Angkor Wat – Gopura

Angkor Wat has four gopura (entry gates) each located at cardinal points while only the west and east gates have causeways crossing the moat. The western entrance is the main and grandest entrance of all. See here for the complete guide to Angkor Wat, and here we’ll continue on with the moat and outer gopura … Read more

Angkor Wat – Inscriptions

Here we’ll introduce the many inscriptions at Angkor Wat, and, where to see them. Angkor Wat features a large array of fascinating and often hidden inscriptions that were, surprisingly to some, left mostly during the later eras and in the post-Angkor era. Some of the inscriptions are left by royalty who returned to Angkor around … Read more

Angkor Wat – Preah Poan (Hall of a Thousand Buddhas)

Located on the second level of Angkor Wat, Preah Poan (cruciform gallery) is a sacred and significant place within the massive ancient temple. You can also see it noted as Brah Ban, Prah Pan, Preah Pean, or more commonly the English translation being Hall of a Thousand Buddhas. Here we will cover just that cruciform … Read more

Angkor Wat – The Bakan

The penultimate feature of the great temple of Angkor Wat, the third level, or Bakan, is the enormous thirty-meter high substructure that supports the amazing quincunx of towers. It rises 30 meters with sloping sides featuring narrow stepped staircases at each corner and a central staircase on its western side. Today you can reach the … Read more

Angkor Wat – The Bas-Relief Galleries

Here we will cover each of the bas-relief scenes in the outer gallery of Angkor Wat, where they are located, a brief guide to the interpretation, and several curiosities that shouldn’t be missed. Undoubtedly, one of the most celebrated features of Angkor Wat is the incredible bas-relief friezes that line the inner walls of the … Read more

Terrace

A small “Buddhist Terrace” currently unrestored and constructed of brick and laterite, and surrounded by double sema stones. It appears to be around 20 m long with the demarcated area a little larger, while the central “shrine” is only a meter or so square and a meter and a half tall albeit in a state … Read more

Terrace

A small “Buddhist Terrace” that has been recently reconstructed featuring a modern Buddha statue. Surrounded by the double sema stones of the original site. Gallery

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