Angkor Wat

By Vanntha Sann

This had been an interesting week. I had been reading a lot about my mother homeland, Cambodia. I am fascinated with Angkor Wat, especially the level of detail, and how it was built. Angkor Wat is the most iconic temple in Cambodia. It was voted the world’s number 1 sight and it is understandably high on the list for many travelers by Lonely Planet. It’s definitely on my top 10 list of places to visit. My younger sister visited Cambodia last year, and she fell in love with Angkor Wat. I will make it my goal to visit Cambodia in 2020.

According to Lonely Planet Angkor Wat was built by Suryavarman II-the earthy representation of Mt Meru, the Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods. “The Cambodian god-kings of old each strove to better their ancestors’ structures in size, scale and symmetry, culminating in what is believed to be the world’s largest religious building.”(Lonely Planet). The temple is a national pride of Cambodia; it’s our heart and soul.

The level of detail of the temple is unbelievable.  My sister was really impressed by the magnificence and the decorative embellishments. She also mentioned the historical carving on the wall. “Stretching around the outside of the central temple complex is an 800m-long series of intricate and astonishing bas-reliefs – carving depicting historical events and stories from mythology.”(Lonely Planet) The Temple is well-known for the 3000 beguiling apsaras carved into its walls. Each of them is distinctive, and there are 37 different hairstyles.

According to Lonely Planet, you’ll find a statue of Vishun when you walk the causeway to the main entrance and through the courtyards to the final main tower. “Vishnu is a metaphorically travelling back to the first age of the creation of the universe.”(Lonely Planet) It really makes you wonder how Angkor Wat was built.

The temple was built by using sandstone blocks that was extracted from the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen and floated down the Siem Reap River on rafts. “According to inscriptions, the construction of Angkor Wat involved 300,000 workers and 6000 elephants, yet it was still not fully completed.”(Lonely Planet) That’s unbelievable! I still can’t get my head wrap around 6000 elephants. I know that kind of operation require a lot of workers but 6000 elephants? I wish I can see this massive construction of Angkor Wat in action because it’s pure genius.

I learned so much about Angkor Wat by reading the article from Lonely Planet. The more I read about this iconic temple the more I want to see it in person.  My sister said it was a once in a life time trip and that she feels really lucky to see it in person. She also said, “Words and pictures will not justify the beauty of Angkor Wat”. I can’t wait to plan this trip of a lifetime.