Angkor Thom: Buddhist mythological ruins city

By asad russel –

About Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia:
In Khmer “The great city” is the meaning of Angkor Thom. For the grand Bayon Temples is especially famed the 12th century royal Buddhist city. But as well there are several other sights which are also interesting.

The Angkor Thoms’s History:
By the Angkor’s greatest king, Jayaverman VII (reigned 1181 to 1219) was founded the Angkor Thom city. By the Chams of the former Khmer capital following the defeat King Jayavarman VII came to the power. In the surrounding area a population of one million people at its height Angkor Thom may have governed.

In a nearly perfect square Angkor Thom was built, east to west and north to south which sides runs. By an 8 meters high and 12 kilometers long square wall (jayagiri) this city was surrounded and by a 100 meters wide moat (now dry) further protected, which contained ferocious crocodiles according to the tales.

In the middle of each wall exactly opens a gate, to the area outside the royal city over the moat from which a ridge extends. In the 10th and 11th centuries at Angkor Thom was built the original royal palace which no longer stands now and probably was built of wood.

At the Angkor Thom what to see:
Many stone temples and other features there contain to explore on one side over a mile in the vast area of the Angkor Thom ruins. There are five monumental gates in the city, in each wall there is one and in the eastern wall there is an extra one. The gates are 20 meters high and with the stone elephant trunks which was the king’s favorite motif of the Avalokiteshvara the four faces was decorated.

Across the moat onto a causeway each gates leads, on the left with statues of 54 gods and on the right with 54 demons are flanked. From the Hindu myth of the Churning of the Milk-Ocean at the famous bas relief of Angkor Wat which illustrated this is the theme.

The best restored gate is the south gate and most popular also, but since it directly leads to the Angkor Wat the most busy place also. More peaceful are the east and west gates at the end of uneven trails which founded. In the Tomb Rider movie for a scene the east gate was used, in which by putting down a giant apsara what is actually made of polystyrene into the tomb the bad guy broke in.

For the royal parties, depicts elephants and garuda which was a mythical bird like creature as a viewing platform served the Terrace of the Elephants. By a statue topped by the Terrace of the Leper King is a decorative platform with which surrounded by four lesser statues from the central statue each facing away. A Khmer ruler who died of leprosy, either the Yassovarman I or the Jayavarman VII is probably the central figure.

Retains the elements of Hindu cosmology and imagery though is a Buddhist temple is the Bayon Temple. In the walled city of the extra center it standing and of heaven and earth represents the intersections. For its extraordinary bas-reliefs and enigmatic smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara it is well known.

The Stalwart Baphuon is just north of the Bayon, in 1066 which was built and gives the visitors the ideal and experience of the real temple construction. On the site of the now disappeared royal palace is located the Phimeanaksa Temple. Of the Mt. Meru is another pyramidal representation.  Disappeared or are broken most of the decorative features, but for the good views of Baphuon Temple can be climbed.        

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Posted by : Unknown 8:08 PM Tags : Travel Destinations

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