Angkor Wat

Early-Mid 12th  century C.E
Religion: Buddhism
King: Suryavarman II

Angkor wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from grown level.
Angkor wat is the centerpiece of any visit to the temple of Angkor.
At the apex of Khmer political and military dominance in the region, Suryavarman ll constructed Angkor wat in the form of massive “temple-mountain” dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. It as served his state temple, though the temple’s uncommon westward orientation has let some to suggest that it was constructed as suryavarman ll’s funerary temple. Other temples of the same style and period include Thommanon, Banteay Samre, Wat Atwea and Beng Me lea, which may have served as a prototype to Angkor Wat. 

Bayon

Late 12th C.E
Religion: Buddhist
King: Jayavarman VII

If you see only two temples, Angkor Wat and Bayon should be the ones. The giant stone faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to classical Khmer art and architecture. There are 37 standing towers, most but not all sporting four carved faces oriented toward the cardinal points. Who the faces represent is a matter of debate but they may be Loksvara. Mahayana Buddhism’s compassionate Bodhisattva, or perhaps a combination of Buddha and Yayavarman VII. Bayon was Jayavarman’s state temple and in many ways represents the pinnacle of this massive building campaign. It appears to be, and is to some degree, an architectural muddle, in part because it was constructed in a somewhat piecemeal fashion for over a century.

Ta Prohm

Mid 12th century C.E
Religion: Buddhist
King: Jayavarman VII

Of similar design to the later Jayavarman VII temple of Preah Khan and Banteay Kdei, this sprawling monastic complex is only partially cleared of jungle overgrowth. Intentionally left partially unrestored , massive fig and salk-cotton trees grow from the towers and corridors offering a ‘jungle atmosphere’ and some of the best ‘tree-in –temple’ photo opportunities at Angkor. Unfortunately, massive numbers of visitors and the recent installation of wooden walkways are detracting some from the ‘jungle atmosphere’ Ta Prohm is still well worth an extended exploration of its dark corridors and open plazas. This temple was one of Jayavarman VII’s first major temple projects. Ta Prohm was dedicating to his mother.

Preah khan

Late 12th century C.E.
Religion: Buddhist
King: Jayavarman Vll

Preah Khan is a huge, highly exportable monastic complex. Full for carvings, passages and photo opportunities. It originally served as a Buddhist monastery and school, engaging over 1000 monks. For a short period it was also the residence of King JayavarmanVll during the remonstration of his permanent home in Angkor Thom. Preah Khan means ‘sacred sword.’ In harmony with the architecturally similar Ta Prohm ,which was dedicated to Jayavarman Vll’s mother, Preah Khan is dedicated to his father. Features of note: like most of Jayavarman Vll’s monuments, the Buddha images were vandalized in the later Hindu resurgence

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