Ta Phrom - Preah Khan and others.

On Monday 17 we went back to do the long circuit of inner temples. The long circuit was the name given by French archaeologists to a 17 km circuit taking in the next inner ring of temples.

So we visited Prasat Kravan, Banteay Kdai, Srah Sang, Pre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som, Preah Neak Pean, Preah Khan and back to Angkor Wat. I've only listed them all so I can refer back later and add the names to the photos!

II can't jot all my thoughts down - each temple was brilliant to see. Pre Rup was impressive for its size and the majestic lions ( we've both a photo if this) . Srah Sang was a huge reservoir ornately finished in stone.

But I though I'd make some notes on Ta Phrom ( visited last week) and Preah Khan. Ta Phrom is the more famous - mainly because of the trees growing from the roofs making for good photos. It also featured in the Angelina Jolie tombraider films sexing it up a bit. And it's undergone some restoration ( currently with money from France and India).

Ta Phrom was another Budhist temple built by Jayavarman VII - he of Angkor Thom fame. The French explorers who found this place nicknamed it 'jungle Wat' and have deliberately tried to maintain it as close to the state they found it. So the temples have been preserved and reinforced with the trees remaining on top

One of the famous shots of the crocodile tree. You can see the roped off areas as behind the camera it was closed off with a big crane re-assembling and preserving another structure

Another Japanese tourist poses for the photo. You can see below that although the temple is open to visit there are still plenty of building blocks to put back together.

Preah Khan is not so famous but IMO is at least as impressive. Again built by Jayavarman VII it served as a temporary capital city and housed 1,000 religious teachers. It was originally a Buddhist temple and later was vandalised by Hindu rulers. Many temples were. The Hindu vandals went around chipping the heads off the carved Buddhas !

Preah Khan is spread over 2 sq miles with a 2 mile long wall surrounding it. It is currently undergoing restoration by the world monument fund (WMF) with many personal donations by wealthy Americans .

As an idea of how much work has to be done. The 2 mile wall has 72 garudas ( carving of a large mythical bird) holding Nagas (serpents). You can sponsor the restoration of one of these for $25,000 . And that's just the wall!!

The WMF is restoring the temple and as such is removing the trees that are in the way. The photo below shows a severed tree rot which will be removed. And you can see the HUGE numbers of bricks which require a jigsaw reassembly.

One reason it is so important is the detail of the carvings in and around the temples. Above is a section of bas reliefs of the Hall of the Dancers (Apsaras) . Above this you can see some small domed areas that used to have Buddhas which were chipped away by Hindu vandals

And on this photo you can see more bricks requiring putting back together. And zoom on the photo to see the intricate carvings which are everywhere. I took lots of wide shots. My travelling colleague and slave takes the close ups!!

Siem Reap. We've now been twice and will come again. It's absolutely fantastic. As the years pass Angkor is gradually being developed and improved. So even 5 years later Ang and I enjoyed the temples as much as last time. And the hospitality industry is improving so you don't have to worry about staying in a hovel and eating rice all day ( if you ever did) . A huge range of all kinds of hotels await from $10 guest houses to $500 suites. And western cuisine abounds including the ubiquitous coffee shops. If you are of a far flung travelling bent you must visit here!

 

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