Category Archives: Temples

Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

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Angkor Wat

After paying admission fees at the ticket office, we approached Angkor Wat via its main entrance –  a 350 m. (1,150 ft.) long sandstone causeway (a later addition which possibly replacing a wooden bridge) to the west which connects the western gopura to the temple proper.

Angkor Wat ticket office

Along the way are three ruined towers, naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side. The western entrance is, by far, the largest.  To the east, access to the temple is via an earth bank.

The author, Jandy, Violet and Osang at the causeway

Each side of the causeway also features a library with gopuras (entrances) at each of the cardinal points, in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance, and a pond (later additions to the design) between the library and the temple itself. The cruciform terrace (also a later addition), guarded by lions, connects the causeway to the central structure.

Northern Library

The Southern Library

Angkor Wat, lying 5.5 kms. (3.4 mi) north of the modern town of Siem Reap and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital (which was centered at Baphuon), was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.

Guardian lion statues

The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its decoration and for the numerous  devatas (there are more than 1,796 depictions of devata in the present research inventory) adorning its walls. Above all, the temple has drawn praise for the harmony of its design.

Gallery with bas-reliefs

Larger devata images, all full-body portraits measuring approximately 95 cms. (37 in.) to 110 cms. (43 in.), are incorporated more prominently at every level of the temple from the entry pavilion to the tops of the high towers. Small, 30 cm. (12 in.) to 40 cm. (16 in.) apsara images were used as decorative motifs on pillars and walls.

Devatas

Angkor Wat’s extensive decoration, one of the causes for its fame, is integrated with the architecture of the building and predominantly takes the form of bas-relief friezes. Virtually all of its surfaces, columns, lintels and even roofs are carved, with miles of reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns, griffins, winged dragons pulling chariots as well as warriors following an elephant-mounted leader and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hair styles.

Bas relief

One gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1,000 sq. m. of bas reliefs.  Besides the temple proper, its outer wall also enclosed three rectangular galleries (each raised above the next), the city and, to the north of the temple, the royal palace. Inside the temple, ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors.

Corridor

Here are some interesting trivia regarding this temple complex:

