Angkor Thom’s Southern Gate
After watching dawn rise over Angkor Wat, we continued on with Day Two of our independent temple tour to explore Angkor Thom (which translates to Great City). This city was the last capital of the Khmer Empire, and housed the residences of priests, officials of the palace and military, and the Kingdom’s administration buildings.
While Red relaxed in our tuk-tuk, I introduced myself to the many faces that lined the bridge approaching the Southern gate, which is the best preserved of the five that lead into the 12 km quadrangle of defensive walls surrounding Angkor Thom. The eastern side of the city wall has two gates, but the southern gate is the most impressive.
On each side of the bridge leading up to this gate are fifty-four stone figures performing a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean.
In the Churning of the Ocean myth, the snake’s body is wrapped around the central mountain (Mt. Meru), and as the Guardians pulled the snake in one direction and the Demons pushed in the other, the ocean began to churn the elements to milk the ocean to form the earth and the cosmos.
A Godly Tug of War
On the left side, a row of fifty-four Guardian Gods (Devas) pull the head of the snake.
Here’s some close ups of the best preserved Gods from this side.
On the right hand side fifty-four Demon Gods (Asuras) pull the snake’s tail in the opposite direction. This is one of my favorite images from Angkor Thom, I just love how striking this well preserved face is within this section of eroded demons.
Here’s some of the my favorite Demon Gods from this side.
I have to say that the Demon side was my favorite – although they’re a grumpy looking bunch. I was so taken with these Gods that I completely forgot to take a closer look at the southern gate itself, which I’ve since read is an ornate collection of faces looking in all directions and elephants with gods on their backs carrying lightening bolts.
The Northern Gate of Angkor Thom
So as a consolation, here’s the one image I took of the Northern Gate that we drove through on the first day of our Temple tour, which we did in reverse order to avoid the crowds.
The faces above the gate portrays Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and at the bottom are the three trunks of Airavata, the three-headed elephant that was the vehicle ridden by Indra. Devas and Asuras line the bridge leading to the north bridge, but they are no where near as preserved or as impressive as the ones leading to the southern gate.
Hindsight
If I had my time at Angkor Thom again, I’d spend more time taking in the majesty of these gates, but we were in a bit of a rush to see inside of the Great City that we rushed this aspect. This is one of the challenges with viewing the temples of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat, there’s just so much to see you’re not going to do every building, face, or statue justice by paying it the heed it deserves.
In Angkor Thom we visited:
- The Bayon
- The Baphuon and the Terrace of the Elephants
- But I missed out on the Phimeanakas Temple, the Terrace of the Leper King, Prah Palilay, Tep Pranam and Prasat Suor Prat.
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The many faces of Angkor Thom's impressive South Gate are worth getting up close and personal with. #SiemReap #Cambodia Share on X
Flashpacking through Cambodia
Flashpacking through Cambodia: For Baby Boomers on a Budget is my latest Roving Jay travel guide full of travel tips, advice, and sample itineraries for flash packers who want the back packing experience without foregoing some of life’s creature comforts – like a comfortable bed, a hot shower, free wi-fi, and somewhere to plug your electric toothbrush in.
I spent almost three months backpacking around Cambodia in 2017/2018 to research this travel guide, and I share insights and first hand knowledge of tourist traps and off-the-beaten-path discoveries. We ate street food, drank 50c beers, and travelled by train, bus, minivan and tuktuk to identify the best ways to get from A to B.
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Here’s my Cambodia posts on this blog:
- Cambodia Visa and Arrival at Siem Reap Airport
- Cambodia: How to Avoid the Crowds at Angkor Wat
- Filling up your scooter in Cambodia
- The Best Tasting Street Food in Siem Reap
- Angkor Wat at Dawn: Is it worth it?
- Come face to face with Angkor Thom’s Bayon
- Good vs. Evil at Angkor Thom’s Impressive Southern Gate
- The Baphuon Temple and the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom
- Visiting Siem Reap’s War Museum
- Where to Stay in Siem Reap
- Visiting Siem Reap’s Markets
- Give your taste buds a disco at Siem Reap Night Market
- Responsible Tourism at Joe to Go in Siem Reap
- What to See and Do in Siem Reap
- Which Siem Reap Floating Village should you visit?
- Memorable Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang
- Libations and Bric-a-Brac tempt our purse strings in Battambang
- Vegetable Amok at About the World Restaurant in Battambang
- Cooking Classes at Nary’s Kitchen Battambang
- Pomme Bar, Restaurant and Hostel, at the Core of the new Battambang
- An educational trip around Battambang’s Central Market
- Sightseeing and things to do in Battambang Cambodia
- Bayon VIP Bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh Cambodia
- Exploring Phnom Penh’s 172nd Street in the dark
- The challenge of wandering Phnom Penh’s streets
- A visit to Phnom Penh’s Central Market
- Exploring Phnom Penh’s Markets
- Phnom Penh Photo Diary
- Tops sights to see in Phnom Penh
- Touring S-21 Security Prison (Tuol Sleng Museum Phnom Penh)
- A reflective visit to The Killing Fields
- Taking a train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
- The majesty of Otres Beach sunsets
- Our Workaway Gig at Otres Beach Market Cambodia
- Working Away to make Cambodian Bagels
- Cambodia Pastry Wars: The Battle of the Quiche
- Our Cambodia workaway gig renovating a market stall
- Unwind on Cambodia’s Koh Ta Kiev Island
- Cambodian Beach Massage and Grilled Seafood
- Building Community during our Cambodian Workaway
- Gecko Village in Kampot Cambodia – a Photo Essay
- Christmas Eve in Kampot
- more coming
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