Climbing the Temples of Angkor Wat – Siem Reap Cambodia. 6-8 January 2015
Bayon’s South Gate lined with demons and gods.The devil in me chose a demon.
I have read about and seen photos of the Angkor Wat Archeological Site, but nothing prepared me for the size, complexity and grandeur of its temple ruins. I was unaware that this complex is as big as the city of San Diego and contains over 110 individual temples built over six centuries. Thus, temple architecture and design is as varied as the personalities of the Khmer kings who built them. Many temples were dedicated to Hindu gods but over time were converted to Buddhism, while others started out Buddhist and later all images of Buddha were chipped away or adapted to convert the temple to Hinduism. After the 16th century, the temples and the country peacefully adopted Theravāda Buddhism. (more…)