Ta Prohm temple

I had been in Cambodia for about three weeks and my one month visa was about to expire.  My friend Eric had been sick with a stomach bug for a week in Phnom Penh and I had been laying low, keeping him company.  I’ve never been good at sitting still for long periods of time though and not doing much but checking the internet and watching movies with him was causing me to go a bit stir crazy.  The visits to the kids out at the dump were a highlight, but I was going to have to leave the country soon and I still hadn’t seen Cambodia’s main tourist attraction.  Before the “stir crazies” took complete hold, I hopped on a bus and headed four hours north to Siem Reap.  I wish I had read and prepared myself more for what I was about to encounter, but even without educating myself better, I experienced several days of one big “WOW!” 

Just outside the charming town of Siem Reap, Cambodia lies what many regard as the crown jewel of Southeast Asia … the Angkor temples.  The 45 temples were built over a five hundred year period from 790 – 1307 AD when Khmer empire was at its zenith.  During this period, the throne changed hands twenty-six times with some rulers enjoying  relatively long, peaceful reigns during which many temples were built while others enjoyed only short reigns and often met violent ends.  

hallways in Angkor Wat

The temples built during this period were made of such durable materials as brick, laterite and sandstone unlike temples built from wood in later periods which, of course, have not survived.  The purpose of the temples was not a meeting place for the faithful as are our temples and churches today, but a palace and dwelling place for a god.  Khmers believed that gods enshrined in these temples would bestow benevolence on the people and, in particular the ruler responsible for the temple’s construction, including protection, strength and prosperity.  Of course, holy men and lay people would go to the temples to worship the gods enshrined there, as they do today, but that purpose for the structure was significantly secondary. 

Some claim that the temples were forgotten and lost over the years following the decline of the Khmer empire and were “discovered” by a Fenchman named Henri Mouhot. Khmers claim that the temples were never forgotten or lost and that Angkor Wat was always occupied and used as a place of worship.  Whatever the truth may be, publications of notes made by Mouhot in 1863 drew the interest of the Western world to Angkor and almost overnight the temples became the subject of great research, excavation and, ultimately, preservation and restoration. 

detail from a bas relief at Angkor Wat

I spent three days visiting the temples of Angkor in late November, a perfect time when North Cambodia was experiencing what actually felt like crisp, cool fall weather – a stark contrast to the muggy, humid days I’d been faced with in Phnom Penh.  A friend of mine suggested that I start by exploring some of the smaller, lesser known temples, working my way up to “the Big Boys”: Bayon, Angkor Thom and the Big Daddy of them all, Angkor Wat.  The suggestion was a great one and I found myself “WOW’d” over and over again as I visited each succeeding temple.  

I was amazed at the detail carved into the stone, completely awed by the phenomenal craftsmanship.  I found myself not only wanting to allow my fingers to trace the lines and explore the crevices of the bas relief designs, but to actually make rubbings to incorporate into my own art work. I remember reading about people who did just that in the 1970’s amidst the political turbulence in Cambodia during the Vietnam War (which extended far beyond Vietnam’s borders) and the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal reign.  These “tomb raiders” would sneak into Cambodia via Thailand, dodge bullets and capture from all sides, make rubbings of the temple reliefs and sneak back out, selling the rubbings for great sums of money.  I understand that it was exhilarating, but dangerous business.

I was fortunate that, with only a couple of exceptions, I was relatively alone as I wandered through the temples, heightening my sense that I was in the midst, not of an Indiana Jones movie set, but right in the middle of the authentic inspiration for those sets.  As isolated as I felt and as much as I let my imagination wander, I was always aware of course that I was simply one of millions of tourists who view the temples each year.  How must Henri Mouhot and the first researchers have felt though “discovering” (at least for themselves) these temples which then may have seemed forgotten by time and the rest of the world? I thrilled at such a sense of adventure.  

an invasive tree ... one of many at Ta Prohm

In general, I found that my favorite temples were built by Jayavarman VII who was responsible for 17 of the 45 temples and has been likened to the Donald Trump of the Cambodian empire.  My absolute favorite thus far (I still have 34 temples to see!) was Ta Prohm which appears to have been taken over by the jungle. Large strangler firs and silk cotton trees which probably started as innocent looking saplings growing on top of the stones have become as large as walls themselves and seem to grasp the temple ruins in their strong root hands. Large blocks of stone from either once higher walls or ceilings have fallen in random rubble patterns throughout the enormous temple.  Stone figures cut into the walls continue to watch the tourists today just as they’ve watched the 800 years of history that have unfolded before them.  In this temple more than in any other, I felt like Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. 

