Angkor The Great !
Eventually, after having spent many months,travelling through Cambodia, I came across the enchanting ancient city of Angkor. To absorb the magical atmosphere of this wonderous place, is to truely glimpse an image of the divine. If you find yourself in Asia, whether it be Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia or Laos, I would strongly recommend a trip to see this ancient site. It is now, fairly easy to get to and there are numerous hotels and guest houses to stay in nearby.
Due to my various experiences on the road and before I waffle on about the wonder of Angkor, I would like to emphasise a simple point here. Most of you will know this all ready, but it is something always worth mentioning: Please do remember you are visitng a Buddhist country and one that has suffered a torturous past.Please alter ones attitude and behaviour accordingly. Always pay proper respect to the true travellers motto, " When in Rome, do as the Romans." It is an expression that is often forgotten by the modern Western tourist, but when in someone elses country, it is very important to remember, we are only guests and one should at all times show the correct respect to one's hosts. Swearing, agression and violent displays of anger are aspects of the West that will get you nothing but contempt and probably trouble. To show anger and aggression is to display a weakness in Buddhist cultures. Shouting at hotel staff, acting like an English thug or showing dis-respect for their country and it's people's, will only create bad feeling. They do not live in a throw away meaningless society ruled by MacDonalds and MTV. Albeit, unfortunately, I am sure perhaps one day they will. But currently, History and Religion are vital aspects of their culture and one's for us to show the utmost of respect. Family is extremely important and the elderly are respected. To be cool in Cambodia, is to be peaceful. They no more about suffering than most, and have no wish to suffer any more. Yet having said all that, luckily Cambodia so far, seems to have escaped the rather boorish, thug mentality, one sees displayed by some English men abroad, in countries such as Spain and Ibiza. Not to single out my own countrymen as thugs, but it is rather embarrassing to to see how some of them behave. Cool it is not, sad and pathetic is more to the point.To be tolerant is to be cool. don't be too quick to judge and remeber our own countries are certainly far from being perfect. I think it would be fair to say, that You are far more likely to be attcked by thugs in your home city or town in the UK or US, then you are in Asia. But as always be cautious, be polite and show respect.
The very fact you are reading this, probably means you are not in any way like that and most likley do not need me to tell you. However, due to my experiencing the ignorance and attitude problems of some tourists, I felt it neccessary to say something. Anyways my friends, enough of my ramblings....on to Angkor !
Angkor Wat is a monumental symbol of the Cambodian people. An awesome relic of the past, when their civilisation , built a huge and magnificient empire. The center of that wonder of past history, was the majestic city of Angkor;of which Angkor Wat ('Wat' being the Siamese word for temple) was just one part.
Situated just outside the small dusty town of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is a temple, dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu and the most visted of all Angkor's incredible archeological wonders. After decades of silence, it is now given it's just honours and regarded, as the largest and certainly one of the most incredible, religious structures in the world !
This magnificient physical image of god on earth, lay ignored by most, for many many years. Due to Cambodia's historical, unstable nature, most people knew little, or nothing about it. Few dared to make the pilgrimage and see for themselves what a wonderous place it was. For a long time, it was never given the same respect as the pyramids of Egypt or Mexico, The Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, The Great Wall of China, or any of the other marvels of human creativity and achievement. Yet slowly, over time and through the words of acedemics, readers and the more adventurous minds of our planet, it's notoriety spread. With the advent of political change, fresh investment and new airline routes, it is now easy and safe, to come and visit this most splendid of ancient sites. The gateway to Cambodia is now truely open and the less adventurous tourist can now see for themselves, what remained hidden for so long.
Angkor Wat is one of the greatest wonders of the world, equal and in some ways surpassing, any other. It is a magnificient, stone microcosm of the universe. A magical place of past achievements, past efforts and past thinking. The temple now draws people from all over the world and at last takes it's deserved place, as one of the greatest achievements of ancient architecture, human sacrafice and relentless effort.
