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Introduction about Angkor temples:
Angkor Wat and its satellite temples are the main reason why people visit Siem Reap and you will understand why once you have visited them. Angkor is one of mankind’s amazing achievements built from around 800 to 1200 AD by the Khmer Empire. Over 200 of the temples have been restored in some way to allow visitors to imagine what it must of been like living during that period of time. There are actually over 1,000 temple sites of Angkor, but most of them are now barely standing, if even standing at all.
Angkor Wat temple Angkor Wat was built in the early to mid 12th century. Suryavarman II constructed Angkor Wat into a huge temple like mountain with 5 huge towers, which can be seen from afar and was dedicated to the Hindu God and Vishnu. Angkor Wat is the main temple on most visitors' list and gets very crowded in early mornings and late afternoons.
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Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom was built in the late 12th to early 13th century during Jayavarman VII reign and it is a Buddhism temple. Angkor Thom is a 3 km square walled and moated royal city and was the last capital of the Angkorian empire. Angkor Thom has 5 entrances to it, with the south gate being very popular with the tourists before they head towards Bayon, which was the state temple of the city.
Angkor South Gate
The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. On the left side of the moat, 54 'devas' (guardian gods) pull the head of the snake 'Shesha' while on the right side 54 'asuras' (demon gods) pull the snake's tail in the opposite direction
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The Elephant Terrace
The Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King are situated in the heart of the Angkor Thom. They were the long platform on which the Royal Palace [no longer extant] was built. From this magnificent viewpoint the Angkorian kings watched military exercises and celebrations. Royal guests were also greeted at the terraces. The Elephant Terrace, is located at the southern end [nearest to the Bayon]. The Leper King Terrace contains several pristine carvings of Garuda as well as Devatas and nagas.
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Bayon temple The Bayon is perhaps the most enigmatic of the temples built during the reign of Jayavarman VII. It vies with Angkor Wat as the favorite monument among visitors. The Bayon post-dated Angkor Wat by about 100 years but it appears to have been built on the site of an earlier temple. The Bayon itself underwent a series of changes before evolving into its present form. What transfixes visitors are the vast stone heads which gaze from all directions, yet The Bayon also boasts bas-reliefs to rival those of Angkor Wat.
BaKong temple
Bakong was built in the late 9th century by Indravarman I and this was dedicated to the Hindu God. Bakong is part of the Roulos group and is the most impressive of the group and later Kings added extras to Bakong in the later centuries. Roulos Group is about 13km from Siem Reap heading south towards Phnom Penh.
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Ta Prohm temple
Ta Prohm was built in the mid 12th and early 13th century. Ta Prohm should be near the top of every visitor's list as it is a large complex with passages and open plazas and it is also the temple where many people want to get the photo with the trees growing out of the walls.
TaKeo temple
Ta Keo was built in the late 10th and early 11th century. Ta Keo is a plain towering temple which is well worth a visit if you have plenty of time, but there are very little carvings too see here.
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