Tourists visiting the Temple of Angkor Wat.By R Srividhya
Nov 17 2011
mydigitalfc.com
Despite vast expanses of nothingness and incessant rains, a road trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, from Bangkok, Thailand, is an experience worth cherishing
How poor or dirty can Cambodia really be? I asked myself, as I was scanning through various chat forums discussing Cambodia’s charms — particularly Angkor Wat’s — and perils. Invariably, the been-there-done-that travellers ended up saying what a dirty and poor place Cambodia is. I managed to convince my family that it couldn’t be worse than India! So off we went, one fine day.
I must admit that the warning, ‘You will be fleeced and pick-pocketed by the innocent faced children’ kept echoing for a while after we got there. But Cambodia is truly a nation of simple people, genuinely interested in improving tourism, which can be the only redeemer for a country ravaged by decades of invasion, genocide and civil war.
As our budget didn’t really stretch very far, we decided to take the road to Siem Reap — where you will find the famous Angkor Wat as well as other important Khmer temples — from Bangkok. Extremely popular among backpackers, this six-hour drive is probably one of the most discussed on online forums. We got all the information we needed with no problem at all.
On reaching the Thai border at Aranyaprathet and completing Thai emigration formalities, we had to walk a few yards by foot to Poipet, the Cambodian border. Poipet is an important gambling destination and even in the wee hours of the day we could see casinos buzzing with activity — even on the nearby roadside cafes, furtive-looking men and women were discussing strategies over coffee and cigarettes.
After completing the Cambodian immigration at Poipet we took a taxi, an old, dilapidated, Toyota Corolla, to Siem Reap, mumbling a silent prayer that the decrepit vehicle should take us to our destination safely. The three-hour drive to Siem Reap through vast expanses of nothingness and incessant rains also added to our apprehension.
Once at Siem Reap, we headed straight to the Angkor Wat. It was worth every second of our angst-ridden journey. Angkor Wat, the largest Hindu shrine and also the largest religious structure in the world, was truly a magnificent sight to behold. Suryavarman II, a Khmer-Hindu King built it in the early 12th century. The Khmer temples were originally dedicated to Hindu deities like Shiva or Vishnu but were later converted as Buddhist temples by subsequent rulers. As for Angkor Wat, going by the stone carvings on the inner walls of the temple, which depict scenes from Ramayana, we can safely conclude that it was originally dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The stunning architecture of the Angkor Wat is even more impressive from a hot air balloon (helicopter ride is also an option, if you can afford).
Our next stop was the Angkor Thom village, which used to be the capital of the Khmer empire. At centre of Angkor Thom is the famous Bayon temple, built by the King Jayavarman VII. Apparently, this is the first ever shrine dedicated to Buddha in that region. (But another local lore says that the deities inside the temple were actually modelled on King Jayavarman!) But for what its worth, the entrance to the Angkor Thom village, leading to the Bayon temple, is covered with stone carvings on both sides. And these carvings depict the story of asuras holding Vasuki, the serpent, to churn the mythological ocean of milk!
About 50 km from Siem Reap is Khmer temple called Banteay Srei, which pre-dates even Angkor Wat. Built in the 10th century AD, the Banteay Srei is built of red sandstone, unlike the other Khmer structures, and has more intricate and delicate carvings depicting various mythological incidences like the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana, the 10 avatars of Vishnu, the duel between Indra and Agni and Ravana’s penance at Mount Kailash.
Some of the consistent features in Khmer architecture, such as the lions, apsaras and the dwara palakas — or the doorkeepers — firmly establish the influences of the Chola and Nagara architecture seen in Tamil Nadu and Orissa, respectively.
I feel a trip to Cambodia is not complete without a visit to the landmine museum at Siem Reap. It stands witness to the scale of genocide, landmines, killings and destructions that happened in Cambodia during Pol Pot’s — the Khmer Rouge dictator — reign and the subsequent civil war that saw millions of innocent people die.
Set up by a former child soldier called Aki Ra, the landmine museum has a huge collection of defused bombs, landmines and unexploded grenades with markings of the countries of origin, predictably including the US. You cannot avoid the heaviness that settles on your heart as you step out of the museum — impossible as it seems, humans are capable of committing greatest evils possible against each other.
