Temples in Cambodia. Excursion to the temple complex of Angkor Wat: feel like the king of Cambodia! Opening hours of the temple complex

Hello dear readers! Today, the goal of our virtual trip will be the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia. The Angkor region was the center of Cambujadesh, the ancient Khmer state. In addition to Cambodia itself, it included the territories of today's Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

As you know from, this feudal kingdom existed from the 9th to the 13th century. It reached its peak in the XII century, when Angkor Wat was being built. History is silent as to how the temple was called at that time.

Suryavarman II, one of the rulers of the Khmer Empire, built it in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu. Therefore, there are suggestions that the historical name could sound like "Varah Vishnuloka", that is, "the place where saint Vishnu dwells."

What does the modern name mean

Angkor (from Sanskrit nagara) means city. It is interesting that in Kambujadesh they spoke two languages: the rulers in Sanskrit, and the commoners in Khmer. The word "Wat" in the languages ​​of Asian countries can mean a temple, pagoda or monastery.

Temple complex of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The Khmer language is no exception, but it also has a second meaning of the word "Wat": it is "admiration" or "veneration."

Cambodians are incredibly proud of their main shrine. The image of Angkor Wat is present on the state symbols of the country: the coat of arms and the flag.

Thus, the name of the sanctuary can be translated as:

• city-temple;
• city ​​temple;
• metropolitan temple.

But in fact, the word Angkor has long become a proper name and therefore cannot be translated in any way. Therefore Angkor Wat is the temple of Angkor.

Location

The ruins of Angkor are located very close to Siem Reap. It is the capital of the Cambodian province of the same name. Angkor Archaeological Park covers approximately four hundred square meters. km along with its wooded territory.

Temple complex Angkor Wat on the map

Here are the majestic relics of the capitals of the Khmer Empire that existed in different time from the 9th to the 15th centuries. They also include the Angkor Wat temple, which will be discussed in our story. Angkor Archaeological Park has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1992.

Rediscovering the world

The once great Kambujadesha was bled out of blood by endless wars with neighbors and exorbitant expenditures on grandiose construction. In the XIV century, it ceased to exist. Angkor Wat gradually fell into desolation, but was not completely abandoned, since monks have always lived here.

Two centuries later, the first Europeans visit the sacred place. They were the Portuguese. First, the merchant Diogo do Couto published his traveller's notes. And 36 years later, the monk Antonio da Madalena, having visited the ruins of the temple, described it in excellent colors.

But Europeans really became interested in the shrine in 1860. This time, the French did their bit in drawing attention to the shrine:

1. Preacher Charles-Emile Buyevo, who published a two-volume edition of his impressions of visiting this place.
2. Naturalist and traveler Henri Muo, who popularized the great Khmer temple among Westerners.
3. Henri Ernest Jean Parmentier, archaeologist and later director of the French Institute Of the Far East, who studied, described in documents and participated in the restoration of the monuments of Angkor.

The Paris Colonial Exhibition, which was held in 1931, exhibited a model of the Angkor Wat sanctuary.

Angkor Wat model at the Royal Palace, Cambodia

Not without barbaric antics. In the 70s, some of the buildings and sculptural images were damaged by the Pol Pot people. Well, now, protected by the world community, the temple is the number one attraction in the Kingdom of Cambodia, and any travel agency will tell you how to get here.

Those who have already visited here share their experience with tourists:

1. The entrance ticket can be bought for a day, three days or a week. It must be saved, since ticket inspectors periodically check tickets. With a ticket, you can leave the complex any number of times during the paid time and enter again. It is personal: your photo will be taken at the checkout, and it will be on the ticket.
2. Forgery of a ticket is punishable by law, as well as looting and damage to the property of Angkor.
3. It is customary to meet the sunrise at 5 am, and the complex closes at 5:30 pm.
4. You need to dress appropriately, covering your shoulders and knees. The headpiece will save you from sunstroke. And shoes, despite the heat, are recommended to choose comfortable ones, such as sneakers, since the stairs with stone steps are very steep.
5. Well, and absolutely obvious truths: do not litter, smoke, touch the images with your hands. It is necessary to respectfully treat and follow the instructions of signs and plates on the territory.

Before visiting the temple, of course, it is good to have some theoretical knowledge. Therefore, let us turn to the description of its architecture.

Architectural features

The Angkorian style in which this sanctuary was built combines features of both Khmer and Hindu architecture. It is a temple-personifying mountain, combined with many galleries. The building consists of three rectangular terraces that make up a pyramid.

The inner rectangular courtyard covers two hundred hectares. It is surrounded by a wall four and a half meters high. On the outer side of the wall, a moat filled with water stretches for more than three and a half kilometers.

Along its edges, the land is cleared of the jungle to a width of thirty meters. The width of the moat is one hundred and ninety meters, and it is believed that it was he who saved the temple from death and from the invasion of wild animals from the jungle in the years of oblivion.

Angkor Wat towers

Five towers give the monastery its unique beauty. Each of them is shaped like a lotus flower. The tower in the center rises sixty-five meters into the sky. She is forty-two meters taller than the other four.

Khmer believers did not go to temples: their gods dwelt here. Only representatives of the clergy and rulers could go inside. Agkor Wat also served as the tomb of Suryavarman II.

The entrance to the temple is through the western gopura (tower above the gate), which is considered the main one. It consists of three dilapidated turrets, behind which at first the giant main building is not visible, and is similar in shape. Coming out of the gopura, the traveler goes to the temple along the road, on both sides of which there is a parapet with sculptures of snakes with seven heads.

The road is laid along a dam made of sandstone. Probably the dam was previously replaced wooden bridge... From the eastern side, an earthen embankment leads to the shrine. There are gopuras from all four cardinal directions, but three others are smaller than the western one.

Vishnu statue in the south tower, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

There is a Vishnu statue in the south tower. It is believed that he appeared in it later, and initially his place was in the central hall. The four gopuras on each of the three tiers are connected by galleries adorned with square columns along the outer wall.

The galleries are so spacious that an elephant could pass through them, if desired. Because of this, the other name for gopur is "elephant gate". The ceiling of the galleries is decorated with stone lotus flowers. And the walls have the richest decoration, over a thousand square meters. What is it:

• bas-reliefs with scenes from the history of the Khmers, ancient Indian epics and Hindu myths;
• figurines of two thousand charming demigoddesses - apsaras with intricate sophisticated hairstyles;

The bas-reliefs on the walls of the temple - apsaras

• griffins;
• sculptures of dancing people;
• dragons with wings harnessed to chariots;
• figures of men dancing on the backs of running animals;
• unicorns;

• warriors with leaders riding on elephants;
• devatas.

On the map of the complex, there were originally both city buildings and the royal palace. But they all collapsed over time, since they were not built of stone. Only the outlines of some streets have survived to this day.

From the main road to the temple, there are six pairs of side stairs perpendicular to it, along which you can go down to the territory the former city... There are two library buildings located symmetrically on both sides of the road, and in front of them are ponds. These reservoirs, like the cross-shaped terrace, into which the main road passes, appeared later than other elements of the complex.

Subtleties of construction

The stones used for the construction are so smooth that they seem to be polished. No mortar was used to couple them. They fit so tightly to neighboring stones that the seams are not visible at all.

Sometimes there are no connections at all in the blocks, they are held by gravity. In most of the blocks, the researchers noticed multiple holes about three centimeters in length and slightly smaller in cross section. Opinions about their purpose differ: some scientists believe that they are intended for metal rods-connections, others - that they are for connecting parts, with the help of which the movement of stones was facilitated during installation.

There is evidence that elephants were used to activate the block mechanism. The ropes were made from coir, the middle layer of the coconut wall. So the stones were lifted into place.

There are holes in the walls too. This suggests that there were once panels of bronze here. It was the height of chic in antiquity, but it also attracted marauders.

The figure indicating the amount of sandstone used for the construction of this ancient monument is impressive: more than five million tons. This building material was delivered from the Kulen plateau along the Siem Reap River.

According to modern concepts, a structure of such complexity should have been erected for several hundred years. Nevertheless, the construction of Angkor Wat was completed in about forty years - the lifetime of its founder. This indicates that the builders had some special knowledge and skills.

And finally, quite sensational information: scientists have established with the help of computer programs that the location of the temples of the Angkor complex exactly corresponds to the location of the stars in the constellation of the Dragon, as it was during the sunrise ten and a half thousand years BC, on the day of the vernal equinox. what is thismiracleSveta, which is only about a thousand years old, continues to keep its secrets.

Conclusion

Having visited the Angkor Wat temple, even hardened skeptics admit that the famous place has amazing energy and sinks into the soul for a long time. Many come back here again, and more than once. In one thing, the tourists who have visited here are unanimous: this miracle must be seen with your own eyes at least once in your life.

History

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire for over 600 years, from 802 to 1432. During this time, the empire saw ups and downs, constant wars with neighbors: Vietnam, Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar)... Between the wars, the rulers focused their efforts on building more and more temples. The temples that can be seen today are only a small part of a huge powerful empire. It is hard to believe, but at a time when European capitals were small settlements and, for example, in all of Paris there were no more than 40,000 people, the population of Angkor was almost a million inhabitants! The reason why only temples remained from the million-strong metropolis is simple: only “kings-gods” and priests were allowed to live in stone structures, and mere mortals built themselves dwellings of wood, which have not survived to this day.

Until 802, Cambodia was a scattered principalities. King Jayavarman II managed to unite the country into a single empire. He proclaimed himself "the king-god" and built a huge temple on top of Phnom Kulen hill, symbolizing the abode of Shiva, on the legendary Mount Meru, in the center of the universe. Thus began the architectural "race for glory", which gave us beauty that we can admire today.

King Indravarman I (877-889) built an artificial lake and the Pre-Co temple. The lake served as the beginning of the irrigation system, which allowed Angkor not to depend on the vagaries of nature for irrigating land. Son of the King, Yasovarman I (889-910) , continued his father's work, creating his own mountain-temple Phnom-Bakeng, from which today tourists admire the sunset over Angkor Wat. After the death of Yasovarman I, the capital moved briefly to Ko-Ker, a city 80 km from Angkor. Already in 944, Angkor again became the center of power of the kings of Rajendravarman IV. (944-968) who built Pre-Rup, and Jayavarman V (968-1001) , who created the Ta-Keo and Banteay-Srei temples.

