Cambodia 2015

Saturday14November

Here is my favorite temple! Approaching this mountain-temple, the site carefully avoids revealing everything to the visitor. Far from it, one must enter the sanctuary to discover all its secrets...

Within this 150-meter-sided enclosure, 37 towers with 4 faces are hidden! Thus, no less than 148 Buddhas will contemplate you wandering through this labyrinth! Originally, there were 17 additional towers, but they have since collapsed.

Built on three levels, the temple also hides small rooms where Buddha statues meditate.

One must not remain mesmerized by the soothing gazes of the "face-towers" because the bas-reliefs are not to be outdone.

Within the temple grounds, other temples... This one seems almost inaccessible. It's hard to make steps steeper... But with a little agility and caution, you'll be able to look through its windows...

Apsaras, of stone and flesh...

The faces are not inaccessible, you can walk at their height, right in their field of vision...  

It wouldn't even be surprising if you got lost in the corridors without knowing if you've already passed through there or not...

At the exit of the temple, another hairy tourist, a crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis).

Back to basics with this pyramid-temple, which with its height offers a beautiful panorama of the Angkorian forest. You will therefore have to go up an additional staircase once more to reach the top floor.

You only feel the true height of the temples once you are on top of them...

The temple was even taller but a part of it collapsed.

The builders pushed the attention to detail to the point of forming a 60-meter reclining Buddha with the entire west facade of the temple. It takes a bit of imagination, but you can still make out the head to the left of the wall.

We move away and pass by other small temples. We are still in the large area that was once the city called "Angkor Thom".

On the left, the Phimeanakas temple.

Then we pass in front of three enormous Buddhas.

Our 4-day marathon is nearing its end. We are now on a terrace, that of the Leper King. This statue represents not a king as was initially supposed, but rather the god of the underworld Yama. Indeed, the place was used for cremations.

At the bottom of the terrace, all the walls are sculpted. Walls that form a mini gallery at the foot of the platform.

As an extension of the Terrace of the Leper King, elephants form their own terrace.

The upper part of the terrace.

These elephants have their trunks reaching the ground like the roots of fig trees spanning the temples.

The bas-reliefs, enormous like the elephants they represent.