Beyond Angkor Wat: The forgotten temples of Cambodia's Banteay Chhmar
Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 12:47 pm
26 October 2017
(CNN) — If you've heard of one Cambodian temple, it's probably Angkor Wat -- an awe-inspiring yet well-trodden UNESCO World Heritage Site in Siem Reap. But many travelers don't realize the Seventh Wonder of the World is one of thousands of ancient Khmer temples dotting the Cambodian countryside.
Hidden beneath a canopy of trees in the northwestern jungles of Cambodia lies a lesser known beauty: Banteay Chhmar, which roughly translates to "Citadel of Cats."
Brought to life in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII, one of the Khmer Empire's greatest rulers, this little-understood temple was left uninhabited for nearly 800 years...
A transcendental experience
Considered one of the most important Khmer temple complexes in its heyday, Banteay Chhmar was built to honor King Jayavarman VII's son Suryakumara and four army commanders.
Amid jungle foliage and broken rocks, the eight-temple complex features stone-faced towers graced with enigmatic smiles -- thought to depict Jayavarman or Buddhist deities -- and intricate bas-reliefs recounting tales of religion and war.
Simon Warrack, a stone conservator who has studied Cambodian temples for more than 20 years, estimates that hundreds of meters of inscribed walls have collapsed over time, leaving behind a mysterious jigsaw puzzle for historians and archeologists.
In terms of atmosphere, Warrack likens Banteay Chhmar to the famed temples of Angkor Wat in the 1990s, when tourism was still in its infancy...
http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/c ... index.html
(CNN) — If you've heard of one Cambodian temple, it's probably Angkor Wat -- an awe-inspiring yet well-trodden UNESCO World Heritage Site in Siem Reap. But many travelers don't realize the Seventh Wonder of the World is one of thousands of ancient Khmer temples dotting the Cambodian countryside.
Hidden beneath a canopy of trees in the northwestern jungles of Cambodia lies a lesser known beauty: Banteay Chhmar, which roughly translates to "Citadel of Cats."
Brought to life in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII, one of the Khmer Empire's greatest rulers, this little-understood temple was left uninhabited for nearly 800 years...
A transcendental experience
Considered one of the most important Khmer temple complexes in its heyday, Banteay Chhmar was built to honor King Jayavarman VII's son Suryakumara and four army commanders.
Amid jungle foliage and broken rocks, the eight-temple complex features stone-faced towers graced with enigmatic smiles -- thought to depict Jayavarman or Buddhist deities -- and intricate bas-reliefs recounting tales of religion and war.
Simon Warrack, a stone conservator who has studied Cambodian temples for more than 20 years, estimates that hundreds of meters of inscribed walls have collapsed over time, leaving behind a mysterious jigsaw puzzle for historians and archeologists.
In terms of atmosphere, Warrack likens Banteay Chhmar to the famed temples of Angkor Wat in the 1990s, when tourism was still in its infancy...
http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/c ... index.html