Angkor's largest gems, the Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom temples, were built during the city's classical heyday. The first king of this period, Suryavarman II (1112-1152) , managed to significantly strengthen the empire and spread the influence of the Khmers to nearby countries. He, unlike other kings, worshiped not Shiva, but the supreme deity Vishnu, to whom he dedicated the most majestic of all Angkorian temples - Angkor Wat. By that time, serious problems began in Angkor itself: the city was overpopulated, there was not enough water, the surrounding lands were depleted. The construction of the temple undermined the economy of the capital. In 1177, the inhabitants of the Cham kingdom - vassals of the Khmer empire - rebelled, captured and destroyed Angkor. Four years later, King Jayavarman VII (1181-1218) drove out the Cham. On the site of old Angkor, the walled city of Angkor Thom was built. Jayavarman VII built many temples, including Bayon, a mountain temple with faces facing in all directions. Jayavarman VII was the first king of Cambodia to worship Buddha rather than Hindu gods.

After the death of Jayavarman VII, the empire fell into decay, Buddhism was forgotten and many Buddhist statues were destroyed. The Khmer Empire was never again able to regain its former power.

In 1351 and 1431, the Thais defeated Angkor, taking gold and art objects with them. The center of power in Southeast Asia has moved to Thailand. The capital of Cambodia was moved to Phnom Penh, and Angkor was abandoned.

In the 1860s, French traveler and botanist Henri Muo stumbled upon a monastery on the territory of Angkor, then under the control of Thailand. Descriptions of the majestic temples in the jungle of Cambodia appeared before, but only after the publication of the discovery of Anri Muo did the eyes of Europeans turn to Angkor.

In 1907 Angkor was returned to Cambodia. It attracted travelers, adventurers, archaeologists, historians, and Angkor gradually became one of the main attractions of Southeast Asia. The rebuilding of the temples was a daunting task. Most of them, except for Angkor Wat, were heavily overgrown with jungle, sometimes so much that it was impossible to clean the temple without damaging it. A controversy erupted over the extent to which temples should be restored, whether late additions, such as Buddhist images in Hindu temples, should be removed, etc. In 1920, it was decided to restore the temples using the anastomosis method. The idea behind the method was that the restoration was carried out using only those materials that were used in the original construction, and also to preserve the original structure of the temples. Modern materials were allowed to be used only if the originals were lost.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, most of the temples were rebuilt. The Khmer Rouge almost did not damage Angkor, but restoration work was suspended and the jungle attacked the temples with renewed vigor. After the fall of the Pol Pot regime, work continued, and in 2003 UNESCO considered it possible to remove Angkor from the list of endangered cultural heritage.

A small dictionary for a better understanding of the description of temples

Gods

• Brahma is the main of the three primary gods of the Hindu trinity, the "creator".
• Shiva is one of the three primary gods of the Hindu trinity, the "destroyer".
• Vishnu is one of the three primary gods of the Hindu trinity, the "protector".
• Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, usually depicted in blue, most often with a flute.
• Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu, the goddess of beauty and wealth.
• Parvati is the wife of Shiva, she is also Shakti or Durga, the goddess of power.

Mythical creatures

• Asura is a demon.
• Rakshasa is a demon.
• Yakshas are the inhabitants of the underworld.
• Apsara is a heavenly nymph, a dancer.
• Devata is a demigoddess.
• Nag is the naga snake.
• Garuda is half-human, half-eagle. Vishnu's mount.

Architectural and geographic terms

• Banteay is a fortress or citadel.
• Baray is an artificial reservoir.
• Boeng is a lake.
• Gopura is a gate tower in the temple enclosure of Hindu temples. Serves as the entrance to the temple complex.
• Linga (Lingam)- a phallic symbol that looks like an unfinished circle, from the center of which a stone rod protrudes vertically - the symbol of the god Shiva.
• Phnoma is a hill or mountain.
• Prasat is a tower.
• Preah is sacred.
• Wat is a temple or pagoda.

Temples of Angkor

The Temples of Angkor are perhaps the most impressive site in all of Southeast Asia. The ancient Khmer kings did not spare any means to surpass their predecessors, and each subsequent temple was larger, better and more elegant than the previous one.

The pearl of a visit to Angkor is the magnificent Angkor Wat (Angkor Wat)... The profile of its spiers has practically become a symbol of Cambodia. Angkor Wat consists of five central towers of shrines, three rectangular galleries, increasing in height towards the center, surrounded by a moat of water 190 m wide. The general profile imitates a lotus bud. From the entrance gate, on the west side, an alley with a fence decorated with seven-headed snakes leads to the Temple.

The first gallery, the outer wall above the moat, has square columns on the outer and closed walls on the inner side. The ceiling between the pillars of the outer facade is decorated with rosettes in the form of a lotus, and the inner one is decorated with figures of dancers. The bas-reliefs on the walls of the three galleries depict scenes from various mythological stories and historical events. Here you can see scenes from the battles of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the image of the army of Suryavarman II, the churning of the ocean by demons and gods, the victory of Vishnu over the demons and scenes of various mythical battles.

From the first gallery, a long alley leads to the second. You can climb the platform using a staircase decorated on both sides with figures of lions. The inner walls of the second gallery are covered with images of apsaras, heavenly maidens.

The third gallery encompasses five Towers that crown the highest terrace. Very steep staircases present the difficulty of climbing to the realm of the gods. The walls of this gallery are carved with motifs of snakes, whose bodies end in the mouths of lions.

The Temple stones, smooth as polished marble, were laid without any adhesive mortar. The building material is sandstone, which was delivered from the Kulen mountain, a quarry about 40 km to the northeast. Almost all surfaces, pillars and even roof lintels are carved in stone.

Restoration work was carried out at Angkor by the Indian Archaeological Society between 1986 and 1992. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Angkor Thom is a great city surrounded by a high eight-meter wall. Each side of the wall is 3 km long, and the outside of the wall is protected by a wide 100-meter ditch filled with water. It is believed that during the heyday of the empire, about a million people lived here. Angkor Thom was built by King Jayavarman VII (1181-1218) after he recaptured Angkor from the Cham warriors who had captured it. Angkor Thom can be reached through one of five large gates, each gate is accessed by a bridge built across a moat. It is best to enter through the most beautiful southern gate. There are 108 stone statues on the bridge, guarding the city, 54 devatas on the right (deities), left 54 ​​asura (demon)... Devatas and Asuras supported the multi-headed naga (snake)- Khmer symbol of the rainbow, the bridge between earth and heaven. In front of a row of statues - nagas, seven heads of which are ready to pour out deadly poison. Above the gate there are four stone faces looking in different directions.

Bayonne

Bayon is a temple complex in the center of Angkor Thom, built in honor of Jayavarman VII. The temple has three levels and is surrounded by three walls. The main part of the decoration of the temple is the image of the everyday and everyday life of the Khmers. There is also a blank wall, 4.5 meters high, which depicts scenes of Jayavarman VII's victory over the Cham in the Battle of Tonle Sap Lake.

In 1925, the temple was recognized as a Buddhist sanctuary, and in 1928, thanks to the efforts of F. Stern and J. Sedes, it was correctly dated.

In 1933, a statue of Buddha was found in the well of the foundation, in whose facial features there was an external resemblance to Jayavarman VII and which, during the Brahminist restoration (immediately after the death of Jayavarman VII) has been desecrated. It has been restored and installed on a terrace east of southern Khleang.

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Bapuon

After enjoying the wonderful atmosphere of Bayon, you can walk to the neighboring temple of Bapuon (Baphuon)... For a long time, only a construction site could be seen here. Only two years ago, this ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva was opened to the public. Several decades of restoration work in the temple has been called "putting together one of the most difficult puzzles" in the world.

In ancient times, the Bapuon Temple was one of the most beautiful buildings in Angkor. However, by the early 1950s, it was on the verge of complete destruction. Led by French archaeologists, a team of restorers decided that the only way to preserve the temple was to take it apart to strengthen the foundation, and then reassemble the building. In the early 60s, the project was launched and Bapuon was dismantled. During the deconstruction, the blocks of the temple were moved into the surrounding jungle, each block was numbered. In the mid-1970s, the Khmer Rouge came to power and work was suspended. As it turned out later, the Khmer Rouge destroyed the documentation for the dismantling of the temple, and there was no information in what order the 300,000 stone blocks should be stacked. The task was the most difficult - there were no two blocks that would be identical, each stone could only lie in its place. The architects had to rely only on numerous photographs and memories of Cambodian workers. The work was further complicated by the fact that at a later time, in the 10th-16th centuries, a 60-meter unfinished statue of Buddha was carved into the wall of the second level, which violated the uniform style of the temple. One way or another, today the giant puzzle has been assembled and the main work on the temple has been completed. True, there are still some finishing works, part of the temple is still covered with scaffolding, this makes it difficult to photograph it.

A steep staircase with very high steps leads to the top of the temple. If you decide to go upstairs, do it carefully.

North of Bapuon is the famous Elephant Terrace (Elephant Terrace), a thick wall 320 meters long, along which are carved images of elephants, lions and garuds - mythical half-humans-half birds. You can climb the wall and walk along the top, or look at the images below. It is better, if time permits, to do both - the images from the inside of the wall, which are visible only from above, are no less interesting. At one time, the terrace served as a platform from which the king and the invited audience could observe official ceremonies and conduct a review of troops. Also on the terrace there are traces of pavilions in which the king could receive delegations. There are 5 massive arched entrances leading to the terrace from the Royal Square: three in the central part and one at each end. The east and west terraces are decorated with bas-reliefs and statues of garuds and lions, they support the terrace in the manner of the Atlanteans. In Angkor Wat, on the bas-relief of heaven and hell, the same figures support the heavenly palaces. The north and south sides are decorated with life-size bas-reliefs of elephants with drovers. A small Buddha carved into the wall of the central section confirms that the terrace is the work of the Buddhist King Jayavarman VII. The central staircase is decorated in the same way as the gate of Angkor Thom - three elephant heads with trunks forming pillars, crowned with lotuses. The elephant terrace has an unusual relief: somewhere the figures protrude quite a bit forward, and somewhere they protrude very strongly. In some places, the trunks form columns; the remains of stairs have been preserved. This is an impressive sight, there is only one problem - a lot of tourists clicking their cameras.

