Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and more…

Cambodia, the renowned Kingdom in South East Asia is known for its temples, architectural history, culture and food. Travelling to Cambodia would mean planning your itinerary well in advance. The country is so huge and so is the list of things to do, that planning a trip to the Indochina peninsula could get really overwhelming. Fret not, we have you covered. Lyf&Spice has curated easy guides to make your travel simpler than you thought…

Let’s break the journey into two major chunks – the small circuit and the grand circuit. Once you have these circuits covered, we can delve into the details of each piece of architecture or share some extra travel tips depending on the flow of thoughts.

The Small Circuit

The small circuit covers the most important temples. If you want to finish the circuit in a single day, i.e. by dawn, follow the tour. While the list is exhaustive, let’s pick just the top few.

Starting point: Angkor Wat

Inclusions: Angor Wat, a huge part of Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm

Smaller significant temples: The Terrace of the Leper King and The Terrace of the Elephants

End point: Angkor Wat

1. Angkor Wat

Literally means the Capital Temple – represents Mount Meru
Originally built as a Hindu Temple (early 12^th century) – transformed into a Buddhist temple (late 12^th century)
Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the temple was built by King Suryavarman II. It is a perfect example of the typical Khmer style of architecture.
Wake up before dawn and head to the enormous complex of the 900-year old Angkor Wat to watch the sun rise. The best time to reach there would be between 5.00-5.30 a.m.
Watch the sun rise as the peripheries of the temple deflect its rays and lose yourself into the golden cast as the temple drowns itself in the magnanimous rays of the sun.

Note: Note the remarkable architecture, depictions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the construction technique using sandstones, various figurines and the library at the outer enclosure.

Must do: Carry packed breakfast along. You can have it at the viewing compound while you wait for the sun to rise.

Spoiler alert: You should be lucky to watch the sun rise to its full form. On most cloudy days or other unfortunate days, you might not be able to witness anything special at the crack of dawn.

2. Ta Prohm

Think Lara Croft, think Ta Prohm
Yes, this is where Tomb Raider was shot
Bayon-style architecture, very touristy
It was built as a Buddhist temple and called Rajavihara or the monastery of the king
Late 12^th – early 13^th century
Restored in partnership with APSARA and Archaeological Survey of India
Added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1992
This jungle temple has roots, roots and roots intertwining in the most mysterious ways
While most of the Bhuddist art work has been destroyed, do check out all that remains. Look out for bass-reliefs at the entrance and walls

Significance: Its iconic roots of the silk cotton trees curve and crawl through the temple in creepy ways, making it the most interesting feature

Must do: Click a picture at the designated spot as you pose against the famous tree. You’ll know when you get there.

3. Angkor Thom

Literally means the Great City
Built in the late 12^th century – by King Jayavarman VII
Enter through causeways with parallel statues of 54 Gods and Devils engaged in tug of war
Spread across 10 sq km, it was Khmer Empire’s last capital city

Must visit:

(a) Bayon temple

At the centre of Angkor Thom
Has 216 faces with distinct smiles
Late 12^th – early 13^th century
Dedicated to Buddha – the last temple to be built at Angkor
The faces are believed to represent King Jayavarman VII himself. Contradicting theories suggest that they represent Lokesvara
After undergoing numerous alterations after the death of the King, it was abandoned and was left at the jungle until restoration began in the 10^thcentury
Watch the beauty unfold as you climb the fleet of steps and reach the centre, literally face-to-face with all the smiling images

Significance: No matter where you walk or which corner of the temple you view the faces from, they seem to be looking right at you

Must do: Click a picture touching your nose to the nose of one of the faces. Tourist guides know just the spot to get you clicked.

(b) Baphuon Temple

This may not be included in every small circuit tour, but we loved it here
Don’t miss it – trace the location, towards the northwest of Bayon
Built in the mid-11^th century
It looks different as it is based on the Baphuon style of architecture
Built as a temple-mountain, it has 3 tiers
Most of the (unstable) temple had collapsed, as it was made on a land that had been filled with sand
The final restoration was completed only in 2011
Initially dedicated to Lord Shiva – later converted to a Buddhist temple
A 9×70 metre statute of reclining Buddha was built at level 2 (West), however, it is not to be seen now
Try to spot the animal figurines on every side of the entrance leading to the central sanctuary

Significance: The first temple which had a stone gallery with a central tower

Must do: Climb all the way to the top. It may not offer the best view of Cambodia, but it is worth the while. See if you spot the outline of the reclining Buddha – we did and we were thrilled.

(c)Terrace of The Elephants:

Next to the Terrace of the Leper King, 350 m long
Viewing stand + audience hall
Was a viewing deck for King Jayavarman VII to keep a watch on the returning army
The structure has its foundation remaining, while most of it (made of organic material) has disappeared
Must see the elephants carved along the east side of the terrace
The central area of the wall has lions and a life-size garuda

(d)Terrace of the Leper King

Consider Angkor Thom as a Royal Square. Take the north-west side and that’s where you will find this terrace
Bayon style of architecture
It derives its name from the statue of the Leper King called so because of the moss growing over it + discolouration
There are many interpretations to this: some believe it is Yama of the God of death, while others believe it is Yasovarman I, a famous Angkorian king who was diagnosed with leprosy. Since Cambodians call him Dharmaraja, this was ideally inscribed on the original statue.

Tour cost: 150 USD (2 persons) approx. – transport, guide, entrance