Angkor: Wat awesomeness

SIEM REAP, Cambodia – Hindu temple turned Buddhist turned Hindu turned Buddhist.

Two ancient faiths finding common ground whence sprang the grandeur of  Angkor Wat – the largest, longest in continual use, best known of all the other temples in what, arguably, could be the world’s largest concentration of places of worship in a single, contiguous territory of 154 square miles. Aptly called Angkor Archaeological Park.

And Number 1 in the list of the 500 Best Attractions on the Planet compiled by the largest travel guide book in the world, Lonely Planet.

“Angkor, meaning ‘capital’ actually serving as such of the Khmer Kingdom that ruled from the 9^th century to the 13^th when the temples – wat, in the local language – were constructed...” Snippets of historical facts hardly heard, much less internalized, in the cacophony of tongues – melodically Spanish, gutturally German, high-pitched Korean, singsong Vietnamese, cackling Chinese, hardly any Tagalog, and English, both cockney and twangy – resounding from the bas reliefs on the massive walls, echoing through the closed corridors of Angkor Wat.

The bas reliefs, simply spectacular! The grandest in scope a depiction of the concluding episode of the Indian epic Mahabharata – “the Battle of Kurukshetra when the Pandava and Kaurava clans met in final deadly combat” – complete with chariots, horsemen, foot soldiers, spears, swords, bows and arrows.

The bas reliefs detailed day-to-day life too – families in banquets, men in drinking sprees, different games …one of which instantly caught the fancy of Business Mirror’s Joey Pavia – cockfighting!

Spread throughout the temple walls were countless apsaras or bare-breasted female spirits in various stages of dance. No two apsaras are the same, not in their hairdos, dresses, poses. So we are told by our tour guide Mr. King. 

Asked why the bosoms and cheeks of the apsaras looked more smoothly polished than the rest of their parts, King said: “Those are the parts usually rubbed, not so much for lust as for luck.”

While Angkor Wat – with its five massive towers topped by tiers of lotuses tapering at the apex, expansive courtyards, stone causeway and wide moat – is unarguably the most imposing, it is Bayon that offers the most sumptuous feast for the eyes – intricate carvings on the columns, walls, and towers topped by faces – of the Buddha or any of the Khmer kings? – looking in all four directions of the compass.

And its own fair share of apsaras too. Every which way one looks is a view worth keeping. Bayon truly makes a photographer’s nirvana.

Of late, second only to Angkor Wat in popularity is Ta Phrom temple, after being famously featured in the Angelina Jolie starrer Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

 

With less carvings and bas reliefs than either Bayon or Angkor, Ta Phrom’s attraction is its primeval state – giant balete and other forest trees rooted in or cracking the walls, strangling columns, entangling gates and doorways, whence one half expects mystical creatures to suddenly appear, followed by some primal scream. Really, cinematic.

Speaking of gates, the most picturesque is the South Gate of Angkor Thom, the bridge leading to it lined up – on the right side facing the entryway by massive statues of demons, and on the left by equally massive statues of gods. Evoking the eternal conflict between good and evil on the road to heaven’s gate.

Sunset view is best from the Pre Rup temple, so it is advertised. With the sun setting behind the lush vegetation by the west end, and not on the temple itself, it does not live up to its billing. 

But Pre Rup by itself does not fail to impress. Predominantly brick in material – giving some clues to its funerary function – its towers glow to a golden orange just before dusk. Its very steep stairs make some daunting challenge even to the fitness buff. The less athletic though can repair to the wooden stairs with railings at the right side of the temple.  

A number of other “major” temples are scattered throughout the park – Phimeanakas, Elephant Terrance, Srah Srong viewed from the touring bus this time. Ready to get their own exploration the next time around.

Hopefully not in the usual touristy arrive-shoot-pose-shoot-selfie-groupie-shoot-upload-leave-for-the-next-spot scheme of things this time.

As we see and capture the magnificence of a place, so should we also sense its majesty. In the case of a temple, be imbued with its spirituality. Coming less as tourists than pilgrims, only then can its awesomeness be truly experienced.