A little further north is another terrace - Terrace of the Leper King (Terrace of Leper King)- a platform of seven meters height, 25 meters long. The terrace is part of the Royal Square. On the three outer sides of the terrace, in several rows, images of gods, demons, mythical nagas and inhabitants of the deep sea are carved. The best images are from the eastern (front) sides of the terrace. At the top there is a stone figure of a man surrounded on four sides by warriors, from which the terrace got its name. There are several versions of who is depicted on the statue and why this is a leper. One by one, this name was given to the terrace because of the lichen spots covering the statue. According to another, numerous chips on the face of the statue led to the thought of leprosy. (on the copy standing today, they are not, the original is kept in a museum in Phnom Penh)... There is a theory that the statue actually depicted one of the two Cambodian kings with leprosy. However, the Khmers never depicted kings without clothes. The most common versions are that the statue depicts the god of death Yama, the terrace was used for cremating members of the royal family, or that the statue symbolizes the inhabitants of the Yakshas underworld.

Legend of the leper king

A young king reigned in the newly built capital. He became famous in military campaigns and in governing the country, but his heart was cruel. He was hated by all except the four concubines, whose whims were law to him. When the women were bored with court life, they wished to go on a journey with him, and the king, without notifying anyone, left the palace. The very next day, discord broke out in the kingdom - two noble nobles began to fight for the throne and launched a civil war. During their wanderings, the king and the concubines decided to visit a hermit who predicted the future. When the disguised king appeared before him, he guessed the high rank of the guest and said: “You were a great sovereign, but from now on they will never call you king. Two large armies are fighting to take your throne away, and only you can end the strife. But at the zenith of your glory and triumph you will know the bitterness of being and a terrible fate will befall you. " These words shocked the king. After a while, he entered the camp of one of the rebellious nobles, made an alliance with him and led his army. Putting the other to flight, he subsequently killed the nobleman with whom he entered into an alliance. At the head of both armies, the king returned to the capital to restore peace. It was then that the hermit's prediction came true. When the king was riding a horse through the city, an old woman in rags suddenly thrust a dagger into the horse's chest - it collapsed, and the old woman rushed to the king and pressed her flabby body against him. The king was released from this embrace, and the woman fell, wounded by a thousand blows. The old woman took revenge on the fact that a few years ago her daughter was kidnapped and imprisoned in the royal harem. She was a leper and infected the king. Leprosy developed rapidly, and everyone left him, except for the four concubines. He lost his right to the throne and had to live outside the palace, doomed to despair and starvation. In the legendary history of Cambodia, this king is identified with Prince Preah Tong, who came from India to marry the daughter of King Naga, he also allegedly founded the first capital of Cambodia - the city of Angkor Thom.

There are also several small temples and chapels inside Angkor Thom. Interesting of them Tep-Pranam (Tep Pranam)- a large open terrace in the shape of a cross with a statue of a huge Buddha sitting on a lotus in the position of "calling the earth to witness", made of stone blocks. The statue reaches a height of 6 meters and is located on a lined pedestal 1 meter high. Constructed from used stones, the statue has a rough-cut appearance, the head of the Buddha, “crowned with flames,” clearly belongs to a later period. The statue itself dates from the 16th century and was restored in 1950. Nearby is another restored statue of a standing Buddha in the rare "no fear" pose. Nearby there is a small monastery where Buddhist nuns live.

This small Buddhist sanctuary in the forest north of Angkor Thom's Terrace of the Leper King is inviting enough to pay little attention to while visiting other monuments on the west side of King's Square. Interestingly, above one of the gates one can find the Hindu god Indra on his three-headed elephant Airavat, and above others - "the temptation of Mara with her army of demons" attacking the Buddha, who himself has not survived. This neighborhood is very unusual for Khmers - it is assumed that Buddhist images of Preah Pallilai (Preah Pallilay) managed to avoid destruction by convinced Hindus, successors of Jayavarman VII, due to its proximity to Tep-Pranam and the Saugatashram monastery, whose official status and proximity to the Royal Palace may have saved the precious images and made them inviolable.

Exit Angkor Thom through the south gate. Ahead, a few hundred meters away, stands the 67-meter Phnom-Bakeng hill. (Phnom Bakheng), with the construction of the temple on the top of which the entire development of Angkor began. Previously, at sunset, crowds of tourists came here to take pictures of Angkor Wat in the setting sun. The views remain the same, but now no more than 300 people are allowed upstairs at sunset, so if you want to enjoy the sunset from above, come early. The staircase leading to the top is closed for repairs, you can climb up the winding path with south side hill. For $ 15, you can climb to the top on an elephant, but, as a rule, you need to reserve a place in advance.

Ta-Keo construction (Ta Keo) was started in 975 by Jayavarman V (968-1001) ... It is the first sandstone temple in Angkor. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. For unknown reasons, probably due to the death of the king, it remained unfinished and unadorned - it seems that he escaped from underground cave pushing through the surrounding jungle. It is known that the temple was originally called Hemasringagiri - "Mountain of Golden Peaks", possibly prasata (towers) the temple was planned to be covered with gold. Ta-Keo is modern name meaning "tower of crystal".

By tradition, the main temples were built in the center of the royal city, Jayavarman V broke the tradition by building Ta-Keo not in the center of his capital, but to the north - near East Baray. With bar (body of water) the temple is connected by a procession alley with two rows of columns. The temple itself is a 22-meter rectangular pyramid. Conceived as the embodiment of the five peaks of Mount Meru, Ta-Keo has five prasats located in the center of its main tier, and is surrounded by a now dried-up moat that symbolizes the ocean.

On the first level, on a high plinth, there is a 120x105 meter fence and a blank wall with axial gopuras (gate towers), the main of which faces east. Two rectangular buildings are preceded by porticoes parallel to the east wall.

The second level rises to a height of 5.6 meters - there is a solid gallery 79x73 meters in size with a false stepped brick vault, blanked windows on the outside and open windows with columns on the outside. The gopuras are built into the walls with corner towers. The gallery, formed by more ancient rectangular buildings, cannot be entered, which indicates its purely symbolic purpose. Inside the fence, two rectangular buildings line the east wall, and two "libraries" are on either side of the access road. To make room for these buildings, the east side of the terrace was made wider than all the others. The libraries have an interesting structure: inside they have only one room, but outside, thanks to two lowered semi-cylindrical vaults resting on the walls along the perimeter, a semblance of a nave and two side-chapels is formed. Compared to other ornate temples of Angkor, Ta-Keo looks Spartan, but this does not detract from its unique atmosphere. Steps lead to the very top of the pyramid of the temple. Each step is about 40 cm high and about 10 cm wide, so you can only put your foot sideways while holding onto the top steps. And so 22 meters - the climb is not for the faint of heart, but we strongly advise you to climb up. It is not known whether the Cambodians chose any energy nodes to build their temples, but the feeling of the stunning atmosphere and closeness to the sky here is indescribable. At some point, it becomes unclear whether it is necessary to descend from here back to earth ...

Ta-Prom

Kipling described some abandoned temple in India, but this description is just perfect for the Ta-Prohm temple (Ta Prohm)- a huge temple-monastery, swallowed by the jungle. Of all the temples of Angkor, Ta-Prohm is the most poetic, with the most amazing atmosphere created by huge trees encircling walls, sprouting through stones and hanging over towers. Over the centuries, the roots have grown together with the walls to such an extent that it is impossible to remove the trees so that the buildings do not collapse. Ta-Prohm was built in the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist temple. The Ta-Prohm territory is very large, like the Angkor Wat territory, but in terms of architecture, the temple is completely different from other Angkor temples. It consists of a chain of one-story long buildings, interconnected by walkways and galleries. In fact, this temple-monastery is a series of concentric galleries with towers and many additional buildings, surrounded by powerful walls. From various sources it is known that the temple had 39 prasats, 566 stone and 288 brick structures, in which there were 260 statues of the gods.

Many passages are littered with stones and inaccessible. The uniqueness of Ta-Prohm lies in the fact that many ancient inscriptions are carved on the stones here - more than in any other Angkorian temple. On a stone stele, now in the Angkor National Museum, it is written that in better times The temple owned 3,140 villages, and the temple employed 79,365 people, including 18 high priests, 2,800 clerks and 615 dancers. More than 12,000 people permanently lived inside the temple. On the site of the forest that surrounds the temple today, there was once a large, lively city, and many treasures were kept in the temple's treasuries. Now all this is hard to believe, because most of the buildings have turned into ruins. Stones and trees are so intertwined, forming a common ensemble that sometimes you begin to doubt whether this complex was the basis - a stone or a tree. There are two types of trees: large - banyan tree (Ceibapentandra) features thick, pale brown roots with a knobby structure, while the smaller one is a strangler fig tree (Ficus gibbosa) with a lot of thin, smooth and gray roots. Usually, the seed of the tree falls into a crevice in the masonry of the building and the roots grow down to the ground. The roots work their way between the masonry and, as they get thicker, actually become the frame of the building. When a tree dies or falls in a thunderstorm, the building collapses with it.

French Far Eastern School (Ecole Frangaise d "Extreme-Orient), which is rebuilding Angkor, decided to leave this temple in its "natural state" as an example of what most of Angkor's temples looked like when they were opened in the 19th century. And yet, Ta-Prohm had to be cleared of the jungle quite thoroughly to prevent further destruction and to make it possible to visit the temple. For a truly jungle-conquered temple, visit Beng Mealea Temple (Beng Mealea).

One of interesting riddles Ta-Prohm is a picture of a stegosaurus carved on the wall, which guides like to lead to. Few people know that there is another image of a dinosaur here, it is almost impossible to find it without a guide, and only experienced guides can show it. Where the ancient Khmers could see the dinosaur and how it ended up on the wall, no one can explain. The most popular tourist spot in Ta-Prohm is the Fig Tree Root Courtyard where Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was filmed. At this point, the main character picks a jasmine flower and falls into the ground. It would be ideal to walk around Ta-Prohm when there are no crowded tourists around. Unfortunately, this is almost impossible. The only chance is to come here immediately at dawn and be the first, or be here just before closing, when most tourists are busy contemplating the sunset.

Kipling on Ta-Prohm Temple

The Monkey People in the Cold Lairs did not think about Mowgli's friends at all. They brought the boy to the abandoned city and were now very pleased with themselves. Mowgli had never seen an Indian city, and although this city lay in ruins, it seemed to the boy magnificent and full of miracles. One sovereign prince built it a long time ago on a low hill. The remains of the stone-paved roads leading to the ruined gate were still visible, where the last pieces of rotten wood still hung on rust-eaten hinges. The trees were rooted in the walls and towered over them; the battlements on the walls collapsed and crumbled to dust; creeping plants broke out of the loopholes and spread out along the walls of the towers in hanging shaggy lashes. A large, roofless palace stood at the top of a hill. The marble of its fountains and courtyards was all covered with cracks and brown spots of lichens, the very slabs of the courtyard, where the princely elephants used to stand, were lifted and moved apart by grasses and young trees. Behind the palace were visible row after row of roofless houses and the whole city, like an empty honeycomb, filled only with darkness; the shapeless block of stone, which was formerly an idol, now lay on the square where four roads crossed; only pits and potholes remained at the corners of the streets, where wells once stood, and the dilapidated domes of temples, on the sides of which wild fig trees sprouted.

