About Anything and Everything: Cambodia: Temple Chronicles, Part 3!

The sun was already becoming unbearable but we had to hurry because there’s a lot more temples that we have to see. I have no idea how many temples there are within the Angkor Thom area but I’m sure that even if we went all out visiting these temples, there’s no way that it would run out temples.

It’s a good thing that these temples are easily accessible as they’re all located with the Angkor Archaeological Park.

Ta Phrom, this temple is enveloped by tree roots in so many places, making it almost impossible to remove the trees without damaging the temples. Said to be dedicated to Jayavarman VII’s mother (just as Preah Khan was dedicated to his father). It is a complex ruin and one can easily get lost within its labyrinth passages, blocked here and there by collapsed walls and ceilings.

Walking to the entrance.

The entrance to Ta Phrom.

A rare shot…it’s hard to get a clear shot because there are lots of tourists lagi.

Roots!

Why do I think of “elephantiasis” whenever I see this shot?

I’m not sure if this is a Buddha image of an Apsara image.

The view as we exit Ta Phrom.

Pre Rup, one of the popular sunset spots, Pre Rup overlooks the rice fields of the Eastern Baray. The temple may have been a place for royal cremation. We got to Pre-Rup by midday so it was scorching hot. I don’t normally use an umbrella out in the sun but I had to make an exception that day.

See my orange umbrella?

Said to be used for cremation.

View from the top.

See how steep it is?

Not a sunset shot but beautiful just the same.

Ta Som, a small and quiet Buddhist temple. There were huge trees at the entrances, which made for good photos, but now everything but the East entrance has been cleared.

Ta Som’s East entrance.

One of the gates.

A and a tree growing on Ta Som temple.

Ta Som temple carvings.

Neak Pean, a large, square pool surrounded by four other pools. In the middle of the pool there's an 'island' with two coiling naga serpents. It is best to visit in the rainy season when the pools are full.

Pathway to Neak Pean.

Dreary during the dry season.

See the Naga snakes at the base of the temple?

I remember taking a break in Neak Pean and had a talk with our guide regarding the genocide. As much as we would like to think of Cambodia as the country with beautiful temples, we cannot deny the fact that this country has a very dark past…which made me dread for the trip to Phnom Penh. A and I had to travel to Phnom Penh because that’s where we’ll fly to Bangkok. More of that in the next posts.

Preah Khan, a huge temple complex that was once the temporary residence of King Jayavarman VII. It functioned not only as a temple but also as a monastery and university. It’s a large, moated temple that can be reached by causeway. Said to be dedicated to Jayavarman VII's father (just as Ta Phrom was dedicated to his mother).