19 March 2019
Siem Reap is drawing millions of visitors each year and the numbers are growing. Most, if not all, are drawn to the dozens of temple ruins in and around the Angkor Archaeological Park.
We figured that we would need to a few days to visit the “must-see” and iconic sites within the Angkor Archaeological Park which includes Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan and Banteay Srei. Our temple exploration itinerary would also include “must do" activities like viewing the sun rising behind Angkor Wat and watching the sunsets from Phnom Bakheng and Pre Rup. Anything else in between would be bonuses.
With temples and ruins spread out over a large area, most visitors planned their trips based on a “Small circuit” or “Big circuit” route. We did likewise. The “Small Circuit” or “Small Circle” route would include key sites within Angkor Thom (in local language means Great City) and Angkor Wat (City of Temples), while the twenty-six kilometer “Big Circle” route is an extension on the Small Circle route, focusing on sites spread out further away from Angkor Thom. More about how we did our “Big Circle” tour in a later post.
We bought the 3-day temple pass for USD 62 per person that allows us to visit the temples within the Angkor Archaeological Park for up to 3 days (no need to be consecutive days) within 10 days from issue date. These would allow us to do the Small Circle route, Big Circle route, plus a day to cover some of the more distant temples like Banteay Samre and Banteay Srei.
The Angkor Pass must be bought personally from the official ticket center, located 4 kilometres away from Siem Reap town. A photo was taken at the ticket booth and a picture of our face was printed on each pass. Hence, the pass is totally non-transferable. The staff at each temple sites check each ticket diligently so it must be carried at all times while visiting the sites.
How we did our “small circle” tour?
I planned my small circle tour to focus on visits to the key sites within Angkor Thom in the morning, followed by Angkor Wat in the afternoon and ending with sun set viewing at Phnom Bakheng. Notable sites within Angkor Thom include Bayon (my favourite), Phimeanakas, Baphuon, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King.
For this tour, we hired an air-conditioned van with English speaking driver. An air-conditioned van that is large enough to carry our group of 8 persons is much preferred over a couple of tuk-tuks. The mode of transport makes a huge difference in the hot and humid Siem Reap weather in March. In addition, we hired a licensed English speaking tour guide for the day to learn more about the history and culture of the places we were visiting.
Our driver and guide picked us up from the Koulen Hotel at 8 AM. After a brief stopover at the ticket office to buy our 3-day pass, we arrived at the South Gate of Angkor Thom to start our Small Circle tour.
Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom covers an area of 9 square kilometres and was constructed in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. The city was eventually abandoned in the 16th century.
Angkor Thom was the longest-lasting capital of the ancient Khmer Empire. The walled city is square in shape with gates at the 4 cardinal points of the compass (North, South, East and West). In addition, there is a Victory Gate located north of the East gate. Most visitors enter through the South Gate and exit through the Victory Gate.
Like most ancient cities, it is surrounded and protected by a moat. A causeway lined with restored stone figures on both sides leads to an impressive stone arched gate on the other side of the moat. The South Gate of Angkor Thom is most popular with visitors as it is most restored and beautiful compared to the other gates.
Our guide told us the figures on the left side of the causeway (as we approached the gate) are the gods (Devas) while those on the right represents the demons (Assuras). Both rows of figures were holding a multi-headed naga (serpent) as if they were engaged in a tug of war. This is supposed to represent a Hindu myth of creation called the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.
Row of stone figures depicting the good guys (Devas) holding a Naga on the causeway leading to the South gate of Angkor Thom.
Close-up shot of a demon (Assuras). This figure could have been recently restored as seen by its detailed carvings and smooth surfaces and lighter colouring.
South gate of Angkor Thom. Elephants once carried kings through this gate. Now, small vehicles and tuk-tuks are allowed to pass through the narrow entrance.
Construction of the Angkor Temples
After walking through the South gate, our van carried us to the Bayon Temple, located in the centre of Angkor Thom. We stopped a short distance from the south entrance to Bayon Temple where there is a small roadside exhibition explaining the techniques used by the ancient builders of the stone temples.
Hard laterite rocks were used for the foundations and softer grey sand stones were used for the non-loadbearing walls. The sand stones were easier to sculpture using chisel and hammer and there are plenty of intricate artwork on the bas reliefs and walls of the temples.
Example of details on bas-relief found in Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom.
It is estimated that 5 million to 10 million stone pieces, some weighing up to 1,500 kilograms were used in the construction. These stones were quarried from the Phnom Kulen Mountain located about 40 km from Angkor Archaeological Park and ferried to the sites by roads and waterways.
