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Angkor Thom
The fortified city of Angkor Thom (Great Angkor, or Great City), is on an epic scale, some 10 sq km in size. It was built by Angkor's greatest king, Jayavarman VII (r 1181-1219), who came to power following the disastrous sacking of the previous Khmer capital by the Chams. At its height, it may have supported a population of one million people in the surrounding region.
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Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the largest and undoubtedly the most breathtaking of the monuments at Angkor, and is widely believed to be the largest religious structure in the world. It is simply unique, a stunning blend of spirituality and symmetry, an enduring example of man's devotion to his gods. Relish the very first approach, as that spine-tickling moment when you emerge on the inner causeway will rarely be felt again.
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Bakong
Bakong is the largest and most interesting of the Roluos Group temples, and has an active Buddhist monastery just to the north of the east entrance. It was built and dedicated to Shiva by Indravarman I. It's a representation of Mt Meru, and it served as the city's central temple. The east-facing complex consists of a five-tier central pyramid of sandstone, 60m square at the base, flanked by eight towers (or their remains) of brick and sandstone and by other minor sanctuaries.
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Baksei Chamkrong
Located southwest of the south gate of Angkor Thom, Baksei Chamkrong is one of the few brick edifices in the immediate vicinity of Angkor. A well-proportioned though petite temple, it was once decorated with a covering of lime mortar. Like virtually all of the structures of Angkor, it opens to the east. In the early 10th century, Harshavarman I erected five statues in this temple: two of Shiva, one of Vishnu and two of Devi.
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Banteay Kdei
A massive Buddhist monastery from the latter part of the 12th century, is surrounded by four concentric walls. The outer wall measures 500m by 700m. Each of its four entrances is decorated with garudas, which hold aloft one of Jayavarman VII's favourite themes: the four faces of Avalokiteshvara. The inside of the central tower was never finished and much of the temple is in a ruinous state due to hasty construction. It is considerably less busy than nearby Ta Prohm and this alone can justify a visit.
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Banteay Samré
Banteay Samré dates from the same period as Angkor Wat and was built by Suryavarman II (r 1112-52). The temple is in a fairly healthy state of preservation due to some extensive renovation work, although its isolation has resulted in some looting during the past two decades. The area consists of a central temple with four wings, preceded by a hall and also accompanied by two libraries, the southern one remarkably well preserved.
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Banteay Srei
Banteay Srei is considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art. A Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, it is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone carving seen anywhere on earth. It is one of the smallest sites at Angkor, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in stature. It is wonderfully well preserved and many of its carvings are three-dimensional.
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Baphuon
Baphuon would have been one of the most spectacular of Angkor's temples in its heyday. Located 200m northwest of Bayon, it's a pyramidal representation of mythical Mt Meru. Construction probably began under Suryavarman I and was later completed by Udayadityavarman II (r 1049-65). It marked the centre of the city that existed before the construction of Angkor Thom.
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Battle of Lanka Bas-Relief
The northern half of the west gallery stretching along the outside of the central temple complex of Angkor Wat shows scenes from the Ramayana . In the Battle of Lanka, Rama (on the shoulders of Hanuman), along with his army of monkeys, battles 10-headed, 20-armed Ravana, seducer of Rama's beautiful wife Sita. Ravana rides a chariot drawn by monsters and commands an army of giants.
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Battle of the Gods and the Demons Bas-Relief
The western section of the north gallery stretching along the outside of the central temple complex of Angkor Wat depicts the battle between the 21 gods of the Brahmanic pantheon and various demons. The gods are featured with their traditional attributes and mounts. Vishnu, for example, has four arms and is seated on a garuda, while Shiva rides a sacred goose.
Read more about Battle of the Gods and the Demons Bas-Relief
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Bayon
Unique, even among its cherished contemporaries, Bayon epitomises the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia's legendary king, Jayavarman VII. It's a place of stooped corridors, precipitous flights of stairs and, best of all, a collection of 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 coldly smiling, enormous faces of Avalokiteshvara that bear more than a passing resemblance to the great king himself.
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Beng Mealea
Beng Mealea is a spectacular sight to behold. It's one of the most mysterious temples at Angkor, as nature has well and truly run riot. Built to the same floorplan as Angkor Wat, exploring this titanic of temples is Angkor's ultimate Indiana Jones experience. Built in the 12th century under Suryavarman II (r 1112-52), Beng Mealea is enclosed by a massive moat measuring 1.2km by 900m, much of which has dried up today.