Walking through the temples was far a smooth glide.  Not only had the stone walkways been upset by treeroots and shifting earth turning many of them into stumbling blocks, in many places the doorsills and random places in hall passageways were raised one foot or more from the ground floor, causing those passing through to constantly step over them.  The temples I visited didn’t have many stairs, but at the end of the day, my knees would have sworn I’d climbed tall mountains. I found it difficult to imagine kings and other Khmer VIPs humbling themselves to constantly look down to watch their footing, but reminded myself that these temples were built, not for their convenience, but as a palace to the gods.  I guess gods don’t have bad knees.

a Buddhist shrine tucked away down a maze of hallways in Ta Prohm temple

One interesting but sad cultural phenomenon that has grown up around the temple tourism are the groups of children selling things to tourists at the approach to each temple.  The kids, ranging from 5 to 16 in age, sell books, bracelets, shawls, hand made stars and fish and a variety of other items that I can’t begin to remember.  The kids are shrewd and somewhat aggressive in their sales techniques, memorizing the capitals of most countries and some data about each one.  

The spiel went like this, “What country are you from?” “I’m from America.” “America. Capitol: Washington DC.  Population 300 million.  You have new President Obama. Your old President George W. Bush. No one liked him. What state are you from?” (This entire bit all ran together as if it were one sentence as they said it all in one breath.) “Kentucky.” “Oh.”  If I was from Texas, Alaska, California or Florida, they would be able to rattle off the capitol of my state, but Kentucky was always a conversation killer.  Well, killer is a bit of an overstatement with these kids; stumper, certainly. But they’d jump back on track quickly. “I know many things about your country. You buy something from me?”

Other ploys were, “What is your name? If I remember you when you leave the temple, you buy something from me, okay?” And by God, they would remember the names of EVERY person who went into the temples!  These kids were smart and had terrific memories.  They spoke English pretty well.  I hated to see them putting these talents towards hawking tacky souvenirs, instead of applying them to a bigger picture that would actually improve their lives long term.

On the first day, I ended up buying all kinds of things, some that I needed and wanted and most that I didn’t.  I bought a book on Angkor Wat (definitely wanted that), several shawls (hmmm – good gifts I suppose) and a dozen stars (what the hell was I thinking???  I don’t even know what their intended purpose is but I guess I can use them as ornaments on the Christmas tree I don’t even have).  The second and third days, I was more shrewd and better prepared. I fought back with my camera, hugs, candy and conversation.  I ignored the stuff they were selling and began asking them about school and their lives. I told them I was making a video and asked if they’d like to be in it.  Universally, they forgot what they were selling (at least for one minute) and jumped in front of the camera, eager for what they perceived to be their 15 minutes of fame.

more than a dozen children selling souvenirs outside one of the temples

These kids were quite sweet and, in a few instances, helpful and, like Cambodian children throughout the country, won my heart.  There’s something about the children of this country that sets them apart from the children I’ve met elsewhere.  I’m far from being able to put a finger on it. 

Regardless of the order of one’s temple experience, it’s easy to get “templed out” after a few days.  While I was glad that I started my tour with those temples reputed to be the “least” and working my way up to “the greatest,” I was ready for a break.  My interactions with the children left me wanting more contact with the locals.  All the villages I passed through on the way to the temples were calling my name.  

Join me in a video tour of the Angkor temples by clicking here.  To see more photos of the Angkor temples, check out the “Photos of Her Adventure” page of my blog.