Small round holes were drilled in the heavy stones. Pieces of wooden pegs were driven into these holes to be secured to ropes for lifting and careful placement of each stone piece. Hats off to the ancient builders and architects. What they had accomplished is amazing.
Bayon Temple
Bayon is one of the most interesting temple within Angkor Thom and it must have been extremely beautiful in its hey days. King Jayavarman VII erected the site for Buddhist worship in AD1811. Later, it was renovated and used as a Hindu temple. The north part of the temple is Buddhist and the southern part is Hindu, with a large centre tower featuring a large statue of Buddha that was destroyed and later pieced back together.
Outside Bayon Temple.
Some of the towers in Bayon with the faces.
Bayon is best known for its many towers with smiling faces on each side. There used to be 54 towers. Some had collapsed. It is believed that the faces are that of the builder King.
Each face on the towers is about 4 metres high and faces one of the cardinal directions of the compass. The 4 faces are supposed to represent Charity, Sympathy, Equanimity and Compassion. The gentle smiling faces with eyes closed all looked quite similar to me.
It is best to visit Bayon Temple in the morning where lighting conditions are most favourable for photographing the stone faces. It was quite crowded but I was told it would be even more crowded during the peak season (November to February).
There were plenty of photo opportunities and we took our time to enjoy our visit.
Intricate carvings showing Apsara. In Indian religion and mythology, the Apsara are the celestial singers and dancers.
Our guide also showed us the intricate bas-relief on the outer walls of the Bayon towers. The bas-relief told stories of ancient Khmer life and epic land and sea battles with the Champa Kingdom from Vietnam.
Bas-relief in Bayon Temple depicting pig-fighting as a recreation activity.
Soldiers on boats out to battle the enemies.
Baphuon Temple
Leaving Bayon by the north entrance, our next destination was to be Baphuon Temple.
A long elevated causeway led to the multi-tier Baphuon Temple ruin.
We made a decision to just view Baphuon Temple from outside since we took more time than planned at Bayon.
Terrace of the Elephants
We rested under the shade of trees next to the Terrace of the Elephants. By now, the temperature was a warm 35 degrees C. We were all perspiring and drenched, except for our guide. She told us she is used to such weather and the weather in April and June would be even hotter! Some days could be above 40 degree C from April to June. July would be the start of the monsoon season that brings heavy rainfall.
Terrace of the Elephants
We walked along the top of the Terrace of the Elephants. The 350 meter long terrace was used by King Jayavarman VII as a platform from which to view his victorious returning army. The retaining wall of the terrace is mostly decorated with carved elephants.
The holes on the elephants are not bullet holes. These are holes used to lift and place the stones. From here, it could be seen that the sculpturing artworks were done after the wall was completed.
There are also carvings of Garudas (bird-like humanoid creatures from Hindu mythology) and Lions on the walls. Can you make out which of the above are Garudas and which are Lions?
The Terrace of the Leper King is located a short distance, north of the Terrace of the Elephants. We skipped the visit to the Terrace of the Leper King as we were feeling hot and tired and looking forward to lunch.
We left Angkor Thom via the Victory Gate. Like the South Gate, there are rows of devas and assuras on both sides of the causeway leading out. But most of these statues are headless, crumbled and not restored.
Angkor Wat
After lunch and much needed rest from the heat in an air-conditioned restaurant located next to the Sras Srang reservoir, we finally made our way to Angkor Wat.
The main entrance to Angkor Wat is via the West Gate. We drove past the moat surrounding Angkor Wat on the south side. The moat is 200 meters wide, up to 4 meters deep and completely surrounded the huge complex of Angkor Wat. It was amazing how this moat was dug using manual labour and hand tools in those days! A task that would have required thousands of people working at one time.
200m wide moat surrounding Angkor Wat.
It was about 2.30 PM when we arrived at the West entrance. I took a moment to view and appreciate the size of the massive temple complex from across the moat. I often wonder why ancient civilisations spent insane amount of resources to construct such massive monuments. Another question that often remains unanswered was how they did it. Perhaps the ancient civilisation was more technologically advanced and knowledgeable than what archaeologists knew about them.
Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed. It was built by King Suryavarman II, between A.D. 1113 and 1150, about 30 years before Angkor Thom. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.
Normally, visitors would cross the moat via a stone causeway to get to Angkor Wat. That causeway was undergoing restoration, so we crossed via a temporary bouncy, floating bridge made of assembled plastic pieces.
West wall of Angkor Wat with partially collapsed towers.
There are 5 entrances/exits on the west wall, each with a tall tower. The one in the middle is used by the King. The two nearest the King’s entrance are for high ranking officials and people of importance. The two outermost entrances are for common people and animals.
