Angkor Cambodia

Angkor

Sheryl and I spent 4 days in Siem Reap and three of them were spent exploring the ruined city of Angkor - the centrepiece of which is the massive ruined temple Angkor Wat.

It was only on the second day of our tour that we took a tuk tuk at dawn to view Angkor Wat

This character is a hero of the tales of archaelogists of the 1920s but hardly Indiana Jones

and Sheryl is definitely channelling Agatha Christie herself 

a gateway to the city of Angkor

The great face on the gate bears the typical Cham features

on the upper terraces of Angkor Wat

meditation in the inner courtyards of the great temple

Almost a kilometre of bas reliefs cover the verandah walls at Angkor Wat

depicting Hindu tales like the Ramayana and the legend of the Churning of the Sea of Milk.   

A Guardian Lion bares its teeth at visitors

Nagas join lions to present a protective phalanx at a smaller temple

while deities and demons hauling a giant naga to churn the sea form a bridge railing

a serene deity overlooks a lilly pond while he participates in the tug of war with the demons

A fierce Garuda spreads his wings defiantly

A headless warrior god wards off evil at a small temple

but he hasn't been able to ward off the attack of trees and time

Sheryl approaches a gateway of an outlying temple

A perfectly preserved inner shrine is dedicated to Lord Siva

Creatures oversee the perfection of this beautifully carved shrine

in the same courtyard man, monkey and eagle confer

a real monkey makes himself at home on a temple verandah

The temple cat seems colour coordinated to his sandstone home

Even the gods are not immune to the assault of weather and time

and the great forest from which the temples were reclaimed still lays claims

 

the earth has been cleared to reveal the ruin but the tree rides high and victorious

"Enter who dares!" shouts the victorious tree

In some places nature has waged total war

but one brave monk claims a small victory

while another quietly treads the ancient corridors

This sculpture of the god Naryan is evidence of the original Hindu history of Angkor

This beautiful Buddha from Angkor shows how in mid history Buddhism replaced Hinduism

Sheryl steps through the doorway of the remote Lady temple

One of the elaborately framed asparas that give the lady Temple its popular name

Not all the sculptures in this temple are female - a male deity

and not all the asparas in Angkor are to be found in this temple- elaborately dressed asparas

 A local horse still wears the trappings of the historic culture

Dressed in similar trappings this horse participates in a battle on the walls of Angkor Wat

Contemporary sculptures of the cambodian horse are available at roadside stalls

and shops woven from the palm leaf and bamboo are scattered through the park

Tuk Tuks race tourists from one ancient site to the next

while school children make their way home to villages near Angkor

We sadly left Angkor after three short days with much to reflect on and we hope to return.