Alex Teuscher explores the Ancient Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia is having its moment as it is hailed as the world's largest religious monument the best sight in the globe. This made photographer Alex Teuscher to take interest to visit and photograph the ancient temples found in the Angkor region of the country.
Photographer of AST Photo Design, recently traveled to Cambodia for work, and while travelling, he took time to visit and photograph the ancient temples. According to PetaPixel, there are over 1,000 temples in the Angkor area, from small ruins of some of the largest temple structures in the world.
These days, over 2 million people visit the ruins each year. Angkor is therefore a major site exemplifying cultural, religious and symbolic values, as well as containing high architectural, archaeological and artistic significance, as reported by World Heritage Center by UNESCO.
The Angkor Wat main tower of the central temple represents the mountain Meru, the center of the Hindu and Buddhist universe. When touring Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples and religious monuments, it's also possible to visit nearby Siem Reap, a small colonial town just north of Southeast Asia's largest lake, Tonle Sap. If a guest wants to stay a day or 2 in the Angkor's spiritual sanctity, Siem Reap has many hotels offering reasonable prices found in Angkor Hotels official website.
A temple called Banteay Srei, or the Temple of Women, has been called a jewel of Khmer art. Its great reliefs show many mythological Hindu occasions. These include the duel between the monkey princes, Bali and Sugreeva, Narasimha's slaying of the demon Hiranyakasipu, and the burning of Khandava Forest.
Preah Khan is another of King Jayavarman's creations. An inscription on the temple suggests that the king built it as he defeated invaders from Champa. The successive rectangular galleries surrounding the Buddhist sanctuary have largely been left untouched.
Another is the Khmer monarch. The completion of the construction of this royal monastery in the 12th century is dedicated both to his mother and the goddess of wisdom, Prajnaparamita. The central stone pillar, called a foundational stele, chronicles the dedication and insists on successors to protect the sacred site.
Another of Angkor's sacred temple sites is Bayon. It is a walled capital city known especially for its jungle of face towers. These towers bear the massive stone carvings depicting the face of the king and a message of spiritual worship.
In order to explore these sacred Cambodian sites, it's possible to book a temple tour. History and spirituality combine in this ancient land where mythology and religion share the same stone face, and cultural customs wait to be discovered at every turn.
Today, these temples are constantly attracting tourists from all over the world. With the growing number of tourists visiting temples, the modern Siem Reap hotels, luxury resorts, and boutique hotels with world-class spa facilities are also allegedly increasing their revenues. At the same time, Siem Reap is trying to retain its traditions, as well as the beauty of these revered temples.
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