One of the entrances on the West Wall. Vishnu could be seen inside the entrance, beneath the partially collapsed tower.
A figure of the Hindu god Vishnu with eight arms.
Our guide showed us an Apsara that is somewhat unusual. In Indian religion and mythology, the Apsara is one of the celestial singers and dancers. Many motifs of Apsara decorate the walls of the Angkor temples, including Angkor Wat. Normally they are depicted smiling, with no teeth showing. This rare Apsara has teeth showing in her smile.
This Apsara is showing teeth in her smile. Try looking for it, on the right side of the inner wall after passing through the middle entrance.
A broad walkway or causeway leads from the West entrance to the main Angkor Wat complex. Small buildings on the left and right side of the walkway are known as the Libraries.
On the walkway leading to the multi-tier structure of the main Angkor Wat building. It is best to visit Angkor Wat in the afternoon as the sun would be lighting up the tower structure nicely as we approached from the West side.
There are also 2 bodies of water between the Libraries and the main building. Our guide pointed to the pond on the right side and told us that that is the best place to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat (an activity we planned to do the next morning on our own).
After entering the main temple complex, we took the steep stairs to the second uppermost tier where the main towers were located.
Pillar with inscribed Sanskrit text. There were also some pillars with Chinese characters painted on.
Along the way, we stopped to look at what looked like small indoor pools (now completely dry).
These are pools (now dry) within the Angkor Wat building.
One couple in my travelling group who are Buddhists stopped to get blessings from a Buddhist monk. The monk chanted some blessings and tied a piece of holy red string around their wrists.
Receiving blessings from a Buddhist monk in Angkor Wat.
Intricate details showing Apsara on the faces of one of the towers.
In the old days, worshippers need a bit of faith to climb up the steep and narrow steps to get to highest gallery. It would be even more challenging to get down. A slip could result in serious injuries.
Almost vertical and narrow stone steps leads to the upper gallery of Angkor Wat.
Wooden stairs with railings for visitors.
Thankfully, visitors could now take the safer way to go up via wooden stairs with railings. The number of visitors allowed up at any one time is controlled. We queued for about 10 to 15 minutes before taking the steep wooden stairs up to the top gallery.
We are free to walk all round the top gallery. We could get views of the surrounding countryside from all sides.
View through a window in the top gallery.
The causeway and West entrance as seen from the top gallery. A tethered hot-air balloon bringing tourist up for birds-eye view of Angkor Wat could be seen outside the West entrance.
Apsara motifs at the upper gallery of Angkor Wat.
Some fun and relaxing moment at Angkor Wat.
After visiting the upper gallery, we came down to admire the bas-relief on the lower galleries.
There is so much to see as the bas-relief extends all round the lower gallery level.
Our guide told us how to identify who is the king and who are the generals in the battle scenes depicted. Count the number of umbrellas or parasol above the figure!
Sample of the bas-relief at the Angkor Wat.
On the way back out, we chanced upon some local residents of Angkor Wat.
These macaques live in the forest surrounding Angkor Wat and come out each evening to search for food. Many were well fed by visitors and will snatch plastic bags from unsuspecting tourists.
By now, we were quite tired. There was still one more site to visit. It was about 4.50 PM when we left Angkor Wat, just in time to make our way to Phnom Bakheng for sunset viewing.
Sunset viewing at Phnom Bakheng Temple
Phnom Bakheng is a temple mountain in honour of the Hindu god Shiva and one of the oldest Angkorian temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park. Located on a small hill in the middle of relatively flat terrain, this is one of the best and most popular places to see the sunset in Siem Reap.
Access to the temple requires a 15-minutes gentle uphill walk from the main road where we alighted from our van.
The number of visitors permitted on the ruins of Bakheng temple is limited to about 300 at a time. Long queues are typical but not on the day of our visit.
We soon found out why.
After huffing and puffing our way up the steep steps to the top of Bakheng temple, the supposedly red globe of the setting sun was not visible but shrouded behind low clouds on the western horizon. What we saw was just the gloomy evening sky. No glorious red sunset on this day.
View of the “sun set” from Phnom Bakheng on a cloudy day.
Nevertheless, we stayed to explore the Phnom Bakheng temple ruins till closing time before making our way down.
Bakheng temple ruins. One tower was leaning so bad that it may collapsed anytime soon.
The Shiva Linga or Lingam is a symbol that represents Lord Shiva in Hinduism. Typical items found in Hindu temples like Phnom Bakheng.
Group photo to remember our visit to Phnom Bakheng.
Overall, we had seen some of the most amazing temples on our first day within the Angkor Archaeological Park.
