Terrace of the Elephants

Exiting the Baphuon and moving down further the road, is the impressive Terrace of the Elephants. As the name implies, it is not a temple by itself but rather a terrace. Archaeologists postulated that the this terrace may have been used in performances and parades much like how royalty and political leaders do it these days.

Mythical Winged Creatures that Adorn the Terrace

The Terrace of the Elephants is so named because of the presence of a huge number of elephant carvings on the terrace face itself. The trunks of the elephants were carved in such a way that they would appear as pillars. The main entrance of the terrace itself features four such elephants. On closer inspection, one can notice that the trunks of the elephants themselves have carvings on them.

However, the Terrace of the Elephants doesn’t only feature elephants but other mythical creatures, birdlike winged creatures, some of the have female features too. These creatures seem to adorn the rest of the terrace. One look at the length of the terrace and one would have been impressed.

Carvings all the Way

Some of the walls also feature scenes from everyday life. Perhaps an efforts to still be able to connect royalty with the people.

The terrace impressive as it is, is merely the entrance to the royal palace that lies behind it. It is really impressive how the ancient Khmers invested so much effort into these structures. One could not help but stand in awe of them.

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Entrance the the Baphuon

Just to the left of Bayon is temple-mountain known as Baphuon. It was built in the middle of the 11th century. The Baphuon largely a work in progress. It seemed the ancient Khmers failed in designing this temple properly such that it collapsed under its own weight.

Different Angle

What a pity, since it was supposed to be part of the center of the city of Angkor Thom. I’m sure that the ancient Khmers had grand plans for it. However, modern Khmers with the help of the international community is setting out on reconstructing the the Baphuon as it was meant to be. However, this will definitely they a long time to finish.

Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces

The original design seemed to allow for pools upon entering the Baphuon complex, however water now it not to be seen now. It must have been an impressive sight when it was built, before it collapsed, of course.

Through the Trees

Unfortunately, the reconstruction of Baphuon also means that a significant portion of the temple is inaccessible. Significant portion is inaccessible also means that there are portions which are accessible. We didn’t bother going in the temple anymore since the whole thing is under construction, who know when it might start collapsing again.

Just beyond the main temple building itself are some pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, just waiting for someone to piece is back together again.

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Bayon Temple

After our quick breakfast, we proceeded to explore the temple complex called Bayon. It was just right outside the small market where we ate and almost certainly dwarfs the market itself in size. The Bayon is the centerpiece temple of Angkor Thom in the vast Angkor Archaeological Park and is the first temple that visitors see after entering from the South Gate.

Detailed Bas-Relief

Almost immediately, one would notice the huge faces adorning the stone towers of Bayon. It was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. At up to this very day, debate rages on who the face depicted on the towers are.

One of the Towers of Bayon

The main entrance of the Bayon is on the east, very near the entrance you will notice that there pieces of temple scattered with numbers. It was actually like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle where the archaeologists try to put the temple back together piece by piece. It is truly a daunting task and probably will never finish any time soon.

Endless Halls

The walls of the Bayon are adorned with bas-reliefs of scenes from everyday life to mythical figures. It was impressive to see all these exquisite carvings. I wonder how many people it took to do all these. It wouldn’t be too fare fetched to think that the ancient Khmer Empire had a huge number of skilled artists to work on the temples.

Face Smiles at Everyone

The temple, like an onion, has several layers and each of the walls separating these layers all have their own story to tell. When exploring the Bayon, it would be wise to keep a close eye on everything you see. An ordinary wall upon closer inspection can actually have detailed writing on it. Another wall will have a dragon carved on it. One could spend a day here and not finish seeing everything. Archaeologists have worked with it for decades and a still not done with it.

Brightly Colored Robes of a Young Monk Give Him Away

There were also Buddhist monks in the temple complex. Some of them were on tour but some of them seem to belong there. The Bayon doesn’t have places to sleep in, so most probably the monks live somewhere in the Archaeological Park. It was amusing to see them with their bright orange robes contrasting with the dull dark stones of the Bayon.

As the first temple we saw in Siem Reap, I would have to say that I am very impressed with what I am seeing. The next few days promises fill up my memory card with pictures of amazing temples and grand palaces.

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South Gate at Angkor Thom

For any visitor to Siem Reap, watching the sun rise at Angkor Wat is a must. That was what we intended to do. Wake up by five in the morning and rush out to Angkor Wat and watch the sun rise before your very eyes. This was not to be. By the time we got up, it was already almost six in the morning and the sun had already rose. Too late for the sunrise.

Asura at Angkor Thom

Well, we still have a couple of days to try catch the sunrise so we proceeded to start our exploration of the temples. We started with the sprawling ancient city of Angkor Thom. We took our tuk-tuk to the archeological park entrance and paid our fees and even had our mug shots. It turns out to be very handy souvenir.

More Asuras

The sun hasn’t fully risen yet so it was still a little dark. The road we took was well paved and the the air was quite crisp. It seems that Siem Reap is a little elevated which will explain the cool air. There were hardly any tourists on the road right now, probably because everyone else is at Angkor Wat watching the sun rise.

Empty Road

We got to the South Gate of Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom was established by Jayavarman VII and was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. It is huge with a territory spanning several square kilometers. Very impressive considering that this was built several centuries ago.

Locals on Bicycles

The South Gate in front of us is the main entry point into Angkor Thom. There are four gates bordering Angkor Thom. However, the South Gate is the most well preserved with the others fallen into disrepair. The gate itself is quite imposing. With a huge face carved on it. There are debates as to how the face actually is. The bridge crossing the moat has impressive statues called asuras guarding both sides of the bridge. Some of the statues have unfortunately been decapitated by treasure hunters or maybe even locals seeking to earn a quick buck.

Moat Full of Water

The moat itself is not really full of water all around, presumably because it wasn’t the rainy season. I could just imagine how much better it will look like with the moat full of water. It was interesting to see how the ancient Khmers made use of water in their engineering work. It provides an insight into the level of knowlege they have already aquired.

South Gate

Upon passing through the South Gate is was only a small distance more into Angkor Thom and all the temple complexes it holds. However, our stomachs were already growling from not having breakfast. Fortunately, there is a small market with an eating place and we grabbed ourselves a simple breakfast of pork and rice while we soak in the views of the surrounding temples.

Breakfast at Angkor Thom

I’m not a big fan of history but seeing this really impresses me. I could not fathom how centuries ago without the help of modern technology, people have been able to build marvels like these. I think I’m going to enjoy this trip.

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