Reign : Jayavarman VII , Style : Bayon
Angkor Thom is the magnificent
royal city built at the end of the 12th century during the reign
of King Jayavarman VII. Construction began shortly after Angkor
had been wrested from the Chams by Jayavarman.
Angkor Thom is built in a vast square bordered by a 100m-wide
moat and an 8m high wall. The city is oriented to the compass
points and each of its walls is pierced at the centre by a towering
gate. There is a fifth Victory Gate in the east wall allowing
access to the palace grounds. The four principal gates are entered
via four causeways spanning the surrounding moat. The causeways
were originally flanked by lines of competing gods and demons
pulling o¬n a naga.
The best preserved of these
causeways leads to the South Gate and gives some idea of how imposing
the city must o¬nce have been. Many of the figures in the
causeway's freize had their heads removed by relic hunters and
very little of the original stonework remains. A number of the
original heads were later removed for their own safety and now
reside in the National Museum in Phnom Penh.
Several earlier temples
such as the Baphuon were encompassed within Angkor Thom and Jayavarman
proceeded to add to these. Among the construction projects undertaken
within the city's limits was the construction of a Royal Palace,
set atop a terrace supported by near life-sized elephants, and
the building of the awe-inspiring Bayon Temple which is alleged
to have been covered in gold-leaf.
Angkor
Wat
Date : Early-Mid 12th century , Religion : Hindu , Reign : Suryavarman
II , Style : Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is not simply a temple, it is the symbol at the very
heart of the Khmer people’s pride in their culture and heritage.
Three of its five towers adorn the flag of the Kingdom and are
reproduced in countless works of art and handicraft.
The name Angkor Wat, (‘Capital’ or ‘Holy City’)
is derived from the sanskrit word ‘nagara’. It served
as both a capital and as a religious centre during the reign of
King Suryavarman II. It was Suryavarman II who built Angkor Wat
and dedicated it to the God Vishnu. It is generally believed that
the temples, sculptures and artwork produced during the reign
of Suryavarman II represent the high watermark of Khmer culture.
Though Jayavarman VII was more prolific, many of the temples built
during his tenure were confused in design and execution. Suryavarman's
artisans appear to have achieved perfection.
Angkor Wat is encompassed by a moat 1.5 kilometres long (from
east to west) and 1.3 kilometers long (from north to south). The
moat is crossed via a single causeway o¬n the western side.
Like the West Baray, the moats at Angkor Wat were probably hand-excavated.
The jewels of Angkor Wat are the jaw-dropping series of bas-reliefs
around the lower levels depicting victorious moments in the military
might of the kingdom and numerous figures and stories from the
Hindu pantheon. The the most famous is the magnificent ‘Churning
of the Ocean of Milk’ in which the God Vishnu presides over
numbers of competing deities and demons as they strain to pull
o¬n each end of a naga, the multi-headed cobra and protector
of the Kingdom.
The temple contains two prominent structures found in Khmer architecture:
the mountain pyramid and the inked galleries. The pyramid shape
reflects the Hindu home of the Gods, Mount Meru. Angkor Wat’s
pyramid is elevated over 3 stages. The lotus flowers of its four
exterior towers form a quincunx with the fifth, central tower.
This arrangement of five items to convey good fortune, power and
protection is found in many of the Angkorian temples and was almost
certainly drawn from Hindu mythology and numerology. Many linga
stands were arranged in a similar way.
The Great Sanctuary of
Angkor Wat faces west and late afternoon sunlight striking the
Sanctuary softens its color to amber-gold. This is the best time
to photograph the site. Trips to see the sunrise catch Angkor
Wat in silhouette. The most popular place for taking photographs
of the temple, at any time of day, is the northern reflecting
pool.
The city was finally sacked
by the Thais in 1431 and never recovered its earlier power or
glory. The capital was moved to the area around Phnom Penh, probably
to facilitate maritime trade. However, Angkor Wat continued to
be used as a religious site by the Khmer people and does not appear
to have been totally abandonned, even after the outside world
forgot about it. The handful of western adventurers who visited
the site during Cambodia’s ‘Dark Ages’ reported
it was still in use. European interest was eventually stirred
in the 1860s by the diaries of the French explorer Henri Mouhot.
It now ranks as o¬ne of the world’s premier tourist
sites.
Prasat Bayon
Date : Late 12th century, Religion : Buddhism
Reign : Jayavarman VII , Style : Bayon
The Bayon is perhaps the
most enigmatic of the temples built during the reign of Jayavarman
VII. It vies with Angkor Wat as the favourite monument among visitors.
The Bayon post-dated Angkor Wat by about 100 years but it appears
to have been built o¬n the site of an earlier temple. The
Bayon itself underwent a series of changes before evolving into
its present form. As a consequence its architectural style is
somewhat confused compared to other classical-period temples.
The Bayon’s aura
comes from a series of towers o¬n its third level. The towers
sport four huge heads apiece, over fifty in total. The heads may
be representations of Jayavarman VII himself, or the Buddha, or
the benign and compassionate spirits of Mahayana Buddhism known
as Bodhisattvas. The heads may just as easily be composites of
all three.
The Bayon also boasts bas-reliefs
to rival those of Angkor Wat and these give an extraordinary window
into the daily life and military techniques of the period.
As with other Angkorian
temples, the Bayon is beginning to groan under the weight of tourists.
There will undoubtably be lasting damage to the structure, though
locals are equally concerned that the true purpose and spirituality
of the Angkorian temples is also being lost. The Bayon's popularity,
particularly with Japanese and Korean package tourists, means
that photographing the site has become increasingly difficult.
Tonle Sap Lake
-fishing boat
Tonle
Sap Lake Boat house
Landless family build floating houses and their primary source
of income was fishing on the lake.
Prasat Neak Pean
Date : Late 12th century , Religion : Mahayana Buddhism
Reign : Jayavarman VII , Style : Bayon
Although Neak Pean is o¬nly a small temple with a collection
of five ponds it is worth seeing for its unique features. It is
believed to have been built to celebrate Buddha achieving the
state of Nirvana. The central pond is a replica of Lake Anavatapta
in the Himalayas, situated at the top of the universe. The lake
gives birth to the four great rivers of the earth. These rivers
are represented at Neak Pean by sculpted gargoyles corresponding
to the four cardinal points. Lake Anavatapta was fed by hot springs
and venerated in India for the healing powers of its waters. The
orientation of the ponds at Neak Pean ensured that the water was
always fresh because the ponds receive only reflected light. Neak
Pean is a 70m-square man-made pond, bordered by steps and surrounded
by four smaller ponds. A small circular island with a stepped
base of seven laterite tiers is in the center of the large square
pond. Best seen in the Rainy Season.
Ta Promh
Date : Mid 12th/early 13th century , Religion : Buddhism,
Reign : Jayavarman VII , Style : Bayon.
Ta Prohm is only rivalled by Beng Melea in terms of recreating
the experience of the early explorers who re-discovered Angkor.
Its structure is being steadily subsumed by trees, making it very
photogenic. Ta Promh is in better condition than Beng Melea, has
superior carvings and is far easier to visit. In its prime, Ta
Promh boasted a fabulous wealth of precious stones and gold and
controlled the activities of thousands of villages. It was constructed
early in Jayavarman VII’s extravagant building programme
and was dedicated to his mother. Clearance work has been thoughtfully
undertaken at the temple so as not to harm Ta Promh’s mystical
ambience. Visitor’s limited by time should make every effort
to see Ta Promh
Preah
Khan
War
Museum
A Truck used by the Khmer rouge for transporting their ammunition
during their rule in Cambodia. (1975- 1979).
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