  • It is the largest religious monument in the world
  • Angkor Wat is the prime example of the high classical style of Khmer architecture—the Angkor Wat style to which it has given its name. Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes.
  • A powerful symbol of Cambodia and a source of great national pride, a depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863.
  • It is the country’s prime attraction for visitors. Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 1993, there were only 7,650 visitors to the site but, by 2004, (according to government figures) 561,000 (approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia) foreign visitors had arrived in Siem Reap province, most of whom visited Angkor Wat, increasing to over a million in 2007 and over two million by 2012. In 2013, Angkor Wat received over two million foreign tourists.
  • The temple’s original name is unknown as neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found.  It may have been known as “Varah Vishnu-lok” (Barom Visnulōk, which means the sacred dwelling of Vishnu) or Parama Vishnuloka (Sanskrit), after the presiding deity. The modern name, Angkor Wat (alternate name: Nokor Wat) means “Temple City” or “City of Temples.”  In Khmer; Angkor meaning “city” or “capital city.” It is a vernacular form of the word nokor (which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara). Wat is the Khmer word for “temple grounds,” also derived from Sanskrit vāṭa, meaning “enclosure.”
  • Constructed by Khmer King Suryavarman II for the Khmer Empire, it was originally, in a break from the Shaiva tradition of previous kings, a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu but was gradually transformed, towards the end of the 12th century, into a Buddhist
  • As the best-preserved temple at the site, Angkor Wat is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation.
  • The entire city of Angkor used up far greater amounts of stone than all of the Egyptian pyramids combined.
  • Angkor occupied an area significantly greater than modern-day Paris.
  • Sandstone, rather than brick or laterite, was used as the main building material. Sandstone blocks were used for most of the visible areas while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. Sandstones, as smooth as polished marble, were laid without mortar, with very tight joints that were sometimes hard to find. In some cases, the blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints while, in others, they used dovetails and gravity. Presumably, the blocks were put in place by a combination of elephants, coir ropes, pulleys and bamboo scaffolding.
  • Unlike the Egyptian pyramids which use limestone quarried barely 0.5 km. (0.31 mi.) away all the time, the entire city of Angkor was built with sandstone quarried 40 kms. (25 mi.) or more away. This sandstone had to be transported from Mt. Kulen, a quarry approximately 40 kms. (25 mi.) to the northeast.
  • It was designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas(gods) in Hindu mythology. The central quincunx of towers symbolizes the five peaks of the mountain while the walls and moat symbolize the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean.
  • Angkor Wat is a unique combination of two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture – the temple mountain (the standard design for the empire’s state temples) and the later concentric  galleried temple.
  • Compared to earlier work, the statuary of Angkor Wat is considered conservative, being more static and less graceful.
  • Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west and scholars are divided as to the significance of this. Angkor Wat may relate to the Greek and Roman architecture record in terms of the west rather than east orientation of the temple.
  • It is the southernmost of Angkor’s main sites.
  • The temple’s bas-reliefs proceeds in a counter-clockwise direction (prasavya in Hindu terminology), the reverse of the normal order.
  • Among the Angkor temples, Angkor Wat is unusual in that, although it was largely neglected after the 16th century, it was never completely abandoned.
  • According to legend, the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to serve as a palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea. According to Zhou Daguan, a 13th-century Chinese traveler, some believed that the temple was built by a divine architect in a single night.
  • Japanese Buddhist pilgrims who established small settlements, alongside Khmer locals, thought that Angkor Wat was the famed Jetavana garden of the Buddha, which originally located in the kingdom of Magadha, India. Fourteen inscriptions (the best-known tells of Ukondafu Kazufusa, who celebrated the Khmer New Year at Angkor Wat in 1632) discovered in Angkor area, dated from the 17th century, testifies to this.
  • As with most other ancient temples in Cambodia, a combination of plant overgrowth, fungi, ground movements, war damage and theft have extensively destroyed many elements of the temple’s design including gilded stucco on the towers, gilding on some figures on the bas-reliefs, and wooden ceiling panels and doors. Around 20% of the devatas are in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone but, also in part, due to earlier restoration efforts.  However, compared to the rest of Cambodia’s temple ruins, it has also received the most attentive restoration. So far, other than some graffiti, the influx of tourists has caused relatively little damage.
  • Some additional funds for the temple’s maintenance has been provided by tourism. As of 2000, approximately 28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples (although most work is carried out by teams sponsored by foreign governments rather than by the Cambodian authorities).
  • A number of countries such as France, Japan, Germany and China are currently involved in various Angkor Wat conservation projects. The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to protect the devatas, and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple, from damage.
  • Angkor Wat the location for some key scenes from the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (the first major motion picture to be shot in Cambodia since Lord Jim in 1964), when Angelina Jolie arrives in a floating village in front of the temple. She exits the village and then enters the temple to meet a holy monk who heals her injured arm and lends her a phone.
  • Angkor Wat was also the setting for the final scenes of the 2000 In the Mood for Love, a classic Hong Kong romantic drama from Wong Kar-wai,.

Here is the historical timeline of the temple:

  • In the first half of the 12th century, the initial design and construction of the temple took place during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113 – c. 1150).
  • Shortly after the king’s death, work seems to have ended, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished.
  • In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer.
  • Thereafter, King Jayavarman VII restored the empire and established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kms. to the north.
  • Towards the end of the 12th century, Angkor Wat was gradually transformed, from a Hindu centre of worship, to Buddhism, which continues to the present day.
  • In 1586, António da Madalena, a Portuguese friar visited the temple, one of the first Western visitors to do so.
  • In the mid-19th century, French naturalist and explorer Henri Mouhot effectively rediscovered the temple and popularized the site in the West through the publication of travel notes.
  • On August 11, 1863, the splendid artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate, invading Siam to take control of the ruins. This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country that had been under Siamese (Thai) control since AD 1351 (Manich Jumsai 2001), or by some accounts, AD 1431.
  • Between 1889 and 1937, the original temple site was presented in French colonial and universal exhibitions in Paris and Marseille.
  • From c. 1880 to the mid-1920s, Angkor Wat’s aesthetics were on display in the musée Indo-chinois, a plaster cast museum of Louis Delaporte which existed in the Parisian Trocadero Palace.
  • By 1885, a French exploration commission (who drew up a list of principal monuments) had worked up a chronology of the rulers and developed the outlines of a description of the civilization that had produced the temple complex. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together from stylistic and epigraphicevidence accumulated during subsequent clearing and restoration work. Subsequent missions copied inscriptions written on Angkor buildings so that scholars might translate them and learn something of Angkor’s history.
  • In 1898 the French decided to commit substantial funds to Angkor’s preservation.
  • The 20th century saw considerable restoration of Angkor Wat. Centuries of neglect had permitted the jungle to recapture many of the more significant structures and, gradually, teams of laborers and archaeologists pushed back the jungle, freed buildings from the embrace of huge banyan and silk-cotton trees (which might have crushed them to destruction) and exposed the expanses of stone, permitting the sun once again to illuminate the dark corners of the temple.
  • In 1934, the conservator George Trouvé, excavating the pit beneath the central shrine, finds a sacred foundation deposit of gold leaf, 2 m. above ground level.
  • On November 9, 1953, Cambodia gained independence from France and, since that time, has controlled Angkor Wat.
  • In the 1960s, a major restoration of Angkor was undertaken
  • During the 1970s and 1980s, work was interrupted by the Cambodian Civil War and Khmer Rouge control of the country but, during this period, relatively little damage was done. However, camping Khmer Rouge forces did use, for firewood, whatever wood remained in the building structures plus a shoot-out, between Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese forces, put a few bullet holes in a bas relief.
  • In the late 1980s and early 1990s, art thieves, working out of Thailand, claimed almost every head that could be lopped off the structures, including reconstructions.
  • Between 1986 and 1992, as France did not recognize the Cambodian government at the time, the Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple .
  • In 1992, following an appeal for help by Norodom Sihanouk, Angkor Wat was listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger (later removed in 2004) and World Heritage Site
  • Between 1990 and 2016, the site was managed by the private SOKIMEX group which rented it from the Cambodian government.
  • In 1994, zoning of the area was set up to protect the Angkor site.
  • In 1995, APSARA was established to protect and manage the area.
  • In 1996, a law to protect Cambodian heritage was passed.
  • In 2005, a Japanese team completed restoration of the north library of the outer enclosure.
  • In 2008, World Monuments Fund began conservation work on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery after several years of studies on its condition.
  • In 2012, the main phase of restoration work ended.
  • In 2012, at the ASEAN Tourism Forum, it was agreed that Borobudur and Angkor Wat would become sister sites and the provinces sister provinces.
  • In 2013, the installation of finials on the roof of the gallery was finished.
  • In December 2015, a research team from University of Sydney announced that they had found a previously unseen ensemble of buried towers built and demolished during the construction of Angkor Wat, as well as massive structure of unknown purpose on its south side and wooden fortifications.

Western gopura

Here are some interesting trivia regarding the temple’s design and construction:

  • The monument was made out of 5 million to 10 million sandstone blocks with a maximum weight of 1.5 tons each.
  • The temple sits on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres).
  • The 3.6 km. (2.2 mi.) long outer wall, measuring 1,024 m. (3,360 ft.) by 802 m. (2,631 ft.) and is 4.5 m. (15 ft.) high, is surrounded by a 30 m. (98 ft.) apron of open ground and a moat 190 m. (620 ft.) wide and over 5 kms. (3 mi.) in perimeter. It enclosed a space of 820,000 sq. m. (203 acres) and was built with perishable materials rather than of stone, so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some of the streets. Most of the area is now covered by forest.
  • The outer gallery measures 187 m. (614 ft.) by 215 m. (705 ft.)

