Angkor Wat

 Whereas the Grand Palace took our breath away with the ostentatious decor, the temples slowed my breathing and heart rate to a very Zen rhythm Another experience very difficult to explain in words and pictures. Touching the pillars and walls was like feeling the very bones of a culture steeped in peace and goodwill. Despite the crowds of tourists and aged inanimate rocks there was a definite “presence” embracing us within the walls. The site is on the old Khmer capital city of Angkor. The 402 acre site was built from 1122 to 1150CE to be a Hindu Temple. Later it became a Buddhist Temple as Cambodia’s official religion was announced on the whim of the reigning emporer. It is surrounded by a 5 km moat and a 3.6 km wall. 

The building design is kind of supernatural given the time period. Rocks of 50 tons and more were quarried 60 km away, floated to the site, lain in place and inscribed. The rocks were joined by coating the lower one with water and tree sap, then the top rock was moved back and forth many many times to form a grit that glued the rocks. In the pics you’ll notice many of  the seams are still pristine. Monsoon rains were channeled into the canals and stone berms kept the millions of  tons of gravel and soil from washing away or eroding from the weight of the structure. An AMAZING experience. 


In this instance the rate rate increased dramatically. A very steep climb and at the top step, the lady beside me slipped and lost her grip on the rail. I grabbed her close arm and a lady standing at the top grabbed the other. Thank goodness we all stabilized and made the last step. We three took a few minutes to calm.











Comments

  1. SEJanuary 17, 2024 at 8:31 PM

    An amazing architectural and engineering feat, even more so considering when it was constructed. A truly AWEsome building! No doubt the woman that stumbled was grateful you were right beside her to assist!

    ReplyDelete

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