As has been discussed before, South East Asia is a place once bubbling with a mixture of religions and outside cultural influences. We talked about that primarily on the islands of Indonesia, but up on the mainland, it wasn’t a much different story. And just as you are most likely unaware of the history surrounding Indonesia, you might also be in the dark about Cambodia and it’s long, influential history. What you’ve probably heard of, however, was Angkor Wat.
In the times when the Khmer Empire began around 800AD, Hinduism was strong in the area. What’s more, tribal feuds wracked these locations as kings vied for power or influence to establish themselves as the masters of their region. During the Khmer Empire’s existence from the 9th century to the 15th, parts of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam bowed to their supremacy from time to time. They extended far beyond the borders of what is today their politically unstable nation. But during their time in the sun they constructed one of the largest temple complexes in the world, and probably the most famous of them too. Such a feat would not have been possible without their reign as hegemon.
For nearly 6 centuries this empire was at the center of SEA politics. The Thai people were still hanging out around Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China, Myanmar was still heavily fractured, and Vietnam hadn’t yet escaped the thumb of China; it left a hole for some nation to fill. And regardless of what the nation has become in the modern-day, they left their mark on everyone in the area. Including myself, as I wandered into the temples at Angkor Wat.
Now, Angkor Wat is actually around 9 different temples over a vast 402-acre area. Man-made pools exist both east and west of the central Angkor Thom (the temple in the two pictures above), and many of the temples sport their very own moat. The long-forgotten Tomb Raider movie featured one of the temples as well. As I only had about 6 hours to explore the area with some friends via hired tuktuk, I only saw 6 of them and, to be frank, I can’t remember the names of most (only partially because they’re a different language).
The area around Angkor Wat eventually shifted from a temple directed at the Hindu God Vishnu, to a Buddhist temple complex in the 12th century. This is a complex historical event tied heavily to the Thai people migrating into what is now Thailand, adopting Buddhism specifically in opposition to the Khmer, fighting off the Empire, and slowly forcing the Khmer into subservience while they declined for various reasons. By the 1300’s temples were no longer being built, and Sanskrit was not being used to inscribe anything. Within a century, Cambodia would enter it’s Dark Age until the arrival of the French and their offer of protection. The Khmer grip on power forever surrendered to time.
Now I’ve been to both Buddhist Temple and Hindu Temples while The Journey moved me through Java in Indonesia. They impressed me greatly, though they gave me the distinct sense that Buddhist Temples – for some unknowable, cosmic reason – give me a stronger “spiritual” reaction than Hindu ones. I found Borobudur to be more “empowering” than Prambanan, and the same can be said for Angkor Wat. I enjoyed my experience, sure, but something about it was lost on me. A lack of reliefs carved into the stone, perhaps? They were there, sure, but not as often or as detailed as I expected. I couldn’t really say why they have a lessened effect on me, just that they do. Regardless, the size of the temple area blew me away! And you can see traces here of the grandeur once on display. On the bottom left of the above picture, for example, you can see a raised walkway that hung over shallow pools, of which their source came from deeper pools higher up where I’m standing. The water is gone now, but you can imagine what the temples tried to accomplish in days long past.
That being said, a great deal of the Temple is left in ruins. 1000 years of wear and tear will do that to a place! It does indeed add to the mysticism, however. At Borobudur they went to great efforts to renovate the temple and make it appear as it had when it was being used at its height. Here they seem to be content to allow the stones to lie scattered, and trees to grow into the rock. Almost as if nature is slowly taking back that which was taken from it. It makes the place seem older, more used even. And, for some reason, I can more easily imagine a religious connection when nature is allowed to thrive like this.
But those are the large temples. Every single one of them has smaller satellite temples surrounding. Generally, there’s nothing inside them, occasionally a small (more modern) Buddha is stashed inside with incense or offerings. They don’t receive the same attention as the larger places, and we only checked out one of them while we visited. They’re nice, but my past work at a historical site yearns for panels or gift shops or a diorama or something!
The temple which most impressed me, however, was Bayon. It was the last temple built here, and in accordance with the times, it was a Buddhist temple! Adorned with the faces of the building king, Jayavarman VII (or possibly a bodhisattva) 216 smiles greet visitors who come to explore the youngest of the temples at Angkor Wat. The temple was modified by successive kings either along Hindu or Buddhist lines after the builder had passed as religion among the upper classes shifted back and forth.
Beyond the faces staring back at you here, you’ll also find stone carvings depicting war, mythological events, and various Buddhas. This place was filled to the brim with Chinese tourists taking photos. Me and my group got many of our own, but it was the most Chinese-laden of the temples I’d found (interesting, as some of the carvings allegedly depict Chinese mercenaries). We spent as long here as we could marveling at the intricate doorways, carvings, faces, and long dark hallways before sauntering off to see a non-existent sunset.
On our way there we did see some Elephants, the first Asian variety I have ever seen! They were adorable, and at first glance seem well taken care of. But the tattered ear-tops and snack-induced commands seemed to betray that thought rather quickly.
Overall Ankor Wat was fantastic, a real experience anyone in the country passing through should endeavor to witness. Personally I’d rank the mega-temples I’ve seen so far in the order of
- Borobudur
- Ankor Wat
- Prambanan
Though everyone is entitled to their opinions, of course! And I still have temples to see, so the list might change. The Journey continues, and it never stops throwing new – but ancient – places into my world.