Tag: Angkor Wat

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Photography Travels

[2616] Reward and punishment in the afterlife, at Angkor Wat

A friend of mine will be spending a number of days in Cambodia later this month. Upon learning her travel plans, I began to reminisced my long hot lazy Cambodian days. I began to imagine going through the temple ruins all over again, and the walks I walked, the rides I rode, the conversations I engaged in, the drinks I drank, even the diarrhea I suffered.

So at the end of my work day, I drove home and the first thing I did was to switch on my laptop and went through my Cambodia album all over again. Sigh…

You know this entry will be about Cambodia.

Angkor Wat has a number of impressive bass reliefs along its outer corridors. The famous one is the Churning of the Milky Ocean. The myth of the Churning of the Milky Ocean is an important narrative in Hinduism. I also learned a lot of Hindu mythology from Angkor Wat and its reliefs.

Below is a bas relief telling the story of reward and punishment in the afterlife from Hindu perspective.

Some rights reserved. Creative Commons 3.0. Hafiz Noor Shams

There are some graphic representations of hell but this particular section of the relief is about the righteous being brought to judgment, if I remember correctly. This is also another significance to the relief: Angkor Wat was built in the honor of death unlike other temples. The king—Suryavarman—ordered the construction of the temple to prepare for his death.

Some parts of the relief appear polished. It is only so because visitors have the habit of touching the relief with their hands.

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History & heritage Photography Travels

[2590] False door at Angkor Wat

Here is a typical pattern used on a typical richly ornate false door. Given how various temples were built sometimes a century apart, I found the commonness as mildly surprising. It suggests innovation was really slow.

Some rights reserved. Creative Commons 3.0. By Attribution. By Hafiz Noor Shams

But it is pretty nonetheless.

This is at Angkor Wat.

I am unsure of its functions but my readings tell me that an actual door typically face east and the other false doors face the other three cardinal directions.

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Photography Travels

[2586] Angkor Wat from across the pond

Some rights reserved. Creative Commons 3.0. By Attribution. By Hafiz Noor Shams

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History & heritage Photography Travels

[2582] Angkor Wat from afar

Cambodia was great, if I had not mentioned that earlier. My traveling partner said she felt like Indiana Jones and indeed, it did feel as such, especially when we were visiting those temples which were partially consumed by the jungle. I felt a sense of adventure that I had not felt for a long time.

I also appreciated Cambodia because I learned a number of things while I was in Siem Reap exploring temple ruins. I learned more about Hindu mythology while I was there then I ever had before. I also learned that Angkor Wat was a Hindu temple, along with some of its peculiarities. I was also excited because I did recognize some of the names associated with the builders of these temples.

Here is Angkor Wat, shot from afar from another temple ruins named Phnom Bakheng.

Some rights reserved. Creative Commons 3.0. By Attribution. By Hafiz Noor Shams

You can see some unnatural green from the photograph. Those are typical construction covers, put on by a conservation team. Cambodia is too poor to conserve its temple ruins and so, various conservation teams from all around the world are there to do what they do best.

You can also see a vignette effect in the photograph, where the edge is darker than the center. I used a long-range lens and it was working at its upper limit. Nevertheless, I thought it made the photograph looks quaint and charming. To me at least.

Categories
History & heritage Photography Travels

[2581] An apsara at Angkor Wat

I had a dream about Cambodia today and when I realized it was a dream as I woke up, I found myself lingering in bed, refusing to get up. That took half a day.

Some rights reserved. Creative Commons 3.0. By Attribution. By Hafiz Noor Shams

This is an apsara, which is an equivalent of an angel but not quite. Wikipedia translates it as a nymph. It comes from Hindu mythology of the Churning of the Milky Ocean. As the myth goes, the gods and the demons agreed to churn the Ocean of Milk to obtain something that is called amrita, which gives eternal life to its drinker. During the process of churning, a number of things are produced and one of them are the apsaras.

The asparas adorn Angkor Wat and many other temple ruins. The way the Angkor Wat is designed is supposed to replicate Hindu cosmology. The moat, the gallery, the towers are all mean to represent the seas, the mountains and the home of the gods. Demons, gods, apsaras and other being are represented at the appropriate places within Angkor Wat.