R. Kipling. The jungle book

Preah-Kahn

One of the largest projects of Jayavarman VII, Preah-Kan (Preah Khan) was much more than just a temple - it was a Buddhist university with over a thousand teachers, surrounded by a large city. As in Ta-Prom, a stele with information about the temple was found here: the inscriptions reveal the history of its foundation and purpose. The royal palace of Yasovarman II previously stood on this site, and the inscription on the stele about the "lake of blood" reminds that the temple was built on the site of a major battle with the Cham, which prevented the capture of Angkor - in that battle, the Cham king was killed. The city was named Nagara Jayasri in honor of King Jayasri, who became famous in this battle. (in Sanskrit nagara means "city"), and the modern name Preah-Kan - "Sacred Sword" - is a translation of the name Jayasri from Sanskrit.

If Ta-Prohm was dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII, then Preah-Kan five years later, in 1191, was dedicated to the king's father, Dharanin-dravarman. A statue of the Bodhisattva Lokeshwar was created from it. In other chapels in the city, there were 430 minor deities. The entrance alley with pillars is followed by a naga bridge, exactly the same as the one that crosses the Angkor Thom moat - the bodies of two giant naga snakes on both sides of the dam hold a row of devatas (demigods) left and asuras (demons) on right. Unfortunately, the temple's relatively remote location allowed treasure hunters to steal their heads. In general, this kind of giant figures resembles the famous scene on the Angkor Wat bas-relief "Whipping the Milky Ocean". As in Angkor Thom, the nagas take us across the moat - it is likely that here they also symbolize the bridge between the world of people and the gods.

The eastern tower of the outer fence has three entrances, the main entrance is the largest, a cart could pass through it. On the walls are magnificent stone sculptures of giant garudas, which hold in their hands the naga serpent, their traditional enemy, by the tail. These 5-meter figures are located at 50-meter intervals around the entire perimeter of the fourth encirclement - there are 72 in total, the largest garudas are located in the corners. Gopura of the third fence is the largest in Angkor. In front of it is a large cruciform terrace with balustrades of nagas and lions. On the right, the so-called House of Fire is one of 121 chapels built by Jayavarman VII along the main roads of the empire. All chapels are built in the same way, oriented from west to east, with towers on the western exits and with windows only on the southern sides. From their names on the engravings, it can be understood that they were related to the arks with the sacred flame and, possibly, served as staging points in the ritual journey. Gopura of the third enclosure is the richest decorated. Its three widely spaced towers and small pavilions at both ends are connected by galleries with columns on the outer sides. The length of the gopura is 100 meters, there are five entrances in total, as well as a gallery on the left side. The entrance was guarded by two demon guards, today only one of them remains - only the surviving pedestal reminds of the second. Between the central and south towers, there are two gigantic beautiful trees, their trunks located at an angle to each other. The trees are very old - there is a great danger that they will fall and seriously damage the masonry.

Just behind the gopura, just like in Ta-Prohm, there is a large building - the Dancers' Hall (now it has no roof)... The building consists of four small courtyards, each surrounded by 24 columns, and together they form a gallery. The building got its name from the bas-reliefs of the apsaras captured in the dance. Note the empty niches above the dancers' bas-reliefs. There once stood carved statues of Buddhas, they were destroyed during the reign of Jayavarman VIII, the restorer of Hinduism, along with thousands of others throughout Angkor. Inside the galleries of the second railing, allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness and admire the graceful carved garudas. In the vestibule to the west of the sanctuary there is a lingam - the symbol of Shiva, installed here, probably in the second half of the 13th century.

Immediately behind the gopura of the second fence is a small Vishnu temple with a long pedestal at the eastern entrance, on the pedestal there are holes for three statues and a spout for carrying out a water consecration ritual, like on a linga. The inscription on the doorframe states that the missing statues depicted Rama, Lakshman and Sita, and the side of the same doorway is decorated with carvings. The western pediment depicts a scene in which Krishna lifts Mount Govardhana. Further, three small rectangular temples surround the Buddha temple: the northern one is dedicated to Shiva, the southern one is dedicated to the deceased kings and queens, and the western one is Vishnu.

The central sanctuary is, as usual, shifted to the west. The inner walls are dotted with small holes, which served for attaching the bronze cladding sheets. The temple's engraved inscriptions claim that over 1,500 tons were used. In the center is a small stupa, added around the 16th century. In the morning, from a certain angle, you can achieve the illusion that the top of the stupa is dazzlingly glowing. Originally there was a statue made from the father of Jayavarman VII - Jayavarmeshwara, it was probably destroyed by Jayavarman VIII during the restoration of Hinduism in Angkor. As in Ta-Prohm, huge trees grow here right on the walls, it is impossible to remove them without damaging the masonry. Nevertheless, Preah-Kan is considerably more cleared of the jungle than Ta-Prohm.

2.5 km to the east, a narrow path leads to the Temple of Neac Pean (Neak Pean), translated as "Coiled Serpents". It was built by the same Jayavarman VII in the XII century. This unusual, small by Angkorian standards architectural monument with a cruciform arrangement of reservoirs and a tower of a sanctuary on a round island in the middle is very symbolic. The base of this building, laid out in the form of lotus petals, makes it look like a huge flower floating to the surface, although this can only be seen for a short time - during the rainy season, when the pools are filled with water. At this time, the temple is reflected in the water and is unlike any other. Neak Pean is undoubtedly one of the gems of Khmer art.

A stone stele in the Preah Kan temple mentions this temple, calling it "Kingdom Happiness", and tells how King Jayavarman VII built the "North Lake" "as a mirror decorated with stones, gold and garlands." The pool sparkled, illuminated by the light of the golden temple and adorned with red lotus flowers. Inside is a towering island, especially beautiful thanks to the waters surrounding it. An inscription on one of the walls found during the clearing of Preah Kan mentions Neac Pean "as a famous island that attracts with its pools - they wash away the dirt of sins from those who come there." The temple was a place of pilgrimage: people came here to bathe, and "the sick returned healed." In the 13th century, Chinese Zhou Daguan described the temple as follows: “The North Lake lies a quarter of a mile north of the walled City. In its center stands a square tower of gold with several dozen stone rooms. If you are looking for golden lions, bronze elephants, bronze oxen, bronze horses, you will find them here. " Two nagas encircle the base of the circular island, from which the name Neac Pean originated. Their heads diverge in the east to give passage, and are in the style of the head of the serpent king Mukalinda, who protected the Buddha in meditation when a thunderstorm was approaching. The upper platform appears as a huge blooming lotus crown. There is no statue in the Buddhist sanctuary, but the entire environment has been preserved - two tiers with lotuses and pediments, decorated with bas-reliefs from the life of the Buddha: "Haircutting" in the east, "Great Departure" in the north and "Buddha meditating under the bodhi tree" in the west. On the outer walls of the temple there are bas-reliefs in the form of three beautiful groups with large images of Lokeshvara, a compassionate bodhisattva.

Four identical chapels are located inside the steps of the central pond. They served to cleanse the pilgrims who, as can be judged from the bas-reliefs on the pediments, came here in the hope of being cured of diseases or getting rid of misfortunes. The bas-reliefs on the walls of the chapels depict scenes where the deity, the savior of Avalokiteshvara, stands in the center: on one side of him, a weak patient crawls with difficulty on the ground, and on the other, the same person straightens up and regains the ability to walk. A number of lingas can be found in the south (symbols of Shiva), no doubt part of the "thousand lingas" described in the Preah-Kan inscriptions.

In the east, the sculptural group, unfortunately badly damaged, is a horse carrying small men hanging on it. This image is associated with a legend taken from a Sanskrit text: the merchant Simhala, along with his comrades, went in search of precious stones. A terrible storm sank his ship off the coast of Tamradwip (island of Ceylon), and the merchants fell prey to terrible cannibals who threatened to eat them. And then the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara turned into a horse, found himself on the island, and then took off and carried the merchants to the Buddha, saving them from death.

Eastern Mebon

Huge East Baray (reservoir) that surrounds Eastern Mebon (Eastern Mebon), now dried up. The reservoir was built by King Yasovarman I almost half a century earlier than the temple for the regular supply of water to the new city of Yasodharapura and was 7.5 km long and 1830 meters wide. In every corner of the baraya there were steles engraved with verses in Sanskrit, they proclaim the protection of the Ganges, the goddess of the sacred river Ganges in India. The barrai was filled with water from the nearby Roluos River. An interesting rather unconventional method of construction - the reservoir was not dug into the ground, instead the walls were poured - this is how a huge "pool" turned out.

King Rajendravarman decided to build a temple on the island. Eastern Mebon is not really a "mountain temple", despite its similarities. The visibility of the height is due to the fact that the water has left the reservoir that previously surrounded it, exposing a powerful five-meter base. The temple ends with a rather modest platform with five towers. In pairs, around the surroundings, there are eight small brick towers with interesting lintels with leaf ornaments and octagonal stone columns. Built by the king's architect Kavindrarimathan (only Khmers left us the names of their architects), the main deity of the temple - Rajendreshvara was consecrated on Friday, January 28, 953 at about 11 o'clock in the morning, as evidenced by the corresponding inscription. Since the temple was on an island, there was no need for fences, ditches and dams, instead of them, four marinas were built on the foundations on the cardinal points. The outer encirclement, 108x104 meters, is walled with a cutout in the middle of each side to provide sufficient space between the marinas and the four gopuras. A railing is surrounded by a series of long galleries. The next level of the internal enclosure is a 2.4 meter laterite terrace. Its low walls also have cutouts, making room for the north, east and south gopur. In the open space between the inner enclosure wall and the central platform, there are eight small brick towers and five laterite buildings, three facing west and two facing east, in pairs, to the cardinal points. The central platform, 3 meters high, is clad with sandstone and bears the east-facing brick towers of the sanctuaries. The central tower, as usual, is larger than the others, and stands on a two-meter platform.

Behind the eastern gopura of laterite and stone, on both sides, are the remains of a series of long galleries, best preserved on the south side. All galleries were built of laterite with windows protected by a balustrade and tiled roofs. On the next terrace, at the corners, there are two elephants looking outward - they are made of monolithic stone. Eight almost identical elephants stand immediately behind the walls, at the corners of both fences. To get to them, you need to climb the stairs leading to the gopura of the inner environment, turn left along the cornice to the door and walk along the elephant in the southeast corner.

