The moat, the causeway, and the powerful sun
It represents the five peaks of Mount Meru and the oceans of existence. It's home to the impressive "Churning of the Sea of Milk" carvings and seems to glow at sunset. As we approached, the heat wilted us all, but we soldiered on and are happy to report that it does indeed live up to its billing as one of the wonders of the world.
The turtle acting as pivot for churning the Sea of Milk
Apsara and windows with lathed stone posts
We seem not to have taken the classic Angkor Wat photo but here's a nice one (coincidentally from someone at U of Hawai'i).
Mighty Vishnu
Angkor Wat hails from pre-Buddhist times and was built to honor Vishnu, but when later leaders converted to Buddhism, the structure did as well. Many of its Buddhas have been vandalized, though, and it's not uncommon to come across figures in poses of peaceful contemplation minus their heads and hands.
Among other things, Angkor Wat is famous for its bas reliefs illustrating episodes from the Ramayana and the many trials and tribulations of 37 hells and 32 heavens. (The 37 hells get quite specific and intriguing. Heaven, on the other hand, seems a little dull.)
It's also home to many charming apsaras, or dancing girls, many of whom have quite remarkable hairstyles.
Engineering feats: forget not having cranes or bulldozers, they didn't even have hair gel
Hands on the (dharma) wheel
Monks in repose
We got a seven-day pass and visited several temples in the week we spent in Siem Reap. Sometimes we went by tuk-tuk, sometimes by bike, and sometimes (when Elizabeth's chain broke) both.
Tuk-tuk to the rescue
One of the most striking temples was probably the Bayon. Its walls are covered with detailed bas-reliefs, beneath the towering repeated countenances of King Jayavarman VII.
Smiling down... comforting or ominous?
The bas-reliefs depict some of the usual Ramayana stories, but apparently the umpteenth repetition of the tale got old, so they also include a big battle with the Cham people and -- the most interesting part -- Khmer domestic scenes. As the men did big important things like shoot each other, the women took care of everyone.
Riding into battle
Cooking up some fish amok
Birthin' babies
Ta Prohm is the temple they left to the jungle, at least partly. There are plenty of tourists wandering around, but with parrots squawking from the trees and the biggest spiders we've ever seen weaving webs just overhead, it still feels wild.
Ta Prohm: trees 1, temples 0
Probably shouldn't sit there too long, with those trees nearby
Lichen paint job
We also enjoyed Prasat Kravan, a small, early temple that is unusual for its brick bas-reliefs. These were the subject of our friend Megan's thesis. (Megan, feel free to comment learnedly.)
Prasat Kravan
Not all the brick bas-reliefs were apparently finished...
And we couldn't help taking lots of pictures of the critters, mythological and otherwise:
Garuda -- a half-bird divinity
Monkeys who have been pumping some iron
We told you not to make monkeys angry
No idea what this is -- half lizard, half rabbit?
A fierce (mostly) kala, or guardian
A gelfling
The little-known Cambodian rhinoceros
[NB: contrary to Blogger's claim, Elizabeth took this post over from Marty and so is mostly responsible, for better or worse, for its content]
Wow... There are so many of these photos where I felt like I was watching stuff move. I can't imagine how haunting it would be to be there. The tree/temple photos are wonderful...your trip is making me miss ancient Indian lit!
ReplyDeleteThree comments related to Prasat Kravan:
ReplyDelete1) Nope, the carvings at the temple were, indeed, completed. The temple was destroyed and later rebuilt (rather painstakingly) by the French. They just didn't find all the right bricks.
2) There's, amazingly, a "sister" temple to Prasat Kravan outside of Phnom Penh. Prasat Neang Khmau ("Temple of the Black Woman") was built about 20-30 years after PK (dated by inscriptions on the walls of both temples) and, instead of having the reliefs on the interior walls, the exact same reliefs were PAINTED on the walls. There's one surviving photo of them that was published in a few places, but due to the burning of incense inside, the paintings disappeared. Cleaning the temple would be an awesome project for a conservator, I think.
3) Grad school is great if you can get someone else to pay for it, but even then might not be worth it if your advisor decides she doesn't like you. But it is fun to do some mental excavations! I'm glad that part of what I learned is still in there!
And omg! I'd almost forgotten how CUTE the carvings could be!!!
ReplyDeleteI think that that "half lizard, half rabbit" is a bunny-mouse.
ReplyDelete