We were at the gates of Angkor Wat by 5:45am. It was still dark but quite crowded with tourists like us wanting to watch day break and the sun rise over the organic stupas of Angkor Wat. Even with flashlights, it was a bit precarious walking over a flexible plastic bridge to cross the moat, then through 11th century gatehouses and causeways with uneven surfaces. We positioned ourselves in front of the small lake to wait for dawn. There were already hundreds of tourists with cameras ready to catch the reflection of the temple in the lake at day break. The sky began to redden and lighten and despite the hordes of people, nature did not disappoint.
We were on the move before the actual sunrise which would not occur for another half hour because we planned to participate in a Buddhist blessing ceremony. There are two monasteries on the property of Angkor Wat – each training between 40-60 young men as monks. There are many types of Buddhism but Cambodians practice the ‘little’ form which is stricter – monks are not allowed to touch women, not even their mothers, they eat only two times daily and spend most of their time in prayer, reflection and doing blessings. We removed our shoes and entered a temple with a large golden Buddha, sitting on the floor either cross legged or in the twisted yoga position. Five young monks dressed in saffron colored robes entered the temple and knelt facing us. They began chanting a singsong rhythmic mantra and sprinkling us with holy water. Then we each approached them and held out our arm – left for women, right for men, so a monk could tie a bright red yarn around our wrist without actually touching us. This yarn is meant to be worn until it falls off and is intended to bring blessing and prosperity.
After the blessing, we walked toward the main complex of Angkor Wat with our guide to explore and learn about this amazing ‘temple within a city’. The red sun had risen and created a beautiful backdrop for the main temple building.
Angkor Wat, aptly meaning in Khmer, ‘the city which became a pagoda’ was not only the grandest of all Khmer temples, but a city in its own right. It was built during the reign of King Suryavarman II as a capital and temple to the Hindu God, Vishnu between 1113-1150 AD. The Angkor complex is huge covering over 400 square miles – the main temple itself covers nearly a square mile. The temple has three different levels – it is interesting to see the power of three in ancient religions (for example, the trinity in Christianity; the snake, puma & condor in Incan beliefs). On the main level of the temple are long galleries with bas reliefs carved in stone depicting stories from Hindu epics. Most of these are still in excellent condition although we did see some damage wrought by the Khmer Rouge during the 1970’s war.
The second level is known at the ‘cruciform cloister’ and connects the galleries of the first and second levels and provides access to the libraries – believed to be shrines rather than repositories of manuscripts.
The uppermost level of the temple has five towers, depicting the sacred Hindu mountain, Mt. Meru and an open gallery with beautiful columns connecting the towers. We were not able to climb to the main tower as it was closed.
On the way down, we got a beautiful view of the grounds with a Phileus Fogg hot air balloon in the distance. We exited the temple complex from the opposite gate from which we’d entered – the sun was overhead and turned the temple rocks from slate grey to brilliant gold.
We were warm and hungry from our early morning start and stopped at a restaurant with a lovely outdoor courtyard for breakfast. The fruit bar was not only delicious but beautifully arranged! Felt good to enjoy a relaxing brunch!
