{"id":269,"date":"2014-09-22T04:55:49","date_gmt":"2014-09-22T04:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moarmani.com\/?p=269"},"modified":"2024-07-22T16:02:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T16:02:33","slug":"closer-look-at-the-mysterious-temples-of-cambodia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moarmani.com\/index.php\/2014\/09\/22\/closer-look-at-the-mysterious-temples-of-cambodia\/","title":{"rendered":"Closer Look at the Mysterious Temples of Cambodia"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
I had one main mission in Cambodia \u2013 the temples. These relics from a long gone era are the stuff of legend and in my mind I had built them up into a tourist force to be reckoned with. And for the most part, I wasn\u2019t disappointed. From the hectic Angkor Wat to more relaxed temples far off the beaten path, here\u2019s a look at some of the many beautiful Khmer temples I explored around Siem Reap, Cambodia.<\/p>\n
Quick Background<\/strong><\/p>\n It may not look it today, but Cambodia and huge swaths of Southeast Asia at one time was home to the largest pre-industrial urban center in the world \u2013 the Khmer Empire. Ruling for 700 years, until its fall in the 15th<\/sup> century, the power and wealth of this civilization cannot be understated. Today, we are still rediscovering the size and scale of this empire, with new revelations surfacing all the time. It\u2019s for this reason that Siem Reap and Cambodia in general is so popular with travelers, for the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what life used to be like for those industrious people.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Temples<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks to the size of the empire, there are a lot of temples and buildings all around Cambodia, but especially Siem Reap. Home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat, that\u2019s just the figurative tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding the life of the Khmer people. Days, probably weeks, could be spent exploring them all, but a few are amongst the most popular for those who can only spend a few days living out their Indian Jones dreams.<\/p>\n Angkor Wat<\/strong><\/p>\n The largest religious monument in the world (It\u2019s true, look it up) Angkor Wat started life in the 12th century first as a Hindu temple before shifting to a Buddhist one. Because of that, one sees not only at Angkor Wat but in other nearby temples a curious mingling of images and beliefs, coming together to live in aesthetic harmony.<\/p>\n Angkor Wat wasn\u2019t my favorite of the Cambodian temples; I found it too crowded and frankly not as interesting as some other, smaller temples in the area. But if you\u2019re in Siem Reap, you have to visit \u2013 not to do so would just be silly. So go at dawn with everyone else, take the photos and move on to some other more interesting sites.<\/p>\n