The best time of the day for Temple Hopping in Siem Reap, Cambodia

I didn't imagine myself visiting four temples in a day, in three alternate days, but yes I did it in Siem Reap with lots of curiosity and bewilderment. Believe it or not, if not for my tired and aching feet, I would have visited even more temples.

Cambodia is very rich in history dating way back to 802 AD. It was the most powerful state in South East Asia before and during the first millennia. There are estimated 50 Hindu and Buddhist temples in Siem Reap, this makes Siem Reap the tourist hub in Cambodia.

December to April are considered peak seasons in Siem Reap and it is best to know the temple's orientation on the sun path to have good photo shots. These temples stimulated my inquisitiveness and interests the most.

1. Banteay Srei "Citadel of Women"

Banteay Srei " City of Shiva " 

Banteay Srei is a Hindu Shivaite Temple. It was built in the late 10th Century and one of the founders of the temple was Yajnavaraha, he was a high-ranking officer and a royal physician  during the rule of Rajendravarman. I suppose Yajnavaraha was an influential person to the king because he was awarded  lands by King Rajendravarman and he used those lands to build temples. Shiva Linga is at the centre of this temple, associated with the Hindu pantheon of Gods Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer).

The place is compact in nature, buildings are smaller compared to the other temples. Banteay Srei is made of hard red sand stones and carvings are three dimensional. The lintels and pediments structures are elaborately carved with fine details that even to date are still clearly outstanding. Citadel of Women, to some the detailed architecture of the reliefs were carefully carved by the hand of women. 

The earliest possible time to leave your accommodation and head to purchase the tickets at Angkor Archaeological Park Ticket Center is fiveish in the morning. This is the only official vendor of entrance tickets to the temples. The estimated travel time to Banteay Srei would be one hour and ten minutes. The best time to visit and capture great photo shots of Banteay Srei Temple Khmer Architecture is early in the morning before the sunrise as the main entrance of the temple is facing east. During mid morning tourists would normally start to flock the temple and it can be quite crowded on peak season. 

2. Bayon Temple "Victorious Mountain"

Bayon Temple standing tall at sunrise

Façade with Buddha faces on every towers

Bayon Temple was built in the late 12th Century during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, a Mahayana Buddhist. Bayon was the official state temple situated in the center of Angkor Thom (last and largest city in Khmer Empire). A representation of King Jayavarman VII crowning victory and glory.

What makes Bayon unique ?  It's tall towers and massive faces of Bodhisattva Avalokitshvara. Others believe that it resembles the face of King Jayavarman VII. There are fifty four towers with lotus flowers on top of each head, each tower has four faces, that makes it more than two hundred faces altogether. Some locals believe that the king was fifty four years old when the construction of the temple had started. It also represents the fifty four states of Khmer Empire during King Jayavarman VII reign.

I can spend two to three hours at the ground level admiring the mythical faces and artistic carvings unveiling against the morning sun. While the other half of the day to appreciate the beautiful vast scenery of Angkor Thom from the third level of Bayon. The magnificent bas relief, that depicts the everyday life of the Khmer, battle against the Chams (now called Vietnam) at Tonle Sap Lake, war against the Siamese (now called Thailand), King processions to meditate in the forest and other interesting stories that helps us understand Cambodia today.

3. Angkor Wat "City Temple"

Angkor Wat at sunrise

The largest religious structure in the world is Angkor Wat with 162.6 hectares, surrounded by walls and moats that represents the mountain ranges and ocean around Mount Meru. Angkor Wat is a replica of the Hindu cosmology, Mount Meru, the home of the Hindu pantheon. The five towers represents the peaks of Mt Meru in Tibet. The temple architectural representation of Hinduism and a tribute to Lord Shiva. It was built during and beyond the time of King Suryavarman II in the 12th century. 

The bas relief on the galleries is just like a time travel in the past. From there we can see the battle of Vishnu and Demons, battles of the kings, heaven and hell, and other interesting details. 

The orientation of this temple is facing west contrary from the other Angkorian Temples which is east facing. Some experts have concluded that this temple was built primarily as funerary temple for King Suryavarman or due to temple's tribute to Vishnu, who is associated with west direction. Therefore, the best time to capture the beauty of Angkor Wat is in the late afternoon to sunset.

4. Ta Phrom "Monastery of the King"

It was founded by King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. In the 13th century, it was believed that Ta Phrom was a community of  high priests, officials, dancers and other service people living in the villages. It is indeed a rich place with golden dishes, silk beds, diamonds, and golds according to experts. 

Today, Ta Prohm is slowly becoming part of the jungle as tree roots are engulfing every historical structure in it. It's unique Lost World scenery invites tourists around the world to witness the extraordinary merging of history and nature.

The temple is surrounded and covered by tall forest trees, therefore you can visit the temple anytime throughout the day.

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