The first few
irritable moments of waking were quickly replaced with excitement as we
stumbled into a taxi. The
usually lively streets were quiet except for others making the
same pre-dawn journey.
The uneven
surface of the bridge over Angkor Wat’s moat was the first challenge, especially
as a ticketing official had just shone a torch directly in our faces. We hadn’t
thought to bring a torch. As we ventured further into the enclosures of the
temple however, our eyes grew more accustomed to the darkness and we started to
walk more confidently.
Waiting for sunrise
The main path (again,
and not surprisingly, an uneven surface) leads from the west towards the centre
of the complex, which is built utterly symmetrically and makes Angkor Wat a
great example of architectural balance. We passed one of two libraries, left
the main entry path and crossed grass to meet a small crowd forming at the edge
of a pool of water in the pre-dawn darkness, at what was clearly the sunrise
viewing spot. Small local children swarmed offering postcard sets, Angkor
guidebooks, scarves and elephant trousers, at the best prices we saw locally.
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| Local children sell souvenirs at Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
We stood before South East Asia's most famous temple, transfixed and watched as the colours of
the sky grew lighter and evolved from indigo darkness through a deep purple
to a pinkish violet, silhouetting magically the sanctuary towers of Angkor Wat.
Our sunset was not the much-published confronting red that it might have been,
but it was still incredible.
Angkor Wat's remarkable transformation
About 200 photos
later (ah the beauty of digital photography!) we entered the inner three of the
temples four concentric enclosures. We were met by remarkably well-preserved
and enormous bas-relief standing 2 metres high and stretching along hundreds of
metres of wall.
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| Bas-relief inside Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
These bas-relief carvings depict great battles from Indian
mythology and are best understood when you remember Angkor Wat was built as a
Hindu temple in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II. It
was dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu but is so fascinating because it has since
undergone a remarkable transformation and today is one of the most significant
Buddhist temples in Cambodia. Glances at the bottom of pillars show carvings of
Hindu figures that have been adjusted to now represent Buddha.
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| Hindu priest turned Buddha carving, Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
Inside the second
enclosure we found ourselves in what felt like a grassed courtyard area that
surrounded the inner sanctuary, and most sacred part of the temple. The area
was peaceful despite all the visitors. We walked around to the eastern side of
the temple and exited the complex, looking back on the temple bathed in the
early morning sunshine.
The sacred Sanctuary Tower
We re-entered, climbed
another staircase and entered the inner centre of Angkor Wat. At this point we
took a seat to admire the stonework up-close as we had to wait for the inner
sanctuary to open to the public. Being an important centre of worship it is accessible only to worshippers very early in the morning. The area grew busy
with restless tourists and when declared open the crowd gathered and headed up
the steepest and most frightening staircase we had ever seen. At the top
everyone had rust-orange-coloured left palms from clinging tightly onto the
railing on their ascent.
At this height
amidst the surrounding and mostly flat landscape it felt like we had entered
another world, high above the one we knew. In a square formation corridors with dancing
apsaras carved into the walls led between courtyards open to the sky above.
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| Apsaras, Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
Where the structure used to be more open, walls have been built to provide
enclosed locations for statues of Buddha. This area is considered the most
sacred and it is important to dress appropriately to be respectful during your
visit.
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| Buddha inside Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
The alarming descent
Upon leaving the
inner sanctuary tower we had to face that staircase again, but this time
descend it. We put our cameras and any other lose items in our bags to have
both hands free just in case of incident and stepped carefully down praying
nobody above and behind us slipped.
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| Descending from the sacred Sanctuary Tower, Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
As we emerged we
came across a courtyard containing several Buddha and Naga figures carved from
stone. Some were complete, others missed limbs and some, rather tragically,
were missing their heads.
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| Buddha and Naga statues in Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
We retraced
our steps heading west out of the temple complex and were met by several groups
of orange-robed Buddhist monks arriving to visit the temple. At first we were
surprised at the number of them photographing the temple with cameras and even
iPhones, but were told some monasteries are not as strict about possessions as
they are thought to be.
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| Buddhist monks visit Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
It was magical to
visit Angkor Wat so early in the morning and witness sunrise over this
incredible temple. The timing also meant exploring was less hot and sticky than later in the day. Being a mountain
temple, Angkor Wat features many, many staircases as well as uneven surfaces
though. If you go for the sunrise I’d definitely recommend wearing reliable
shoes and taking a torch!
Have you visited
Angkor Wat? Which part of the complex did you enjoy most?
