Angkor Thom
This temple was built by King Jayavaram VII. Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. There are other temples within Angkor Thom, but this was the center. All the faces you will see on the towers are of him. It was said to be a merger of Lord Buddha and King Jayavaram. This king was extremely dedicated to his subjects. Within the cities, he built hospitals and housing for those subjects. He was a dedicated Buddhist and military leader, and he was devoted to his family and subjects.
Following are a few pictures from Angkor Thom:
The street we are on, in front of the gate of the city, represents the Churning of the Sea of Milk. The figures on side of the street that Liz and I are on are of the Gods. On the other side of the street are the demons.
This is the entrance to the temple, inside the city gate.
As with Angkor Wat, the temple walls are filled with carvings that tell stories. In this one, King Jayavaram is leading his soldiers to battle with his most despised enemy: the Cham (Vietnamese). The king was victorious.
The inside part of the temple was being renovated. This is the center of the temple.
A deity of Lord Buddha. In the temple, there were several places where deities were still being worshipped.
Liz and I on one of the many levels of the temple. The face in the background is the same face that is carved into all the towers around the temple.
Another deity in the middle of the walkway.
Ta Phrom
Ta Phrom was another temple we visited. This temple also was built by King Jayavaram VII and dedicated to his mother. Today, the temple is best known for being associated with the Lara Croft Tomb Raiders movie series. Parts of the movie "Troy" were also filmed here. The temple was left untouched by the French when they rediscovered it. Today, workers are carefully trying to restore it to its original form.
One of the entrances.
You can see a subtle difference between these two carvings. I didn't notice it at the time, but I now wonder if the far carving is of his mother?
The entire temple had this type of growth all over and under it.
As with the other temple, there were magnificent carvings on all the temple walls.
This is the famous entrance/exit from the Lara Croft movies.
There is a treasure behind this tree. Can you see the face of the Buddha?
Tomb raiders.
One of the courtyards.
Next week: Suffering
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