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ANGKOR.....

Angkor quite simply, is the breathtaking legacy from a period referred to today as the Golden Age of Cambodia, and is one of the world’s finest testaments to the archaeological and artistic brilliance of an ancient civilization. Angkor contains well over 100 incredible temples, spread across a vast area of 312 square metres and incorporating a great number of archaeological sites and ruins. Given that most of these temples were built over 1000 years ago and over a period of 700 years, the sheer magnitude and stunning complexity and beauty of their aesthetic simply render these temples truly awe-inspiring to anyone who sets their eyes on them. Angkor was the name given over 1000 years ago to mean ‘Holy City’, and today it is still exactly that for the people of Cambodia, their prided holy city.

The first Angkorian era temple was built in 802 under Jayavarman II whose roots were from the previous Chenla civilization, and during his following 30 year reign Angkor became an ostentatious city with which this ambitious and successful king asserted his authority by creating what in those days would have been nothing short of a ‘megacity’, where Hinduism was adopted as its main religion. Jayavarman II defeated opponents, established trade, and created a rich agricultural network from which the city prospered. Following Jayavarman II’s death several kings shared power, and the most influential was Suryavarman II, under whom Angkor Wat was created and dedicated, in an about-turn from tradition, to the Hindu god Shiva.

There was no long term successor to Suryavarman until 1181 when Prince Jayavarman VII took the throne following the successful defense of Angkor against the invading Vietnamese Cham. This powerful leader built Angkor Thom, where his state temple, Bayon, was located. He started a huge program of construction and was the creator of not only Angkor Thom but also the vast temples of Preah Khan and Ta Prohm. He instated Mahayana Buddhism as the religion of the Kingdom. Following Jayavarman VII’s death around 1215, Angkor went into decline as wars with neighbouring Thai forces and internal struggles tore the Kingdom apart, and in 1431 it was lost entirely to Thai invaders from Ayutthaya.

For years, Angkor was left to the elements. The Khmers were well aware of its existence however, but in the 19^th century a French explorer, Henri Mouhot,‘re-discovered’ Angkor, and since then a succession of archaeologists, historians and restoration experts have both restored and brought the existence of Angkor to the world fore. Today it is visited by over 2 million people a year, and is still as magnificent today as it must have been 1000 years ago.

Although an entire compendium could easily be written about this stunning ancient city and the monuments which are found within, we’d prefer to leave that part to our guides who will give you all the history and anecdotes you need to enlighten you as to the story of Angkor, all told while exploring the great monuments firsthand. But in the meantime, we hope to whet your appetite with our Angkor Temples guide which includes all the main sites of Angkor.