Outer Gallery

The temple itself, standing on a terrace raised higher than the city, is made of three rectangular galleries (each with a gopura at each of the points) rising to a central tower (aligned to the morning sun of the Spring Equinox), each level higher than the last. The two inner galleries each have towers at their corners, forming a quincunx with the central tower.

Multi-armed Ta Reach statue

A multi-armed statue of Vishnu (known as Ta Reach), under the southern tower, originally have occupied the temple’s central shrine. Galleries, with square pillars on the outer (west) side and a closed wall on the inner (east) side, run between the towers as far as the two “elephant gates,” entrances on either side of the gopura that are large enough to admit these animals.

Northeast Tower

Lotus rosettes decorated the ceiling between the pillars; dancing figures on the west face of the wall; and balustered windows, dancing male figures on prancing animals, and devatas  (including the only one, at the south of the entrance of the temple, showing her teeth) at the east face of the wall.

Headless Buddha statues

Another cruciform terrace, again a later addition, connects the second and inner galleries to each other and to two flanking libraries. Devatas, singly or in groups of up to four, abound on the walls from the second level upwards.

The Bakan

The 100 m. (330 ft.) by 115 m. (377 ft.) second-level enclosure, probably originally flooded to represent the ocean around Mount Meru, has three very steep sets of steps (representing the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the gods) on each side leading up to the corner towers and gopuras of the Bakan, the 60 m. (200 ft.) square inner gallery with axial galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine, and subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers.

View of courtyard from Bakan

The author descending the stairs from the Bakan

The motif of the body of a snake, ending in garudas (heads of lions), decorate the roofings of the galleries while carved lintels and pediments decorate the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines.

The central tower

The tower above the central shrine, rising 43 m. (141 ft.) to a height of 65 m. (213 ft.) above the ground, is unlike those of previous temple mountains as this central tower is raised above the surrounding four. The shrine, originally open on each side and occupied by a statue of Vishnu, was walled in when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism (the new walls featuring standing Buddhas).

Outer Gallery

The outer gallery, with pavilions rather than towers at the corners, is open to the outside of the temple, with columned half-galleries extending and buttressing the structure.

Preah Poan (the Hall of a Thousand Gods) (3)

The outer gallery is connected to the second enclosure on the west side via the Preah Poan (the “Hall of a Thousand Gods”), a cruciform cloister.  The cloister, whose north and south have libraries, marks out four small courtyards which may originally have been filled with water.

Preah Poan

A series of large-scale scenes, mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are found at the inner walls of the outer gallery.

Inner courtyard

The western gallery, from the north-west corner anti-clockwise, shows the Battle of Lanka (from the Ramayana), in which Rama defeats Ravana;  and the Battle of Kurukshetra (from the Mahabharata), showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans. The only historical scene at the southern gallery is a procession of Suryavarman II, then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hinduism.

Bas-relief gallery

The Churning of the Sea of Milk, one of the most celebrated scenes on the eastern gallery, shows 92 asuras and 88 devas using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu’s direction, followed by Vishnu defeating asuras (a 16th-century addition). The northern gallery shows Krishna’s victory over Bana.

Bas-relief of Battle of Kurukshetra

Over the centuries, Buddha images have been left in the cloister by pilgrims.  Although most have now been removed, we noticed that some still remain and many inscriptions, mostly written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese, relate the good deeds of these pilgrims.

A Buddha statue

Angkor Wat: Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Coordinates: 13°24′45″N 103°52′0″E.