The buildings on the east side have all the hallmarks of "libraries" - this is evidenced by their position in the corners, orientation to the west and size. It looks like they originally had brick vaults. The western doorframes of the building in the northeastern corner are decorated with two elephants sprinkling water from their trunks on Lakshmi. The lintel of the eastern door of the western gopura depicts Narasimha, the avatar of Vishnu in the form of a lion tearing apart the king of the asuras. Of particular interest in the towers are the lintels and false doors to the north, west and south. On the central tower, the eastern lintel depicts Indra on the three-headed elephant Airavate, and on the western one Varuna, the guardian of the West, along with figures holding lotuses. The southern lintel depicts the god of death, Pit on a buffalo. On the southeast tower, in which the statue of Brahma stands, on the northern lintel, a monster devours an elephant. Ganesha is depicted on the eastern edge of the northwest tower. Not far from Eastern Mebon is a similar temple of Pre-Rup. The structure itself is not so interesting, but wonderful views open from its top, it is beautiful place for watching the sunset.

Rulos group of temples

The Rulos complex is located southeast of the main Angkor complex. Several centuries before Angkor, King Jayavarman II (802-850) founded on this place the first capital of the Khmer empire, Hariharalaya.

Construction of Indratataka ("Reservoir of Indra") in Hariharalaya, around the Lolei temple, where the waters of the Rulos River flowed, it allowed the constant supply of water to rice fields and various temple complexes adjacent to settlements where, according to rough estimates, at least 15,000 people lived. The waters of Indratataka were channeled into canals around the temples of Preah-Ko, Bakong, Preah-Monti, near the last temple was possibly built the palace of the successor of Jayavarman II, Indravarman I. Rulos monuments belong to one of the earliest large permanent temples built by the Khmers, and mark the beginning of the era of classical Khmer art. Before the construction of Rulos, even for the construction of religious buildings, only light ones were used. (and short-lived) Construction Materials.

Build the Hindu Islamic Temple of Bakong (Bakong) King Jayavarman III began, but he did not manage to finish it during his lifetime. The temple was completed and consecrated by his successor Indravarman I in 881. Five tiers of the pyramid of the temple and other elements symbolize sacred mountain Meru, and the temple itself was dedicated to the god Shiva. The stele installed at the foundation of the temple describes the consecration in 881 of his linga, Sri Indreshrava. Despite the fact that the Ak-Em temple is on south bank West Baray was built earlier, Bakong is considered the first true "temple-mountain" - in part because it is the first such structure of sandstone, but also because it is larger and more complex structurally. Bakong is the largest and most interesting temple in the Rulos group. Its dimensions are quite significant: 900x700 meters, there are two ditches and three concentric fences inside. The outer moat, on average 3 meters deep, is the border of the outer, third fence without a gopura, but with the remains of two sidewalks leading one to the east and the other to the north. Between the outer and inner moats there are 22 evenly spaced brick towers, not all of them finished. The second fence, from which only laterite ruins have survived to this day, formed the border of the site about 25 meters wide - the servants lived here. Currently, there is a Buddhist monastery in the northeastern corner of this site. The entire complex is surrounded by a 59 meter wide moat forming a 315x345 meter rectangle. From east to west, the moat is crossed by two dams - the continuation of two of the four axial roads of Hariharalaya. Roads run between rows of giant stone naga, the precursors of the magnificent balustrades of the classical era.

At the corners of the inner enclosure remained eight small square brick buildings, one in the northwest and southwest corners with entrances to the east and two each in the northeast and southeast corners with the entrance to the west. The vents in them have led some researchers to believe that cremations were carried out in these prasatas. The other two are later, long "libraries" made of stone, oriented from east to west. Immediately after the eastern entrance, there are the remains of two other long "libraries" of laterite, oriented from north to south, and traces of another, oriented from east to west in the southeast corner.

The pyramid itself, almost square in plan, has a clear profile. Each of the five tiers represents the kingdoms of mythical creatures, from bottom to top: nagas, garuds, rakshasas (demons), yaksha (tree deities) and finally devat (demigods)... The pyramid is 67x65 meters at the bottom and 20x18 meters at the top, decreasing at each step. Four gopuras lead to four staircases, at each landing the next march is preceded by an elegant semicircular threshold, on either side are statues of lions. To correct visual perception, the height and width of the stairs imperceptibly decrease as they rise - the masters applied the law of proportional reduction, which until then was used only when erecting prasat roofs. Each terrace of the pyramid is slightly recessed to the west, again for perspective correction.

The elephant statues at the corners of the first three steps of the pyramid are reminiscent of the legendary animals that support the earth. They are designed to convey their strength and stability to the building. In addition, the elephant was the mount of the god Indra, as well as of the earthly rulers. The fourth terrace houses 12 sandstone towers, each likely containing a linga. Remains of bas-reliefs are still visible on the wall of the fifth and last terrace.

The pyramid is crowned by a tower of a much later period. (XII century), similar in style to the Angkor Wat towers, with three false doors and one real one. The goddesses, carved into niches on both sides of the doors, are badly damaged, since this tower was almost completely destroyed and restored only in 1941, but in some places it is still well preserved. The entrance to the sanctuary is guarded by lions in the traditional Khmer style. The tower is crowned with a dome in the shape of a lotus.

Bakong exactly corresponds to the Hindu cosmic symbolism: the temple depicts Mount Meru, the first moat is the cosmic sea from which this mountain arose, and dry land is the land inhabited by people, which, in turn, is surrounded by mountain ranges (city walls) and another sea (second moat).

This elegant little brick temple with six towers, adorned with stucco moldings of lime mortar, was the first sanctuary built by Indravarman I in the 9th century capital of Angkor, Hariharalaya. Its surrounding moat is so large in relation to the temple that there is a version according to which it was part of royal palace, traces of which have not yet been found.

(Preah Ko)- the modern name of the temple, meaning "sacred bull", in honor of Nandin, Shiva's flying mount. The temple got this name because of the three statues of a large bull installed on its territory and indicating that the temple is dedicated to Shiva.

On the excellently preserved stele at the base of the temple, after the traditional praise of Shiva, a short genealogy of Indravarman I is given, followed by a eulogy to the "prince's right hand" in Sanskrit, which says how "long, strong and terrible in battle, his sparkling sword falls on his enemies, defeating kings in all directions. Invincible, he calmed down only when his two enemies showed their backs and, valuing their lives, left themselves to his protection. " The inscription is accompanied by a reference to the cult of Devaraja, or "king-god" on the Mahendra mountain (Phnom Kulen) and ends with a mention of the installation in 879 of three statues of Shiva and Devi. The other side, written in Khmer, dates from the later year 893 and describes offerings to the deities Parameshvara and Prithivindreshvara. The temple begins in the west with a laterite sidewalk that divides the surrounding moat. Once upon a time, two parallel galleries passed on both sides, but only the foundation has survived to this day. A small terrace leads to the gopura of the second encirclement.

The sandstone plinth forms a common platform for the six towers. On the east side, it is cut by three staircases, the side walls of which are richly decorated with guards. (dvarapalami) and dancers (apsaramis) and are guarded by seated lions. Nandin lies in front of each staircase. There is one central staircase on the west side. The brick towers of the sanctuaries are arranged in two rows and vary in size. In the east, first row middle tower higher than the rest and shifted slightly backward. As usual, all six towers of the sanctuary are open to the east. Each tower has four tiers. The towers are covered with lime plaster with sculptural bas-reliefs - it's amazing how, after 11 centuries of existence, they have survived to this day. Note the sandstone false doors with superb octagonal columns on the east side - they are undoubtedly some of the finest examples of Khmer art.

Three prasatas (towers) in the background they are similar to the towers of the first row, but somewhat lower and are intended for female deities. They are entirely made of bricks, with the exception of the sandstone door frames. In niches in the recesses of the walls of the prasat of male ancestors, statues of young armed Dvarapals are placed (guards) and statues of devatas (semi-deities) guarding the prasatas of female ancestors.

The sanctuary was intended for male deities. Corner piers are richly decorated, guards stand in blind arches (dvarapala)... Here, unlike those in Bakong, they are unique in style - made of sandstone and inserted into brickwork. The northern prasat contains the linga of Rudreshvara, the emblem of Rudravarman, the maternal grandfather of Indravarman I, and the southern prasat contains the linga Prithivindreshvara, the emblem of the father of Indravarman I. Their wives Narendradevi, Dharanindradevi and Prithvindradevi were worshiped in their deified form. (devi means "goddess")... As in Bakong, only a few sculptures have survived in Preah Co. Of these, only Shiva in the southeast corner tower and the headless goddess in the rear central tower were left in the temple. Both of these statues date from the period of the temple's creation.

Lolei

Another small temple in the Rulos group, Lolei (Lolei), was built by Indravarman I's successor, Yasovarman I (889-910) on a small island in the Indratataka reservoir - today there are rice fields in this place. All that remains of the temple are the four towers that follow the design of the Preah Co towers. On the doorways, Sanskrit inscriptions state that the king dedicated the temple to his parents and royal maternal ancestors.

(Banteay Srei)- the modern name of the temple, it means "Citadel of Women", or possibly "Citadel of Beauty", the latter reflecting the size and beauty of its decoration. The original name of the temple, inscribed on its central linga, is Tribhuvanamahesvara, which means "Great God of the Triple World." The monument was built of red sandstone and is unusual in that there is no monumentality characteristic of other temples. Its buildings are miniature by local standards and are very beautifully decorated with intricate patterns and carvings. For the first time in the history of Khmer architecture, not individual elements, but entire mythological scenes are depicted on the pediments of the sanctuary. Banteay Srei is deservedly called "the pearl of Khmer art."

The buildings of the temple are divided along a central axis oriented from east to west. The buildings to the south of the axis were dedicated to Shiva, and to the north of the axis to Vishnu. Later, in the XII century, Banteay Srei was "rededicated" to Shiva, as reported by the found tablet made by one of the priests.

