Angkor Temples in Cambodia

 Linda signed us up for a sunrise photo trip to Angkor Wat, so we were up at 4AM, and on a bus to be there before sunrise at 6 AM.  But it was a cloudy morning, and if the sun came up (pretty sure it did), I couldn’t even tell which direction it was coming from.






But there were a lot of people there.  It’s clear that this is a popular thing to do.

We went back to the hotel and had breakfast, and then tried it again.  In full light, even on a cloudy day, you can see a lot more.  And there is a lot to see.  Angkor Wat is large.


The grounds are surrounded by a rectangular moat.  There are a series of walls and courtyards, with the main towers in the middle.


The walls in the galleries are covered in carvings like this one showing Vishnu using a snake to churn an ocean of milk.


A lot of the temple site is undergoing restoration.


When you work your way into the center of the complex, to the main central tower, you can climb the 30 steps to the second level, and then another 48 steps to get to the third level.  The temple was originally built as a Hindu temple to Vishnu, but then it was switched over to a Buddhist temple, so at the top, you find a statue of Buddha.


But the carvings on the walls are still from its construction as a Hindu temple.  The weathering of the carvings can be amazingly different, such as:


But Angkor Wat is not the only temple.  There are lots.  After this we went to Ta Prohm, and then Lolei, Bankong and Preah Ko.  All old Hindu temples.  A lot of these were in ruins.


But some have been restored.


And some are in the process of some amount of restoration.


But in many cases, there seems to be little left.


But in a few, it appears to be a complete restoration, and are in current use as a Hindu Shrine.



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