Angkor Archaeological Park (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

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Our second day in Siem Reap was to be spent exploring Angkor Archaeological Park, particularly its star attraction – Angkor Wat.  After breakfast at Bopha Angkor Hotel, Violet, Osang, Jandy and I were met at the lobby by our previous tuktuk driver who brought us, from the bus station, to the hotel the previous day. A lot of tourists tour Angkor this way.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Bopha Angkor Hotel & Restaurant”

He agreed to bring us, on board his tuktuk, to the park and back for US$5 each (they prefer this payment rather than their local currency – the rial).

Touring Angkor Archaeological Park via tuktuk

Aside from Angkor Wat, we were to also visited Bayon Temple, Preah Pithu, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Royal Palace and Phimeanakas Temple, Baphuon Temple, Chao Say Tevoda, Ta Prohm Temple, Banteay Kdei and Thommanon Temple.

A rainy arrival……

The tuktuk drive took around 20 mins. and we arrived at the park by 10:30 AM.  It was drizzling when we arrived.

Check out “Bayon Temple,” “Preah Pithu,” “Terrace of the Elephants,” “Terrace of the Leper King,” “Royal Palace and Phimeanakas Temple,” “Baphuon Temple,” “Chau Say Tevoda,” “Ta Prohm Temple,” “Banteay Kdei” and “Thommanon Temple”

Wat Preah Prohmreath Pagoda (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

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Wat Preah Prohmreath Pagoda

Wat Preah Prohmreath Pagoda

From Hard Rock Café, Jandy, Osang, Violet and I again walked, along the riverside, to Wat Preah Prohmreath Pagoda, one of the oldest monasteries in Siem Reap in terms of running time. It had a large imposing gateway and a red wall with a base of huge, golden lotus flower (which represents all achievement of all enlightenment) petals and Bayonesque heads on top of it .

The imposing temple gate

The imposing temple gate

This monastery, dedicated to Ang Chang-han Hoy, a revered 14th century monk, and the spirit of Ta Pom Yeay Rat (who provided the land for the temple), ancestor of a rich family in the area, was founded in 1371 AD.  It was also built to spread the Dharma (teaching of Buddha) and to provide lodging for monks.

The beautiful and quiet garden

The beautiful and quiet garden

King Ang Chan (reigned from 1806-1834) came to this temple to pray for victory against his rivals and, when he achieved this, the temple was named Ta Pum Yeay Rath. In the 1940s, it was renamed Wat Preah Promreath.

Golden lotus petals and a cannon

Golden lotus petals and a cannon

An active monastery and a school for monks, it also has stupas (cremation boxes) where the rich and famous have their ashes interred. Enjoying the peace and quiet of the gardens, we noticed a number of odd, garishly painted statues and a large replica of a boat with a monk on top.

Large replica of the monk and his boat

Large replica of the monk and his boat

The revered monk Ang Chang-han Hoy (1358-1456) was said to have traveled 300 odd kms. every day by boat across the Tonle Sap lake, from Siem Reap to Long Vek (near Phnom Penh), to collect alms and then returned, that same day, to Siem Reap to have lunch.

One day (so the story goes), his boat was struck by a shark and cut in half. He continued on to Siem Reap, using the front half of the boat, while the other half ended up at Wat Boribo in Boribo District, Kampong Chang province.

Thanking Buddha for saving the monk, a temple was built at each place.  In Siem Reap, a huge, reclining Buddha was made using wood from the boat.  The golden boat statue in front of the vihear was built by Cheakaro Tong Teourm in 2007.

 

Inner wall with religious murals

Inner wall with religious murals

The small open-sided temple has small statue of Buddha while the inner walls have a number of murals of religious scenes. The Preah Vihear (main temple), built in 1945, has a vast open hall with a huge seated Buddha at one end. The enormous reclining Buddha, which we failed to notice, draped in a very decorous orange and gold cloth robe, can be found in a pit at the back.

