So the first photo is of the back gate, not a main entrance but still compelling. You see three of the five towers -- symbolizing the mountain home of the gods…i.e. the Himalayas. Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple honoring the god Vishnu…the protector god.
Second photo is of some steps just to give you a sense. The steep angle of the stairs was meant to force climbers into a bow of respect. Visitors today use wooden steps, not those in the photo.
Next is a photo of some of the apsaras -- dancers -- that are carved into the sandstone. There apparently are some 1,500 of these figures, none alike. And by the way, some 1 million blocks of sandstone were used in the construction of this temple --hauled from mountains by elephants. It took about 30 years to build, with the elaborate carvings taking even longer. Generations worked on this.
The long corridor in the fourth photo is just a segment of four corridors in a square along which are carved the longest relief frieze carving in the world. Several stories are told on the walls…a long story about the battle of the Monkey King versus the devil -- Hanuman.
The view shown in the fifth photo is out one of the windows looking toward the main gate.
Next is a scene looking across a reflecting pool back at the main temple -- and you see all 5 of the towers.
Finally, the photo with the Buddhist monks is of the road that goes across the moat (once filled with alligators) through the main gate into the temple complex. Some 20,000 folks lived inside…including the royal family and priests.
You just can't help but think again and again about the construction, the work, the human labor and design that went into this place.
The internet is quite slow or we'd upload more. Steve took pix from many angles … so much more to show, but this will suffice for now. So off to the pool!
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