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Petite
Circuit
Thommanon is just north of Chau Say Tevoda. Although unique,
the temple complements its neighbor, as it was built around
the same time to a similar design. It was also dedicated to
Shiva and Vishnu. |
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| Thommanon is in mush better condition than the rather
ruinous Chau Say Tevoa thanks to extensive work by the 1960s. |
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Chau Say Tevoda Temple
Just east of Angkor Thom’s east gate is Chau Say Tevoda.
It was probably bilt during the second squatter of the 12th
century and dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. It is currently under
renovation to bring it up to the condition of its twin temple,
Thommanoun. |
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Ta Keo Temple
Ta Keo is a stark; undecorated temple that undoubtedly
would have been one of the finest of all Angkor’s
structures had it been finished. Built by Jayavaraman
V (reigned 968-1001), it was dedicated to Shiva and was
the first Angkorian monument built entirely of sandstone.
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| The summit of the central tower , which is surrounded by
four tower at the corners of a square and a fifth tower in the
centre on typical of many Angkorian temple mountains. No-one
is certain why work was never completed, but a likely cause
may have been the death of Jayavaraman V. |
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Ta Nei Temple
Ta Nei, 800m north of ta Keo, was built by Jayavaraman
VII (reign 1181-1219). There is something of the spirit
of Ta Prohm here, albeit on a lesser scale, with moss
and tentacle-like roots covering many outer areas of this
small temple. |
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| It now houses the Apsara Authority’s training unit and
can be accessed only by walking across the French-built dam.
To get to the dam, take the long track on the left, just after
the Spean Thmor Bridge when coming from Siem Reap. |
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Prasat Ta Prohm
Ta prohm is undoubtedly the most atmospheric ruin at Ang Kor
and should be high on the hit list of every visitor. Its appeal
lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Ang Kor,
it has been left to be swallowed by the jungle, and looks very
much the way most of the monuments of Angkor appeared when European
explorers first stabled upon them. A visit to Ta Prohm is a
unique, other-world experience. |
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| The temple is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling
towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of
vast root systems. If Angkor Wat, the Bsyon and other
temples are testimony to the genius of the ancient Khmers,
Ta Prohm reminds us equally of the awesome fecundity and
power of the jungle. |
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| Build around 1186, Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated
to the mother of Jayavaraman VII. It is one of the few temples
in the Angkor region where an inscription provides information
about the temple’s dependents and habitants. The numbers
quoted really are staggering, although possibly include an element
of exaggeration to glorify the king: close to 80,000 people
were required to maintain or attend at the temple, among them
more than 2700 officials and 615 dancers. |
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| Ta Prohm is a temple of towers, close courtyards and
narrow corridors. Many of the corridors are impassable,
clogged with jumbled piles of delicately carved stone
blocks dislodged by the roots of long-decayed trees. Bas-reliefs
on bulging walls are carpeted by lichen, moss and creeping
plants, and shrubs sprout from the roofs of monumental
porches. |
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| Trees, hundreds of year’s old- some supported by
fluting buttresses- tower overhead, their leaves filtering
the sunlight and cast a greenish pall over the whole scene.The
most popular of the many strangulating root formations is
that on the inside of the easternmost gopura (entrance pavilion)
of the central enclosure, but there are several other astounding
growths. It used to be possible to climb on to the damaged
galleries, but this is now prohibited to protect both the
temple and visitor. Many of these precariously balancing if
they came down.
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Being such a maze of rubble and vegetation, there are
predictably plenty of children willing to guide you through
the temple. Some readers don’t like this idea, some
do. Either way, the fact of the matter is that these are
mostly poor kids from poor families looking for the chance
to make some money. |
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| It is easy to say it is somehow wrong and that they should
be a school or doing a traditional job, but most Westerners
have never experienced poverty in a Cambodian sense and the
desperation it breeds. Some of the kids will probably get a
better education in this ‘university of life’ than
at rural schools and will certainly make more money than their
parents ever did, struggling in the rice fields under the shadow
of lands mines. |
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Who are we to say this is wrong? Put yourself in their
position and imagine what you would do. Probably the same
photo spots and the like try and agree on a price (1000r
or so) in advance. Throwing around dollars bills is not
such a good idea, as it breeds expectancy and concept. |
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Banteay Kdei and Sras Srang (Pool of Ablutions)
Banteay Kdei, a massive Buddhist temple from the later part
of the 12th century, is surrounded by four concentric walls.
The outer wall measures 500m by 700m, Each of its four entrances
is decorated with garuda, which hold aloft one of Jayavaraman
VII’s favourite themes: the four visages of Avalokiteshvara. |
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| The inside of the central tower was never finished and
much of the temple is in a ruinous state due to hasty
construction. It is considerably less busy than nearby
Ta Prohm and this alone can justify a visit. |
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Prasat Kravan
The five brick towers of Prasat Kravan, which are arranged in
a north-south line and oriented to the east, were built for
Hindu worship in 921. The structure is unusual in that it was
not constructed by royalty; this accounts for its slightly remote
location, away from the centre of the capital. Prasat Kravan
is just south of the between Angkor Wat and Banteay Kdei. |
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| The Prasat Kravan Group was partially restored in 1968
and is particularly notable for the bas-reliefs cut into
the bricks on the interior walls. The images of Vishnu
in the largest central tower show eight-armed Vishnu on
the back wall, taking the three gigantic steps with which
he reclaimed the world on left wall, and riding a garuda
on the right wall. |
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| The northernmost tower displays bas-reliefs of Vishnu’s
consort, Lakshmi. One of Vishnu’s best-loved incarnations
was when he appeared as the dwarf Vamana, and proceeded to reclaim
the world from the evil demon king Bali, The dwarf politely
asked the demon king for a comfortable patch of ground upon
which to meditate, saying that the patch need only be big enough
so that he could easily walk across it in three peaces. The
demon agreed, only to see the dwarf swell into a mighty giant
who strode across the universe in three enormous steps. From
this legend Vishnu is sometime known as the “long strider”. |
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