Unlike the main temples in Angkor, Banteay Srei was not royal. It was built by one of the advisers of King Rajendravarman II - Yajnavaraha on the land given to him by the king on the banks of the Siem Reap River. As it always happened, a settlement of ordinary people surrounded this temple, and so it was formed small town called Iswarapura. Discovered by the French only in 1914, Banteay Srei gained fame when, in 1923, the writer André Malraux, who later became Minister of Culture under the de Gaulle government, stole four apsaras from it. He was immediately caught and the stolen parts were returned to the temple. It was this temple that was first rebuilt in 1931-1936 using the anastilosis method. The method, developed by Dutch restorers in Java, involves restoring destroyed objects using only original materials. Thanks to the success of this method at Banteay Srei, the French archaeological service in charge of the restoration of Angkor began to use it universally in the restoration of other treasures. ancient city... On the one hand, the task at Banteay Srei was facilitated by the small size of the buildings, small blocks of stone carved from durable sandstone that retained its clear carvings with an abundance of decoration. On the other hand, the process of restoration was complicated by the remoteness of the temple, minimal funds and the inexperience of the workers who studied in the process.

To eliminate the threat of damage to the temple due to flooding, a drainage system was made according to the joint Cambodian-Swiss project in 2000-2003. Measures were also taken to prevent trees from damaging the walls of the temple. Unfortunately, the temple was constantly and is still subject to theft and vandalism. By the end of the 20th century, the authorities replaced the original statues with exact copies, but this did not stop thieves - they steal copies of steel. The statue of Shiva, placed in the National Museum in Phnom Penh for safekeeping, was attempted to be stolen directly from the museum itself.

After the opening in 1936 of the stele of the foundation of the temple in the eastern gopur, it became clear that Banteay Srei was designed entirely at once, this is also confirmed by the homogeneity of the style. Engraved in 968, in the first year of the reign of Jayavarman V, the inscription gives the date of the beginning of the construction of the temple: April-May 967, together with the position of the Sun, Moon and planets. This was the last year of the reign of Rajendravarman II. After the traditional prayer to Shiva, the text of the stele contains a eulogy to the ruler Jayavarman V and his guru Yajnavarah, who founded Banteay Srei together with his younger brother, having installed Shiva's linga in the central sanctuary. Other inscriptions engraved on the doorposts of the doorways mention the placement of another linga in the southern sanctuary and a statue of Vishnu in the northern one. The temple is greeted from the east by a cruciform laterite gopura with sandstone columns and beautiful decorations.

The pediment on this gopur depicts Indra on a three-headed elephant and, in addition to the beautiful pink hue of the stone, gives the temple a rich decoration. Banteay Srei is surrounded by three walls measuring respectively 95x110 meters, 38x42 meters and 24x24 meters. From the gate to the third fence, there is a wide sidewalk decorated with posts on both sides - in the old days they were destroyed by wild elephants every year. On the left side of the sidewalk on the pediment of the "library" is a plot known as "Umamaheswara", in which Shiva holds a trident and, with his wife Uma, rides the bull Nandina. On the right side there is a "library" with an excellent pediment, where Vishnu, appearing in the form of the lion Narasimha, tears apart the asura king Hiranyahashipu at the moment when he was about to kill his son, a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

On the pediment of the eastern tower of the second fence, under a garuda holding a branch with leaves, two elephants pour water from pots on Lakshmi, the goddess of beauty and fertility, the wife of the god Vishnu. Inside the third, very last, central fence, on the "library" to the right of the entrance, the famous bas-relief of the pediment depicts an equally famous story from the Ramayana, how Ravana, depicted as a multi-armed and multi-headed Rakshasa, tries to shake Mount Kailash, where Shiva lives. The mountain itself is depicted as a multi-tiered pyramid against a stylized forest background. At the top sits Shiva with his wife Uma, who sat down beside him in a delightful pose. Shiva presses down the mountain with his right foot to stop shaking. The second row depicts clearly anxious priests and worshipers pointing a finger at Ravana. On the right is a praying female figure. In the third row, worshipers with the heads of elephants, lions, birds and horses. On both sides are monkeys in exquisite headdresses. The lower tier is occupied by animals that flee in terror from Ravana.

On the pediment of the "library" on the left is another famous bas-relief, this time a plot from another epic, Mahabharata. Krishna and Arjuna, who were resting on the banks of the Yamuna River near the Khandava forest, were approached by a brahmana who turned to the god Agni (God of fire)... Further, the options differ: either Agni said that he wants to burn the Khandava forest in order to eat its vegetation and animals, or he wants to destroy the snake Takshaka, or Krishna and Arjuna wanted this forest to be burned to found the city of Indraprastha. One way or another, Indra on the three-headed elephant Airavata prevents the fire, releasing torrents of rain to protect his friend, the snake Takshaka, who lives in the forest. Krishna and Arjuna, in turn, oppose Indra, blocking the downpour with a hail of magical arrows, and blocking the exit from the forest for its inhabitants on both sides.

On the western side of the same "library" - Krishna kills King Kamsa. This scene is taken from the holy book of Srimad Bhaga-vatam and takes place in the palace - its image gives us an idea of ​​what beautiful wooden palaces were in Angkor. The two large figures are presented in perspective, which is rarely seen in the bas-reliefs of Angkor. Krsna is holding Kamsa by the hair and is about to kill him. At the corners in chariots drawn by horses, apparently, Krishna and Arjuna, armed with bow and arrow, arrived at the palace. The rest of the rooms show worried women watching what is happening.

The western pediment depicts a scene from the Ramayana: the battle between Valin and Sugriva. Valin, son of Indra, took away from Sugriva, son of Surya (sun god), the kingdom of the monkeys. Rama promised to help Sugriva regain the kingdom in exchange for the help of the army of monkeys led by Hanuman against the army of Ravana in order to free his wife - Sita. During the fight, Sugriva won, but Valin resorted to cunning - he pretended to be dead and was ready to deal a fatal blow to Sugriva, and then Rama (on the right with a bow) pierced him with his arrow. Behind Rama is his brother Lakshman. The magnificently expressive bas-relief of the dying Sugriva in the arms of his wife Rati is depicted in Angkor Wat. Inside, closer to the southern wall, in a doorway with three geese, stands the most beautiful apsara, one might say, a symbol of the beauty of Banteay Srei and partly of the whole of Angkor.

Beng Melea

Beng Melea (Beng Melea) interesting primarily because it was not cleared, like almost all the temples of Angkor, but left in the state in which it was found. The jungle has completely taken over the temple. Here you can climb roofs, ride vines and feel like a jungle dweller (which one, choose yourself)... Beng-Melea was built during the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113-1150) ... Created in the same style, but slightly earlier than Angkor Wat, Beng Melea may have served as its prototype. Despite the fact that there are many carved vaults and doorways, there are no bas-reliefs in the complex, and the carvings themselves are quite rare. When the temple was active, the walls may have been covered with frescoes. In those days, Beng Melea stood at the crossroads of several important roads to Angkor, Ko Ker and North Vietnam. The temple covers an area of ​​one square kilometer, it is all covered with jungle and there are very few visits - this creates the feeling of a “lost world”. The trees here grow straight from the ruined towers and galleries, and are probably the most impressive types of "temple trees". Around the Beng-Melea temple, a large moat was dug, overgrown with lotuses, like burdocks ...

Ko-Ker

Temple complex Ko-Ker (Koh Ker)- the most remote temple from Angkor in this region. From Siem Reap, it is located at a distance of about 100 km on the same road as Beng Melea. The temple represents the remains of one of the capitals of the Khmer Empire of the Angkorian period. In 928, King Jayavarman IV, who usurped the throne, founded a new capital, Ko-Ker, 100 km from Angkor. The king was rich and powerful, he erected the impressive royal city of Ko-Ker, brahminical monuments, temples and towers, built a huge bar (reservoir-reservoir) Rahal. Jayavarman IV ruled Ko-Ker until his death in 941. His son Harshavarman II remained here for three more years before returning the capital to Angkor. The Ko-Ker complex has not been restored. There are no crowds of tourists here, and therefore one can try to imagine what such structures were like before clearing them from the jungle that swallows them.

The main ruins of the complex are Prasat Thom, an impressive 7-tiered pyramid and temple complex, towers and small temples near the road, and numerous lingams. An interesting part of Ko-Ker is the Shiva shrine. Here stands a giant, human-sized, lingam - the largest in Cambodia. By the way, the lingam can be used as a compass: the open channel of the lingam always points to the north.

The main building of the complex is the large seven-tiered pyramid Prasat-Tom. There are many legends around it. The Khmers believe that the shaft in the center of the pyramid is the link between the earth and the underworld. Guilty subjects were thrown into it by order of the king. It is said that a Khmer peasant who fell into the mine in 1996 somehow got out of it with a ten kilogram gold bar. After this incident, the peasant was mentally damaged and could not explain where he got the gold from, nor how he got out. Later, in 2004, two archaeologists again tried to penetrate this mine, and, according to legend, one of them was taken out a few hours later dead with completely gray hair, and the other disappeared altogether. Also, according to the testimony of local residents, marked coconuts thrown into this well emerge the next day in the Andompray river basin, 3 km away. And no one can hear the sound of such a nut falling - no matter how much you listen. The entrance to the pyramid is prohibited, the dilapidated staircase leading to it is closed. However, if you really want to tempt fate, give the guard $ 5, and he will look the other way. However, without special equipment, it will still not work to go down into the mine.

Be extremely careful while walking around the Ko-Ker sanctuary, exploring the ruins and untrodden paths. A proven path leads past all the main objects, it is better not to go deep into the thickets - although for a very long time no one was blown up by a mine, it is believed that the complex has not been completely cleared of mines after the Pol Pot terror. The entrance ticket to Ko Ker costs $ 10.

Outskirts of Angkor

Phnom Kulen

Phnom Kulen (Pnom Kulen)- a small mountain range 50 km north of Siem Reap and 25 km from Banteay Srei. His highest point 487 m will cost $ 30-40.

During the construction period of Angkor, stones were mined here in quarries for the construction of temples and floated on rafts along the river. Phnom Kulen is considered a holy mountain in Cambodia, the top of the mountain is a sacred site for both Hindus and Buddhists who come here as pilgrims. It is also significant for Cambodians as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer empire, it was on Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarman II declared independence in 804. There is some disagreement over who the independence was proclaimed from. Most believe that Cambodia was a vassal of Java, according to other scholars - Cambodia at that time was under the rule of Laos. Jayavarman II did not confine himself to the proclamation of freedom, at the same time introducing a new cult of the "king-god", also called the linga cult, which existed for many centuries after his death.

An interesting attraction of Phnom Kulen is the stream of a thousand Lingams, here more than a thousand small religious images are carved into the stone. The uniqueness lies in the fact that the images are under water, 5 cm below the surface. This is not an accident, but the original idea of ​​the artist: by order of the king, the riverbed was diverted to the side so that the masters could carve the figures, and then returned to its original place. Among the most interesting figures is Vishnu, reclining on his snake Ananta with his wife Lakshmi at his feet, a lotus flower with the supreme deity Brama grows from Vishnu's navel.

