angkorwat-tuktuk.com

Built during the Khmer empire from the 9th to the 14th century the temples of Angkor are scattered around 22 ha (54 acres) 6 km (3.7 miles) from the town of Siem Reap. Most of these temples are close to the Grand Circuit which is 22 km (13.5 miles) in length or the Minor Circuit, about half that length.

Charges to the temples are USD20 for one day, USD40 for three days and USD60 for seven days.
A passport photo is required for the three and seven day passes.

A tuk tuk gets you close to nature as you travel between temples on either of these routes. You can easily stop to check out the monkeys, especially those on the way to Bayon, inside Angkor Thom, but don’t get too close.

Though there are many temples, the best known are Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei.

 

Angkor Wat (pic, left) was constructed during the reign of Suryavaraman II (1112-1152) and, of all the temples, is the best known and most photographed. It has the greatest amount of restoration and is the largest religious building in the world, larger even than the Vatican. It occupies some 210 ha (500 acres) and is surrounded by a moat 200 m (660 feet) wide. The enclosing wall of Angkor Wat is 5.5 km (3.5 miles) in length

.

Bayon (pic, right), built during the time of Jayavaraman VII (1181-1220), is located within the walls of Angkor Thom, once the centre of a city with a population of about one million, at a time when London was nothing more than a large town. Bayon is famous for its 200 giant faces carved into 54 towers that survey the world in all directions. There are three levels and you can work your way up through a tangle of galleries to the top.

 

Ta Prohm (pic, right) was also constructed during the reign of Jayavaraman VII (1181-1220) and has been left intertwined with the jungle to give a sense of what it was like when found by European explorers. An aura of romance and mystery resides here among leaning walls and giant roots of kapok, fig and banyan trees. Constructed as a Buddhist monastery it accommodated around 12,000 people and one of its roles was to supply the 102 hospitals Jayavaraman had established across his empire.

 

Banteay Srei, (pic, right) built in the 10th century, is located some 32 km (20 miles) from Siem Reap and 45 minutes by tuk tuk. This drive allows you to savour the local rural life along the way and you will pass through the village of Phoum Pradak festooned with woven products for sale. This temple is unusual in that is was not constructed by a king but by a Brahman. It is known as the ‘citadel of women’ as it is thought to been carved by women. This is often given in explanation for the fine and intricate carvings in the pink sandstone.