Angkor Wat is absolutely worth visiting.
Yes, we have all seen pictures and heard about it a million times. Yes, you have seen many magnificent places and wonder if this one will offer something new. Yes, it is hot and uncomfortable in Angkor area, does not matter when you go. Yes, there are thousands of tourists.
Yet, when you come face to face with the largest religious monument in the world, it does take your breath away.
As an introduction, Angkor Wat is just one temple, amidst some eight hundred in the Angkor area. It is the largest and most magnificent among many that are large and small. In fact, Angkor Thom is bigger in size than Angkor Wat, but it contains many large structures within its walls, not one as is the case with Angkor Wat. Most of the famous temples are within an easy drive from Siem Reap, however some are a bit further away.
Khmer emperors built these temples and other associated structures (palaces, walls, moats, lakes) in the ninth to thirteenth century. The most prolific ones were Jayavarman II, Suryavarman I, Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII. They have Indian names because they were Hindus or Buddhists. These two great Indian religions that came over to this part of the world thanks to enterprising folks from South India and emperor Ashoka.
Reflecting the faith of the emperors, these temples are Hindu or Buddhist. In fact, some were Hindu, like Angkor Wat, which was a Vishnu temple built by Suryavarman II, but became Buddhist when a later monarch, Jayavarman VII, decided that Buddhism was his preferred religion. The name Angkor is a mangled version of Nagar (city), according to our guide, later confirmed by something we read in a museum. Wat is, of course, a Buddhist temple.
Some of these temples are enormous in size because they were meant to depict sacred mountains, such as Meru. You cannot have a pipsqueak temple and call it a mountain. Most of the artwork is bas-relief---carvings on a wall, however, there are self-standing statues as well.
As a person of Indian origin, I cannot but feel proud of witnessing how India has influenced its neighboring countries. Almost everything in Angkor has an Indian origin. Yes, there are some carvings depicting battles that the Khmer emperors fought with invaders, but a vast majority deals with Hindu deities, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Buddha. The rectangular outer gallery of Angkor Wat, which measures 187 meters x 215 meters is filled with bas-relief scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata, such as battle of Kurukshetra (from Mahabharata), battle of Lanka (from Ramayana), Judgment by Yama, churning of the ocean by devas and asuras, victory of Krishna over Bana (?), victory of Vishnu over demons, and a battle between devas and asuras.
As expected, the place is filled with tourists. However, two things help---first, it is a vast place so it takes many tourists before it feels crowded. Second, the authorities have done a great job in organizing the flow of tourists. For example, big buses are not allowed inside and have to be parked in designated places outside. Also, the entrance fee is high and there are card checkers at each entrance to make sure only those who have paid are allowed in.
You can buy one of three types of passes: One day ($36), any three-day within a week ($62), or any number of days in a week ($72). We bought three-day passes that were issued as cards with our pictures on them. In hindsight, we should have brought the weekly pass, because we went two times with a guide (well worth hiring one) and a visit to one far away temple counted as one more. So we ran out before we could visit the main temples one more time, on our own.
Most people come to see Angkor Wat during daytime and also at sunrise. That’s when you get those pictures with a reddish glow behind the temples. We could not believe how packed the place was at 6 am in the morning. Also, there is a fantastic museum in the town called Angkor National Museum. It is very well organized modern museum that puts what you see in perspective. We saw it after the visit, which I think was the prudent thing to do, otherwise it could prove to be overwhelming.
Angkor Wat. Truly a wonder to behold.
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