While mornings are perfect for jaunting around taking in a few temples at a time, the evenings in Cambodia are perfect for traditional Apsara dance performances or the famous fish pedicures and massages. If these still don’t excite you, you could always take a leisurely stroll to the old market, and breathe in the very essence of Cambodia. And get adventurous with pickled snake or scorpion-laced wine. zz
rsrividhya@mydigitalfc.com
Despite vast expanses of nothingness and incessant rains, a road trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, from Bangkok, Thailand, is an experience worth cherishing
How poor or dirty can Cambodia really be? I asked myself, as I was scanning through various chat forums discussing Cambodia’s charms — particularly Angkor Wat’s — and perils. Invariably, the been-there-done-that travellers ended up saying what a dirty and poor place Cambodia is. I managed to convince my family that it couldn’t be worse than India! So off we went, one fine day.
I must admit that the warning, ‘You will be fleeced and pick-pocketed by the innocent faced children’ kept echoing for a while after we got there. But Cambodia is truly a nation of simple people, genuinely interested in improving tourism, which can be the only redeemer for a country ravaged by decades of invasion, genocide and civil war.
As our budget didn’t really stretch very far, we decided to take the road to Siem Reap — where you will find the famous Angkor Wat as well as other important Khmer temples — from Bangkok. Extremely popular among backpackers, this six-hour drive is probably one of the most discussed on online forums. We got all the information we needed with no problem at all.
On reaching the Thai border at Aranyaprathet and completing Thai emigration formalities, we had to walk a few yards by foot to Poipet, the Cambodian border. Poipet is an important gambling destination and even in the wee hours of the day we could see casinos buzzing with activity — even on the nearby roadside cafes, furtive-looking men and women were discussing strategies over coffee and cigarettes.
After completing the Cambodian immigration at Poipet we took a taxi, an old, dilapidated, Toyota Corolla, to Siem Reap, mumbling a silent prayer that the decrepit vehicle should take us to our destination safely. The three-hour drive to Siem Reap through vast expanses of nothingness and incessant rains also added to our apprehension.
Once at Siem Reap, we headed straight to the Angkor Wat. It was worth every second of our angst-ridden journey. Angkor Wat, the largest Hindu shrine and also the largest religious structure in the world, was truly a magnificent sight to behold. Suryavarman II, a Khmer-Hindu King built it in the early 12th century. The Khmer temples were originally dedicated to Hindu deities like Shiva or Vishnu but were later converted as Buddhist temples by subsequent rulers. As for Angkor Wat, going by the stone carvings on the inner walls of the temple, which depict scenes from Ramayana, we can safely conclude that it was originally dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The stunning architecture of the Angkor Wat is even more impressive from a hot air balloon (helicopter ride is also an option, if you can afford).
Our next stop was the Angkor Thom village, which used to be the capital of the Khmer empire. At centre of Angkor Thom is the famous Bayon temple, built by the King Jayavarman VII. Apparently, this is the first ever shrine dedicated to Buddha in that region. (But another local lore says that the deities inside the temple were actually modelled on King Jayavarman!) But for what its worth, the entrance to the Angkor Thom village, leading to the Bayon temple, is covered with stone carvings on both sides. And these carvings depict the story of asuras holding Vasuki, the serpent, to churn the mythological ocean of milk!
About 50 km from Siem Reap is Khmer temple called Banteay Srei, which pre-dates even Angkor Wat. Built in the 10th century AD, the Banteay Srei is built of red sandstone, unlike the other Khmer structures, and has more intricate and delicate carvings depicting various mythological incidences like the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana, the 10 avatars of Vishnu, the duel between Indra and Agni and Ravana’s penance at Mount Kailash.
Some of the consistent features in Khmer architecture, such as the lions, apsaras and the dwara palakas — or the doorkeepers — firmly establish the influences of the Chola and Nagara architecture seen in Tamil Nadu and Orissa, respectively.
I feel a trip to Cambodia is not complete without a visit to the landmine museum at Siem Reap. It stands witness to the scale of genocide, landmines, killings and destructions that happened in Cambodia during Pol Pot’s — the Khmer Rouge dictator — reign and the subsequent civil war that saw millions of innocent people die.
Set up by a former child soldier called Aki Ra, the landmine museum has a huge collection of defused bombs, landmines and unexploded grenades with markings of the countries of origin, predictably including the US. You cannot avoid the heaviness that settles on your heart as you step out of the museum — impossible as it seems, humans are capable of committing greatest evils possible against each other.
While mornings are perfect for jaunting around taking in a few temples at a time, the evenings in Cambodia are perfect for traditional Apsara dance performances or the famous fish pedicures and massages. If these still don’t excite you, you could always take a leisurely stroll to the old market, and breathe in the very essence of Cambodia. And get adventurous with pickled snake or scorpion-laced wine. zz
rsrividhya@mydigitalfc.com
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