Google maps: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
I could not really make up my mind about Angkor Wat. I must say the expectations were high after so much hype. Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world is just one of many temples and monuments, all once located in the middle of the city with one million inhabitants and the capital of mighty Khmer Empire.
It is a must-see, it is impressive, almost intimidating by its size, symmetry, precision of the decoration, but for me it is not beautiful. It seems empty, misses history around it, too big for the jungle it inhabits nowadays. It needs the magic of sunrise or sunset to really come to life, or the energy of invading surrounding jungle to become moving and vivid. This is maybe the fault of the Khmer rulers that built the temples in 12th century but more as a proof of their own power rather than out of devotion to their Gods. And many Gods there were, Hindu Vishna or Shiva, Theravada or Mahayana Buddha. The religion did not matter, what counted was the might of the living God-king. And as such it was temporary and short lived. The Empire fell to the Thais, the city was abandoned probably after the collapse of the life-giving irrigation system.
Now Angkor Wat is just a proof of former glory and the city's grandeur. Unlike European cities built around mediaeval cathedrals, the city around it is gone. The stones remained magnificent, but the jungle, dust and empty space made the majestic spirit of the place barely imaginable...
I could not really make up my mind about Angkor Wat. I must say the expectations were high after so much hype. Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world is just one of many temples and monuments, all once located in the middle of the city with one million inhabitants and the capital of mighty Khmer Empire.
It is a must-see, it is impressive, almost intimidating by its size, symmetry, precision of the decoration, but for me it is not beautiful. It seems empty, misses history around it, too big for the jungle it inhabits nowadays. It needs the magic of sunrise or sunset to really come to life, or the energy of invading surrounding jungle to become moving and vivid. This is maybe the fault of the Khmer rulers that built the temples in 12th century but more as a proof of their own power rather than out of devotion to their Gods. And many Gods there were, Hindu Vishna or Shiva, Theravada or Mahayana Buddha. The religion did not matter, what counted was the might of the living God-king. And as such it was temporary and short lived. The Empire fell to the Thais, the city was abandoned probably after the collapse of the life-giving irrigation system.
Now Angkor Wat is just a proof of former glory and the city's grandeur. Unlike European cities built around mediaeval cathedrals, the city around it is gone. The stones remained magnificent, but the jungle, dust and empty space made the majestic spirit of the place barely imaginable...
No to jestem zawiedziona ;-)Mi Angkor podobal sie super bardzo wlasnie dlatego, ze to takie troche zapomniane miejsce ... w koncu takie jest ... znalezione niedawno. Bylam pod wrazeniem potegi, kiedy w Londynie mieszkala jakies 50 tys. ludzi, w Angkor ponad 1 mln, a w koncu niby Europa byla taka ucywilizowana. No nic, moze przy okazji podyskutujemy :-) Pozdrowienia, Asia
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