Siem Reap, Cambodia
11° 23' N 104° 52' E
May 09, 2008 11:15
Distance 0km

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Angkor Wat. The Last Temple: Proah Kham.

Angkor Wat.  Friday Afternoon, May 9th. The Last Temples: Preah Khan and Banteay Kdei.

In the afternoon, we were given the option of doing more temple exploring, or lounging around the pool. I was the only one to take up the temple option, so I had a guide and a bus all to myself (but the driver and guide were not too keen on my choice, as you can imagine). My view is that I should see what I can now, as seeing more of the treasures of Angkor Wat is a unique opportunity I may not get again.

So, as the attached photos show, the two temples I visited were in poor repair. It was nice to walk about the ruins and see what was left. Even when the temples were all in ruins, they were in much better shape than many Greek or Roman sites. Ephesus was one of the finest of the historic sites I saw in Turkey, but it could not claim to be in as fine a shape as these last two sites. As I had the guide all to myself, I could ask him all the questions I wanted. I was particularly interested in understanding the creative skills of the carvers. My guide essentially said that the craft persons were not permitted to make their own designs or had any scope for originality in what and how they carved, only the architect and king were given that privilege. As he said, if the king did not like your work, he could have you killed so it was best to do exactly as you were told.

It was nice to see two more temples that afternoon, as by the end of the day I was templed out and ready to move on. But Angkor Wat/Siem Reap will be one of my most impressive visits on this pilgrimage; I feel so blessed to have seen it while it is still less discovered.

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As this is a smaller temple, there are only 27 devils or Buddhas guarding the entrance (2 x 27 = 54, which is half of 108). This, like many of the other temples around Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, was destroyed by the Thais in the 1400's. This temple has had minimum restoration done to it. Even here, there were wonderful things to see. Most of the destruction of this temple is from war, but some is also from the jungle. This was one of the few temples where there seemed to be an active Buddhist presence. And that marks the end of exploring Angkor Wat. What a ten out of ten experience - definitely one of the finest moments in all my travels.
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