It is perfect in so many ways with unblemished balance, pure composition perfect proportions and beautiful sculptures. Taking around 30 years to completem, it is still debated by scholars as to whether it was actually designed, as a temple, or infact a tomb. Most experts now agree, that it was infact both a temple where a god was worshiped and also a resting place for the great King who had it built, Suryavarman II.
To give some idea of size, here are a few interesting facts: Angkor Wat's central tower is 65 metres high(213 feet). It occupies a rectangular area of land some 500 acres in size, surrounded by a moat that is 200 metres (660 feet) wide, with a an enclosure wall with a perimeter of approximatly 5.5 kilometres (3.5 miles).
Angkor is without doubt, an enormous structure and one of admirable beauty and perfection. seeing is believing !
Angkor Wat was part of the the city of Angkor, which was the ancient political and religious centre of the Khmer civilisation. It is an area consisting of ruins, temples and monuments that were designed, built and added to, during the 9th and 14th centuries. They were created by a great race of people, now known as the Khmers. The people you now meet in Cambodia are their descendants.
From 802 to 1432, the Khmer civilisation was at it's peak, excelling in all fields of knowledge and creativity. Angkor is a culmination of that amazing period of time. It covers an area of over 200 square kilometres(approxiamtely 77 square miles)and is situated in what is now North West Cambodia; aprroximately 6km (4 miles) from the rapidly developing town of Siem Reap.
The incredible ruins and monuments of Angkor that you see today, are infact the remnants of many cities (maybe as many as five) that were built on top of each other or close by, over a 500 year period. The Khmer word for Angkor, 'Nokor,' in later times came to mean more than just one city. It is infact used to describe a royal, or holy capital and stands for the whole of the Khmers achievement, during their period of greatness.
Numerous temples have now collapsed and lay in ruin, many monuments have still to be cleared of mines and some have even yet, to be discovered; Many consumed by the jungle and hidden from view. But as every day that goes by, we are closer to knowing more and more about this fascinating place. Every so often a new site is found and cries of excitement permeate through the archeological world. In the mean time reconstruction and restoration work take place, as teams of experts try to give us a glimpse as to the buildings original structure.
During it's peak, Angkor was one of the richest and most beautiful places, exciting all who visited. Travellers and traders often remarking on the magnificence of it's towers of gold, vast gateways, stone bridges and numerous, shimmering, precious stones. It was a place that impressed all and had a population far greater than London and any other European city of that time. Infact during 1100-1200 Angkor was ten times the size of Paris at that same period. During those 500 years at Angor,stone chambers, golden lions and vast statues of various gods, all added to the image of this great city. There were schools, libraries and trading areas. Science had begun and methods of telling time being used. Engineers built huge resevoirs and man mad lakes, canals and moats. A vast hydraulic system was created and engineers excelled in many areas of endeavour. During the 11th Century, a resevoir was built measuring 8km by 2km (5 miles by 1.25 miles) which in simple terms is 50 times larger than a football pitch !
In all aspects, Angkor was a place of massine human achievement and spiritual energy.
It is a place to wonder at and it is certainly a place I highly recommend to visit. There are many books to read regarding it's history and I recommend them too. The more you know of this place, the more you will marvel at it's greatness. It is more than just a pile of old stones and deserves the respect of all visitors to know as much as possible about it. With knowledge, one can truely glimpse just what this awesome place meant to the Khmers who built it, and what significance it plays in the lives of the Cambodians today. For them, it is a central part of their belief system. It provides them with hope, self esteem, confidence and an undying belief, that they too, were once part of a great civilisation. In parts, the buildings may well have crumbled, but the spirit remains. They are a testimony to the past achievements of the people and represent hope for the future. Angkor transports them back, to a time when there was peace among them and the world looked on in awe. You too, can now look on in awe and experience one of the true wonders of the world.
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