Phnom Kulen is a national nature Park with beautiful waterfalls, on the largest of which you can take a break from the Cambodian heat and swim. Phnom Kulen also played a role in modern history. It was here that the last battles between the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese took place in 1979. Near the mountain is Preah Ang Thom, a 16th century Buddhist monastery with the largest reclining Buddha statue in Cambodia.

Siem Reap is one of the largest cities in Cambodia. This is a calm, cozy city, spread out on the shady banks of the river of the same name. Most tourists come to Siem Reap to visit Angkor, which is only 5 km from here. But if earlier Siem Reap was a quiet sleeping area for travelers, today the city has grown and offers tourists a choice of numerous hotels and restaurants with cuisines from all over the world. The name Siem Reap means "Siam conquered". The city is named in honor of the defeat of the Siamese by the Khmers (thai) the capital of Ayutthaya in the 17th century.

There are few attractions in Siem Reap. It will be interesting to coincide with the trip to Angkor visiting Angkor national museum (Angkor National Museum), which contains a remarkable collection of artifacts from the ancient city, including about a thousand images of Buddha made of wood, stone and precious stones.

The French Quarter is a pleasant stroll along the river in the southern part of the city. To the south of it is the Old Market (Psar Chaa)... In addition to looking at the traders' stalls, here you can buy interesting souvenirs, for example, pencil "prints" of temples on rice paper, they are inexpensive, and look very beautiful on the wall. Behind the market, by the river, many vendors sell silk scarves and sarongs, carvings from wood, silver, and more.

An evening in Siem Reap can be spent on the bustling Pub Street (Pub Street) with a mass of restaurants, cafes and bars. Lovers of peace and romance can walk along the river bank to the south, to the southern outskirts of the city. Obsessive taxi drivers often offer tourists trips to the art school and silk factory. The main purpose of such an excursion is to persuade travelers to buy a painting or something made of silk, and at a price much higher than that for which you can buy a similar thing on the market.

Routes

When planning a route, almost all tourists ask themselves the main question: which temples to visit? There are a huge number of temples in Angkor and the surrounding area, and it is impossible to see them all - and it is not necessary. You should not try to fit as many temples as possible into the trip - by the end of the day, the sensations will dull, the temples will begin to merge into one and the impressions will be blurred. Better to focus on the minimum program: Bayonne , Angkor Wat, Ta-Prom, Ta-Keo within Angkor, Banteay Srei and Phnom Bakeng, as well as Beng Melea and Ko Ker beyond its borders.

Classic routes

Traditional routes in Angkor are “small circle” and “ big circle". As practice shows, they are convenient from a geographic point of view, but not quite optimal for getting the best experience. It is better not to stick to the classic routes, but make your own travel plan for the most interesting temples.

To visit the distant temples of Ko-Ker and Beng-Melea, you can save daytime. If you arrive in Ko-Ker in the early morning, you will be walking almost alone. Then you can go in the direction of Angkor and stop at Beng-Melea on the way. Please note that Khmer taxi drivers really do not like to work at night, even if you find a driver who agrees to this, the cost of the trip at night will be at least 50% more expensive. It is also possible to spend the night in a guesthouse (tourist hotel) near Ko-Ker.

Small circle

This 17-kilometer route starts from the western wall of Angkor Wat and leads north past the Ta-Prom-Kel temples (Ta Prohm Kel)(Phnom Bakheng) (beautiful view at sunset) and Baksey-Chamkrong (Baksei Chamkrong) to the southern entrance to Angkor Thom (Angkor Thom)... On the central square of Angkor Thom behind the Bayon Temple (Bayon) the path turns east towards the Victory Gate (Victory Gate) and between the surprisingly similar twin temples of Chau-Sei-Tevoda (Chau Say Tevoda) and Tommanon (Thommanon) follows to the Ta-Keo temple (Ta Keo)... At this temple, the path turns to the southeast and bypasses the dried up reservoir East Baray (East Baray) leads to the Ta-Prom temple (Ta Prohm)... Then you need to walk between the huge Buddhist temple Banteay Kdei (Banteay Kdei) surrounded by four concentric walls and the dried up Sras-Srang basin (Sras Srang), turn southwest and past the Prasat Kravan Hindu Temple (Prasat Kravan, easily recognizable by its five brick towers)

Our reader Igor M. continues his story about his trip to Cambodia. Today we will talk about the main attraction of this country, the great and mysterious temple complex of Angkor Wat.

Continuation. Read the beginning of the story about a trip to Cambodia here:

So Angkor. Angkor is the metropolitan area of ​​the Khmer Empire. It is there that the most grandiose and famous monuments have been preserved - Angkor Wat, Bayon and Angkor Thom. Angkor Wat is the pride of Cambodia, a huge temple complex or city-temple. They have him depicted on all coats of arms, flags and emblems. This complex is considered the largest religious building in the world.

Angkor was built from the 11th to the 13th century (each ruler built something and tried to surpass the others). It was built of stone, although at that time only religious buildings were erected from it. Poor Khmer peasants lived in huts, rulers in wooden palaces (naturally, such buildings have not survived), but stone structures still stand to this day.

In the morning I woke up in a four-star hotel, we were fed and taken on an excursion to this very Angkor. A ticket is required to visit Angkor. To do this, each tourist is photographed and after a couple of seconds an individual ticket with a photo is returned - it is on a ribbon and worn around the neck. But now all the formalities have been passed and we arrive at Angkor Wat!

The Angkor Wat temple complex was actively restored during our visit. It can be seen that some parts are covered with a green veil.

Temple complex Angkor Wat: a great city lost in the jungle

The sight is very interesting. The temple complex of Angkor Wat is very well preserved. The fact is that the temple is surrounded by a square moat-reservoir, only a narrow strip of land is a passage to the territory of the complex. That's why the jungle could not swallow Angkor Wat, although this grandiose structure was forgotten for hundreds of years! It has not been used since the 15th century, all this time there were some legends that there was a city-temple in the jungle, but they did not really believe in them. And only in 1861, the French naturalist Henri Mouault heard from a Catholic missionary that there was a lost city in the depths of the jungle. He became very interested (according to the missionary, the structure was huge) and went into the jungle in search. As a result, Muo rediscovered Angkor after four centuries of neglect. Many contemporaries of Muo could not believe that somewhere such a grandiose structure like Angkor Wat could be lost and forgotten.

It should be noted that regardless of the religion professed (Hinduism or Buddhism), all the ancient rulers of Cambodia wanted to be worshiped as living gods and implanted the cult of Devaraja - the god-king. And in order to strengthen this cult, all forces were thrown into the construction of temples, monuments and other structures designed to exalt these kings. This is what explains such a huge number of temple complexes.

The photo shows one of the towers of the Angkor Wat temple.

Angkor Wat is the most famous of these complexes. It began to be built by King Suryavarman II, who was a Hindu and considered himself the embodiment of the god Vishnu (although the next ruler, like other generations of Cambodians, was already a Buddhist). The then population of Angkor was one million - perhaps in those days it was the largest city in our Galaxy. Almost all residents took part in the construction of the temple complex. This is largely why Angkor Wat turned out to be really grandiose. Moreover, it was not at all intended for a gathering of believers - the building served as the abode of the gods, and the king and the top of the political and religious elite had access to it. Later, according to the orientation of the entrance to the temple, scientists established that it was originally intended for the future burial of the ruler. It turns out that Suryavarman II, during his thirty-year reign, was building a tomb-temple for himself, and by the time of his death in 1150 it was 99% ready.

During his lifetime, the courtiers extolled Suryavarman II in every possible way and called him "the Sun King." According to legends, he, like the Sun, could make the lotus buds bloom and make everything prosperous around. In fact, he left behind him a country that was actually devastated by such a grandiose construction. But at the same time he went down in history as "Michelangelo of the East" and the creator of the great Angkor Wat.

Stairway to the center of the universe

Few architectural details. As I said, the Angkor Wat temple complex is surrounded by a moat with water, and you can enter it through a narrow isthmus. The whole complex is surrounded by a rectangular wall, inside it is a huge territory, and in the center there is a platform made of stone, on which Angkor Wat is built.

So, we are approaching the most important thing! At first there were buildings on the sides of the road, which (according to our guide) were called libraries. As far as I understood, these were not libraries at all in our understanding - the king and the nobility did not register there, did not go there with their subscriptions and did not receive any scrolls with manuscripts there, and strict monks-librarians did not go to debtors who did not return the manuscript to the due time. They were just some kind of ritual buildings.

Library at the entrance to the Angkor Wat temple complex.

After going deeper along the road along various buildings, we came to the main part of the complex - the temple. The stone temple of Angkor Wat is simply grandiose!

Angkor Wat, the outer wall of the building stands on a stone platform.

All walls are decorated with engravings - scenes of battles are carved in stone.

Another wall with battle scenes.

Many of the battle scenes were taken from the legends of Hindu mythology. In particular, the battle of Vishnu with the heavenly devil Banna was depicted. Each engraved wall is approximately 800 meters long. Moreover, as experts note, the further, the more the technique of the masters improved and the better the drawings were. While some of the engravings may have depicted the usual battles of those times, many peoples fought back then, seeking control over the fertile territory of the Mekong River.

The central part of the temple is located behind the battle walls:

On the right is the outer wall of the temple, and on the left Angkor Wat itself begins.

In those days, everything was built without cement - stone blocks were brought from afar, the stones were precisely adjusted. As I already said, the Angkor Wat temple complex was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, therefore its structure reflects the Hindu ideas about the structure of the world. Then it was believed that in the center of the universe is Mount Kailash (it is located in the middle of the endless ocean) - gods and goddesses live there. Kailash is surrounded by four smaller mountains. The Angkor Wat temple complex was built in accordance with these ideas: in the central part in the middle there is a huge tower, and around there are four smaller towers.

The temple occupies several floors (the stairs to the upper floor are visible on the left), and only the king and members of his family could enter the uppermost floor. As it turned out, I could too 🙂 These levels also correspond to the then people's ideas about the structure of the world and symbolize the lower world, the world of people and the heavenly world.

Apsara celestial dancers on the walls of Angkor Wat. Cute, right?

And on this wall are depicted apsaras - mythical celestial dancers. By the way, in the Angkor Wat temple there were real dancers depicting apsaras who entertained the king. And on the left we see windows - there was no glass then, so the windows were made of stone - such carved mini-columns, sunlight passed through the cutouts.

