The Angkor Wat Temples
For a couple days, we visited the temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia and were amazed by the beauty and strength of these structures. Although many times, images could say more than a thousand words, only the history behind these spectacular monuments could bring an understanding of their value.
The Khmer are the inhabitants of Cambodia. Historians have divided the history of Cambodia into three major periods:
- Pre-Angkorian (1st-8th centuries)
- Angkorian (9th-13th centuries)
- Post-Angkorian (14th – 20th centuries)
Historical research shows that the Fu-Nan culture existed long before the arrival of the new civilization from India and the Fu-Nan kings were given the title of “king of the mountain”, the significance of such a title shows that in the past, Khmer people believed the mountain – a natural symbol – held magical powers. As such, the mountain was considered to be a sacred object. Contemporary scholars have described this belief as “animism”.
Under the influence of the two most important religions of India (Brahmanism and Buddhism), Khmer artist created numerous temples and works of art, most of them representing divinities, symbolic objects and other articles used during religious ceremonies. The usage of sandstone to create the works of art had been a Khmer tradition since the Pre-Angkorian period. But the Khmer artist in the Post-Angokorian period preferred to use wood instead of sandstone due to the difficulty to transport it.
Angkor Wat was one of the great monuments of Hinduism or Brahmanism. It was also converted into a Buddhist monastery or wat and became to be the biggest Buddhist cultural center in Cambodia since the Post-Angkorian Period until this day. Angkor derives from the sanskrit word Nagara which means holy city.
Angkor Wat and the rest of the temples were a gratifying historical, cultural, and structural lesson for us. We hope you enjoy the images and are also mesmerized by these incredible man-made masterpieces.