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Chams on the Run Bas-Relief
Just south of the east gate of Bayon is a three-level panorama. On the first tier, Khmer soldiers march off to battle; check out the elephants and the ox carts, which are almost exactly like those still used in Cambodia today. The second tier depicts the coffins being carried back from the battlefield. In the centre of the third tier, Jayavarman VII, shaded by parasols, is shown on horseback followed by legions of concubines (to the left).
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Chau Say Tevoda
Just east of Angkor Thom's east gate is Chau Say Tevoda. It was probably built during the second quarter of the 12th century, under the reign of Suryavarman II, and dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. It is under renovation by the Chinese to bring it up to the condition of its twin temple, Thommanon.
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Chau Srie Vibol
This petite hilltop temple sees few visitors, as it is difficult to access. The central sanctuary is in a ruined state, but is nicely complemented by the construction of a modern wat nearby. Surrounding the base of the hill are laterite walls, each with a small entrance hall in reasonable condition. To get here turn east off the reasonable dirt road between Phnom Bok and Roluos at a point about 8km north of NH6, or 5km south of Phnom Bok.
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Churning of the Ocean of Milk Bas-Relief
Churning of the Ocean of Milk Bas-Relief The southern section of the east gallery stretching along the outside of the central temple complex of Angkor Wat is decorated by the most famous of the bas-relief scenes at Angkor Wat, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. This brilliantly executed carving depicts 88 asuras on the left, and 92 devas, with crested helmets, churning up the sea to extract from it the elixir of immortality.
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Civil War Bas-Relief
This panel on the first level of Bayon depicts scenes that some scholars maintain is a civil war. Groups of people, some armed, confront each other, and the violence escalates until elephants and warriors join the melee.
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Eastern Baray & Eastern Men
The enormous one-time reservoir known as the Eastern Baray was excavated by Yasovarman I (r 889-910), who marked its four corners with steles. This basin, now entirely dried up, was the most important of the public works of Yasodharapura, Yasovarman I's capital, and is 7km by 1.8km. It was originally fed by the Stung Siem Reap.
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German Apsara Conservation Project
Angkor Wat is famous for its beguiling apsaras (heavenly nymphs). Many of these exquisite apsaras were damaged during Indian efforts to clean the temples with chemicals during the 1980s, the ultimate bad acid trip, but they are now being restored by the teams with the German Apsara Conservation Project . The organisation operates a small information booth in the northwest corner of Angkor Wat, near the wat, where beautiful black-and-white postcards and images of Angkor are available.
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Heaven & Hell Bas-Relief
Heaven & Hell Bas-Relief The eastern half of the south gallery stretching along the outside of the central temple complex of Angkor Wat depicts the punishments and rewards of the 37 heavens and 32 hells. On the left, the upper and middle tiers show fine gentlemen and ladies proceeding towards 18-armed Yama (the judge of the dead) seated on a bull; below him are his assistants, Dharma and Sitragupta.
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Kbal Spean
Kbal Spean is a spectacularly carved riverbed, set deep in the jungle to the northeast of Angkor. More commonly referred to in English as the 'River of a Thousand Lingas', the name actually means 'bridgehead', a reference to the natural rock bridge at the site. Lingas have been elaborately carved into the riverbed, and images of Hindu deities are dotted about the area.
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Khmer Circus Bas-Relief
At the western corner of the northern wall on the first level of Bayon is a Khmer circus. A strong man holds three dwarfs, and a man on his back is spinning a wheel with his feet; above is a group of tightrope walkers. To the right of the circus, the royal court watches from a terrace, below which is a procession of animals. Some of the reliefs in this section remain unfinished.
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Kleangs & Prasat Suor Prat
Along the east side of Angkor Thom's Central Sq are two groups of buildings, the North Kleang and the South Kleang, that may at one time have been palaces. The North Kleang dates from the period of Jayavarman V (r 968-1001).
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Krishna and the Demon King Bas-Relief
The eastern section of the north gallery stretching along the outside of the central temple complex of Angkor Wat shows Vishnu incarnated as Krishna riding a garuda . He confronts a burning walled city, the residence of Bana, the demon king. The garuda puts out the fire and Bana is captured. In the final scene Krishna kneels before Shiva and asks that Bana's life be spared.
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Linga Worship Bas-Relief
The first panel north of the southeastern corner of the first level of Bayon shows Hindus praying to a linga (phallic symbol). This image was probably originally a Buddha, later modified by a Hindu king.
