Nov 29- Angkor Wat, Cambodia. East Mebon and Neak Pean
Sunset visit to Angkor complex located in the beautiful jungle near Siem Reap, a tourist boom town. It was unbelievable to encounter kilometers filled with beautifully sculpted stone temples, monasteries, hospitals, etc. The immensity of the area and the exquisite detailed work thrilled me. They were built between the 9th and 14th centuries, when the Khmer were at the height of extreme creativity in Southeast Asia. At this time, the Khmer were followers of Hinduism, thus the temples reflect their Hindu universe.
The Angkor Wat Temple is the most accessible and impressive and the vista that is known the world over with its extensive decorative reliefs, stone carving, and bas relief.
Exiting our tuk tuk we crossed an extensive moat by means of a long stone causeway, passing through outer and inner doors and finally into the courtyard of the massive central towers, known throughout the world. They are dedicated to Vishnu of Hinduism and the site is thought to be a funerary location for the builder and King Suryavarman II (1112-52).
On the four outer walls are murals of fine and deep bas relief that relate stories of great battles, religious themes, and scenes from daily life. One scene portrayed the struggle of the devil and the gods called The Churning of the Ocean of Milk. The work is done in sandstone, but appears to be black marble because of the many hands that have passed over it. It depicts a Hindu epic of the struggle of the devils (asuras) and the gods (devas) who are churning the waters trying to make a mixture for immortality. Many of the Hindu deities are depicted, Brahma, Shiva, Hanuman, and Lahkshmi.
East Mebon, a smaller temple nearby is three tiered and characterized by elephant sculptures at the four corners of its first platform. was formerly surrounded with a huge reservoir and was considered to be under the protection of Ganga, the goddess of India's holy river. It was built in the early 10th century. Of special interest is a bas relief covered with circular holes which were made for binding the stucco to the bricks.
Neak Pean is a small monument made up of a cruciform of ponds with a Sanctuary tower on a circular island in the center. Built by Jayavarman VII. Its stele gives its name as " the fortune of the kingdom".
It is of interest for the hydraulic engineering in the service of Buddhist symbolism. The Khmer were advanced in their water distribution system.
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