Ancient Angkor - Cambodia

I was eagerly waiting to take a trip to Angkor wat tour since the day I landed in Siem Reap, this was planned for one whole day. We hired a tuk tuk and started early during the day and it was a wonderful drive into the history. It was monsoons and luckily the sky was clear and the weather was pleasant. It was long drive where we saw lots and lots of temples. The more we saw the more they were. I had a feeling that I was in a total different world. In the middle of the forest, ruins hidden amidst the forest, beautiful faces carved in stone, unique architecture, water bodies here and there, It was just so different. Memorable experience as a whole.

A little bit of history:

Angkor is visible today largely because of the efforts of the archeologists (from the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient). Khmer civilization centered on Angkor was one of the most remarkable to flourish in southeast asia. These temples were built by a number of hindu and Buddhist kings who were succeeded one after the other during 8th and 13th century.

Parasat Kravan was built in the 10th century during the short reigns of Harshavarman I by a group of high officials. This temple was dedicated to lord Vishnu.

Angkor wat, the city pagoda was not only the grandest and the most sublime of all the Khmer temples but was a city of its own right. This is the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation — first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag.

Angkor Thom was one of the largest of the khmer cities and was the capital until the 17th century. The tower has 4 faces in each of the cardinal directions.

Bayon, the state temple of Jayavarma VII and his immediate successor, is one of the most enigmatic and powerful religious constructions in the world. The temple is extremely complex both in terms of its structure and meaning. It is uniquely a mass of towers with 4 faces in each direction. Out of the total 54 towers, today only 37 are standing and still looks magnificent.