Angkor Wat Adventures Day 3

Ahh, the last installment of Angkor Wat.  Finally right?

On day three mom and I were still pretty psyched.  We had been so inspired by the previous two days and our time so far in Siem Reap.  We had been having an amazing time and besides having terrible luck finding some shadow puppet dinner theater, there was little we could complain about. 

For the third day of ruins we ventured to some of the further away spots of Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean aka The River of 1000 Lingas.  The trip to Banteay Srei takes about 45 minutes to an hour by tuk tuk.  This drive is one very memorable trip.  When Peter and I ventured out to Banteay Srei I was so taken by the beautiful countryside and seeing local people living their regular lives.  On this trip with mom it was no different.  It was just as breathtaking.  No photograph can really capture the feelings of that drive.  Honestly they wouldn't come out well, but I like to think that those emotions and reflections will be with me in my heart and 'mental camera' for the rest of my life.

Banteay Srei is known as the 'Citadel of Women' or 'Citadel of Beauty' for a handful of reasons.  One, because of its bas relief carvings which are very intricate, deeper than other Angkor temples, two because of the smaller size of some of the buildings, and three because of the devatas, or female deities that are carved into almost all of the buildings, and four because of the nature of the stone.  Banteay Srei was carved from red sandstone which is unique in comparison to other Angkor temples that are constructed with regular sandstone.  Banteay Srei's architectural elements also add to its value and beauty.  The lintels and pediments are more adorned and decorative than at other temples.  The lintel is the horizontal beam between to posts or pillars and are either structurally important, or decorative.  The pediment is the triangular space above the doorway or opening.  They are very decorative, and at Banteay Srei they often seem quite large by comparison to the opening which gives a very dramatic effect.  In the pediments of Banteay Srei not only images of Vishnu and Shiva appear, but mythological scenes as well.

How much candy you got?

Causeway to Banteay Srei

Pillar details

 

Lintel details- Apsara dancers

Sanskrit

Decorative pediment

Pediment detail- Elephants, Shiva and almost certain that's Garuda. 

Garuda

Hanuman-Rama's partner in crime in the Hindu epic The Ramayana.  Hanuman helps rescue Rama's wife Sita after she's been capture by the evil lord of Lanka, Ravana.

So sunny there! Not a lot of shade. Hence the neck cooler and umbrella.

Kbal Spean very much unlike any of the other temple ruins we visited.  It's about 30 minutes in the opposite direction of Siem Reap past Banteay Srei.  These ruins were carved into a riverbed and during a heavy rainy season, most of the carvings aren't visible.  It's a bit of a hike to reach the river but the views and friendly interactions with the Cambodian visitors made it worth.  Hiking through the jungle to reach the carvings was its own little adventure.  

Kbal Spean is also known as "The River of 1000 Lingas" or "The Valley of 1000 Lingas".  A linga is the highly revered male symbol ever-present in all Angkor temples.  While this is quite an noticeable theme in the carvings, there are also other noteworthy carvings.  Images of Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Rama, Lakshmi and Hanuman appear, as well as other animals like cows and frogs. The sculptures and inscriptions carved into the riverbed and banks of the river depict mythological Hindu scenes and symbols.  The common theme is creation with images of the Lord Vishnu reclining on a serpent in the Sea of Milk in meditation, a flower blossoming from Vishnu's navel to bear Brahma, the Creator.  Images of Lord Shiva the Destroyer and his consort Uma are also present.  The images of the Sea of Milk are some of the most significant in Angkor bas reliefs.  At the temple of Angkor Wat, the four outer galleries are devoted to bas reliefs of Hindu tales.  One wall is devoted to this scene of the Churning of the Sea of Milk.  It's a very interesting story worth checking out.

The layout and geography of the carvings also adds to appeal of the visit.  There is a natural sandstone bridge that separates the two main sections of the carvings.  Above the bridge lie nearly all of the 1000 lingas, as well as the image of Vishnu reclining on the serpent and some of the animals.  As you walk down towards the river below the natural bridge, carvings are noticeable along the sandstone walls surrounding the river.  

We were a little confused about where some of the other carvings were after viewing the ones above the bridge, and luckily we ran into a park guide who showed us where to go and gave us a bit of a tour.  We were grateful for this  because we would not have found some of the spectacular carvings that simply seem to float out of the shallow water (we were there during the dry season, so we got to see mostly all of the remaining carvings).  We were happy to pay him for his guidance.  

I especially liked this ruin visit because it allowed us to take a little hike which I always enjoy, and the river is largely shaded, making viewing the scenes more comfortable.  There were also lots of locals enjoying the shade having picnics and playing card games.  We met some friendly foreigners and explored a bit together.  

Here are some of the sights and scenes!

Hiking through the jungle.

Gnarly tree roots

Folks making their way down from the Land of 1000 Lingas

So happy to be doing some hiking!

Jungle overlook

Carvings in the riverbed

Tiny pineapple!

Locals enjoying the shade and holiday time (Khmer New Year week long celebration)

Lotus flower, Lord Vishnu, Brahma the Creator

This might be strange, but sometimes this circle surrounded by the square image reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright designs.  It's a male and female symbol.

Vishnu meditating on a serpent

Male and female symbols

 Lingas

Carving along the walk towards the river section below the natural bridge.  I would have missed this one had the park guide not pointed it out.  I'm not quite sure of the characters depicted here- at least one is probably Shiva.

So as you might be able to tell, some of the carvings simply seem to appear out of nowhere.  I would have missed many of them had the park guide not pointed them out to us.  I really like this ruin because I hadn't been there before, and it was a great way to end the three days of ruin touring with Mom.  It was a dream actualized for her, and I'm so glad we got to share this time together. 

All those experiences of going to the Field Museum in Chicago, battlefields, ruins in Mexico, and the countless other cultural vacations throughout the Matranga family history, this one was quite special.  I'm so grateful to Mom and Dad for raising us to explore, question and adventure into our world with wide eyes to take it all in.  Whether it was in a museum or really out there, outside- we wanted to soak up everything available.  The world is a large place with so much to see and discover.  I'm so lucky I got to discover Angkor a second time in this year-plus time of adventures.


On the way home we took in the sites of the countryside once again, and relaxed in the tuk tuk with the cool breeze on our cheeks and bodies.  We saw Cambodians celebrating the new year's festivities, children running around chasing old motorcycle tires, hopping from huge rock piles into dusty clearings, women preparing food, and men fixing some appliance or vehicle.  We saw lush green trees and striking mountains with outcroppings of stone.  Once again it is these feelings and memories of this journey that I will carry with me for many years to come.