According to ancient images of apsara dancers on the walls of the temple, 36 different styles of hairstyles were counted. So there were fashionistas in those ancient times, and what kind!

Tourists climb to the central tower, that is, to the very center of the world. Previously, no one would have let ordinary mortals go there 🙂

Here is a view of the entrance to Angkor Wat opens from one of the towers.

Solving the Mystery of the Ancient Dance

After climbing the main tower (that is, in the very center of the universe) we were given a lot of time to walk around and inspect everything ourselves. I went and suddenly saw ... apsara. They stood and were bored. Eh, apsaras, should we be in sorrow?

Apsaras stand and miss.

What kind of business is it - to be bored. We must dance! Come on, let's all together!

Quite another matter! True, they all have their fingers folded in a certain bizarre way and symbolize something, and my fingers do not bend like that in principle and can only symbolize complete ignorance in ancient dances. But I decided for myself that participation in Khmer dance is the main thing 🙂 Therefore, nothing spoiled my good mood.

As I wrote in the previous article, for an ordinary European, these dances look rather strange - the movements are very smooth, the posture almost does not change, and only the hands do such pirouettes, as if they were exposed to forty-degree frost. On our bus, everyone began to discuss this important topic and together found a simple explanation for this - they are dancing sober! Apparently, alcohol was not brought to the ancient Khmers in those days 🙂 Not like in our discos!

So they, poor fellows, had only to chew betel nut. And now it is chewed in those parts - it is believed that a tenth of humanity regularly uses it. Palm seeds and slaked lime are wrapped in a betel leaf (a native plant from the pepper genus) and chewed, resulting in a kind of euphoria. And at the same time addiction, similar to tobacco or narcotic. True, the saliva turns red from this, and the teeth become black, and it is difficult to clean them from blackness, so those who like to chew betel nut go with black teeth. Now, having adopted the European fashion for white teeth, people in cities do not use it. But in poor provinces, many are still chewing - sitting, eating, spitting red saliva through black teeth and they don't need anything else (like "our" alcoholics).

Exit from the temple complex.

In the southeastern part of Asia, there is an unusually beautiful country with a great history - Cambodia. For a long time this kingdom was closed from tourists, but today it has become very popular. tourist destination... This exotic country attracts travelers with its mild climate, warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand, white beaches, and, of course, majestic temple buildings.

People come from all over the world to see the mysterious shrines with their own eyes - ancient temples of Cambodia , erected over a thousand years ago.

How and when temples were built

The construction of the sanctuaries was carried out by the ancestors of the present Cambodians - the Khmers, who from time immemorial inhabited the territory of the kingdom. This people, according to legend, originated from the connection between the daughter of the king of snake-like creatures - the nagas, and the Indian hermit.

The grandiose construction began in the 9th century, when numerous Khmer principalities under the leadership of Emperor Jayavarman II united into a great state - the Khmer Empire with its capital in the city of Angkor. In it, the founder of the dynasty erected the first temple complex, and his successors subsequently continued this work. Today all the surviving temples ancient capital form the main attraction of the country - the Angkor temple complex. Its size is amazing - temples of Angkor in Cambodia is located on an area of ​​more than 200 thousand square meters. km.

The construction of religious buildings in the capital continued until the 12th century - it was during this period that the most famous temples of Cambodia were built. Around them, by that time, a huge city had already been built, which was inhabited by more than a million inhabitants. In the X-XIII centuries. the great Khmer Empire became the most developed state in all of Southeast Asia militarily and economically.

However, already in the second half of the 15th century, after a long siege by the Siamese, its capital fell and was destroyed.

The residents were forced to flee and abandon the city. Over the years, Angkor was swallowed up by the jungle, the humid climate did not spare many living quarters and soon nothing remained of them, but the temple buildings managed to survive. For 400 years, people forgot about ancient Angkor, until in 1860 the French traveler and naturalist Henri Muo came across it in the impenetrable thickets.

Angkor Wat

The most big temple Cambodian Angkor Wat, which rises a few kilometers from the city of Siemreal, is considered throughout the world. This shrine was erected in the first half of the 12th century in honor of the supreme god in Hinduism - Vishnu. The empire was ruled in those days by King Suryavarman II.

According to scientists, the construction of this structure required 5 million tons of stones - the same amount as was spent on the construction of the second largest egyptian pyramid Khafre (Khafre).

The ancient builders put a lot of effort into creating amazing imagination an architectural creation - all the stone blocks from which this sacred structure is built are artistically processed - scenes from the history of the Khmers, Hindu mythology and ancient Indian epics are carved on all surfaces.

But the most surprising thing is that the Khmers did not use any solutions to fix the blocks together - the stones were hewn and fitted to each other in such a way that sometimes it is simply impossible to find the joints between them.

The main cult complex Cambodia temple Angkor Wat consists of 3 buildings, inside there are 5 lotus-shaped towers, the height of the central one reaches 65 meters. The complex is surrounded by a moat 190 meters wide, which is always filled with water due to heavy rains. As conceived by the builders, this grandiose project symbolizes the abode of Brahma - the sacred Mount Meru: the central tower is the top, the walls are rocks, and the huge moat is the world ocean, washing the Universe from all sides.

Undoubtedly this temple in Cambodia - 8 wonders of the world , after all this is what historians all over the world call it.

Bayonne

Not far from Angkor Wat is the second largest ancient religious building. This is the Bayon temple, rebuilt in the XII century under the ruler Jayavarman VII.

Bayon temple in Cambodia has 54 towers, and it is no coincidence - each of them was a symbol of a province under the rule of the ruler. There are 4 faces carved on each tower - one on each side of the world.

The ancient builders managed to do the impossible - the expressions of all these faces change depending on the lighting and the time of day.

They can be kind, smile, be sad, and sometimes with their glance they even bring chilling horror to the soul. It is noteworthy that in whatever part of the temple a person is, he will always be under the gaze of stone eyes. It is believed that the carved faces are the face of the deity of compassion Avalokiteshvara. King Jayavarman VII became the prototype of his appearance.

Initially, the central tower of the temple had a gold covering, but it was torn off by the Siamese who captured the city. There was a four-meter-high figure of Buddha on it, but it was also destroyed. The walls of the temple are covered with beautiful bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Cambodians - military campaigns, bloody battles, worship of the gods, circus performances, feasts and much more.

Ta Prom

Ta Prohm Temple (Ta Prohm, Ta Prohm) is another Buddhist religious building that is part of the structure of the city of Angkor. This temple-monastery was built at the end of the 12th century in honor of the mother of King Jayavarman VII. That is why, scientists believe, in its design in bas-reliefs and sculptures, apsaras prevail - the demigoddesses of Hindu mythology, the spirits of water and clouds.

Great popularity Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia acquired in 2001 after the release of the film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" - it was in this abandoned building that Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie wandered.

Currently, the complex is an amazing sight in the best traditions of surrealism - all structures from the base to the roof are enveloped in bizarre dense vegetation. Here the roots and trunks of trees have climbed the walls for centuries, framed doors and windows, broke stone roofs, punching their way to freedom.

It seems that there was once a merciless battle between the gods and nature on this territory, and the latter won, making the unique structure part of the earth. Now Ta Prohm and the jungle are an indivisible whole.

Bapuon

In the very center of the holy city of Angkor Thom there is another amazing temple 49 meters high - Bapuon. It appeared in the 11th century during the reign of Udayadityavarman II. This structure is shaped like a five-stage pyramid, consisting of three tiers.

Bapuon is distinguished from other sanctuaries by special bas-reliefs - they are made in the form of small squares, in which scenes from the daily life of the Khmers are carved. In his youth, the temple amazed with splendor.

Back in the 13th century, the Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan admired him, calling him "a truly amazing sight." To this day, Bapuon reached in a very poor condition, and this is due to the sandy foundation on which it was built. It turned out to be unstable, and the grandiose building began to collapse rapidly.

Less famous temples in Cambodia

There are several hundred ancient places of worship in Cambodia, which fascinate with their beauty and original architecture. The Koh Ker temple complex, located 90 km from Angkor, is considered to be very interesting. Tourists rarely visit this place, since getting there is not easy. Most of all, the temple-mountain Prasat Prang with a height of 32 meters in this complex attracts attention.

This temple in Cambodia it is also called the "pyramid of death" due to the fact that there is a deep well at its top. According to legend, after sacrifices to demons, lifeless bodies were thrown into it. It was believed that this well leads to the underworld.

Another amazingly beautiful temple is Preah Vihea, or, as it is also called, "Temple in Heaven". It was erected on a mountain, at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level. It is considered a very significant building for the ancient Khmers, since it was built for a very long time - the construction stretched out during the reign of seven kings.

The Buddhist temple Neakpean, created in the XII century, is distinguished by its originality. It is located in Angkor, near the city of Da Nang, on a small artificial island in the middle of a reservoir. According to an ancient legend, the water in these places is endowed with healing properties. Actually, this prompted King Javayarman VII to build a temple here.

Another miracle of Khmer architecture is the Banteay Srei Temple, located in the province of Siemreal. It was built in honor of the god Shiva in the X century. The temple became famous for its decoration - all its walls are covered with jewelry carving, which was practically not touched by time. Another feature of this structure is that it contains ancient pink statues of guardian monkeys.

1. English researchers G. Hancock and D. Grisby conducted large-scale computer studies, and came to a very curious conclusion: the main religious buildings of Cambodia are associated with a map of the sky of 10500 BC. NS. In their opinion, the Angkorian temples of Cambodia on the map, if connected by one line, recreate the outlines of the constellation of the Dragon.
2. The temples of Cambodia were not meant to be visited by believers. These places of worship were considered the abode of the gods, and only priests and monks could enter them. In some temples, tombs were erected for the rulers, whom they considered the embodiment of God on earth.
3. Each Khmer king followed the tradition - having ascended the throne, he began the construction of two temples - for himself and his ancestors. If he died, and the structures were not yet completed, they were left unfinished, and they immediately began a new construction.
4. An image is carved on the wall of the Ta Prohm temple, which to this day haunts scientists around the world. And there is a herbivorous dinosaur captured there, or more precisely - a stegosaurus that lived on the planet more than 150 million years ago. How the ancient Khmers learned about this animal is still a mystery.
5. There are several pyramid-shaped temples in Cambodia. As you know, such grandiose structures found only in Peru, Egypt and Cambodia. An old legend explains this fact - they were all built by the same people who roamed these countries.
6. Many Cambodian temples are included in the List world heritage UNESCO.