Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world. The temple, once Hindu but now Buddhist, is but one part of the visit to the Angkor Wat grounds, just outside the city of Siem Reap.

The grounds are a truly magical place to visit. Ponds of lotus blossoms reflect the stone towers of Angkor Wat, each of which is carved with a myriad of faces looking in all directions. Jungle spreads out in each direction, and the paths through this complex, dotted with fruit-sellers and curious monkeys, lead to other hidden temples. Trees famously wrap their vines and wind their trunks around the walls and doorways of the temples in the grounds of Angkor Thom.

The grounds of Angkor Wat, which cover a few miles of walkable area, were designed when the temple was built in the 12th century. Enclosed by a large moat and a stone wall, the Angkor Wat complex feels sacred. Entering this ancient wonder is like stepping back in time. The temple itself is so spectacular, and has become such a long-standing symbol of the beauty of Cambodia, that its image even adorns the Cambodian flag.

Angkor escaped much damage during the Cambodian Civil War in the 1970s, but did suffer some damage during the Vietnamese occupation of the 1980s. Some of the faces have been chiseled off the temples to be sold as relics.

Still, the temples remain in impressive shape and give a feeling for what the ancient walled city of Angkor Thom must have felt like in centuries past. Today, Angkor Thom and the temples therein are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It continues to gain renown for its beauty, and most recently attracted attention when Ta Prohm temple was used as the hauntingly beautiful setting for the Angelina Jolie film “Laura Croft: Tomb Raider”.