Posing with some monks in the temple

Posing with some monks in the temple

Royal Palace – Silver Pagoda (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

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Silver Pagoda (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Silver Pagoda (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

From the Throne Hall, Osang, Violet, Jandy and I proceeded to south side of the Royal Palace complex.  The beautiful Silver Pagoda, built in honor of the Lord Buddha, is the official temple of the king of Cambodia.  Formerly known as Wat Ubosoth Ratanaram, its official name is Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot (“Temple of the Emerald Buddha”), after the green baccarat crystal Buddha it houses.  Its name is commonly shortened to Wat Preah Keo.

Mandapa of Satra and Tripitaka

Mandapa of Satra and Tripitaka

Constructed in 1962, at Queen Kossamak’s command, by King Norodom Sihanouk, it replaced the wooden pagoda built by his grandfather in 1902,  the original aging structure being too weak to stand. During the Khmer Rouge years, more than half its contents were stolen but the pagoda itself was pretty much unscathed.

King Norodom's Statue

King Norodom’s Statue

The Silver Pagoda, is so named because of its 5,329 silver floor tiles, each around  20 cm. (8 inches) square and each weighing 1.125 kg (2.48 lbs), and having a total weight of more than 6 tons. Some of its outer facade was remodeled with Italian marble. The pagoda’s construction shows the clear influence of Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaeo, also home to a precious crystal Buddha to which the one in Phnom Penh bears an uncanny resemblance.

King Ang Duong's Stupa

King Ang Duong’s Stupa

After removing our hats and leaving our footwear outside, we were allowed to enter the vihara which houses a rich collection of 1,650 royal gifts received by the Royal family over the years, including artifacts and Buddha images, many of them national treasures.  The pagoda is more a museum than place of homage and no monks stay in permanent residence here. However, on entering the pagoda, we only saw a small area of the temple’s signature  silver tiles as much of the floor was covered by carpets. Photography is also not allowed inside.

Kantha Bopha's Stupa

Kantha Bopha’s Stupa

On display are gold and jeweled Buddha statues, notably a a small 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha (the “Emerald Buddha” of Cambodia) and an impressive, life-sized gold Maitreya Buddha. The latter, housed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, was created in the palace workshops between 1906 and 1907.  It weighs in at 90 kgs., is dressed in royal regalia commissioned by King Sisowath, and is decorated with 9,584 diamonds (the largest of which weighs 25 carats).

Reamker Frescoes

Reamker Frescoes

The main building (vihear) is bounded, to the east, by the statue of King Norodom (sitting on a white horse) and to the north by the Mondapa of Satra and Tripitaka, a library housing Buddhist texts.  At the eastern corner is the bell tower, south of which, near the exit, is a model of Angkor Wat. South of the vihear stands 4 structures, from west to east – the chedi (stupa) of King Suramarit and Queen Kossamak, the Dharmasala, the Chedi of Princess Kantha Bopha and the Phnom Mondop (Mount Mondop, where the statue of Preah Ko is situated). The last mentioned is an artificial hill with a pavilion housing a bronze footprint of the Buddha from Sri Lanka.

Osang, Jandy and Osang at Kantha Bopha's Stupa

Osang, Jandy and Osang at Kantha Bopha’s Stupa

These structures are surrounded by a wall – the oldest part of the palace – covered with 80 m. long, colorful series of frescos depicting episodes from Reamker, the Khmer version of the Indian Ramayana, , one of the great Hindu epics.ainted from 1903 to 1904, its bottom half has faded, throughout the Khmer Rouge years, due to neglect. Some restoration has been done but much of the damage is still clearly visible.

Royal Palace: Samdach Sothearos Blvd., Phnom Penh.  Open daily, 8 to 11 AM and 2 to 5 PM.

Chung Cheng Park (Keelung City, Taiwan)

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I still had the whole morning for sightseeing on our fourth and last day in Taipei so I availed of the Northern Coast Tour (Keelung City) offered by Edison Travel Service (NT$1,000/pax).  After breakfast at the hotel, Jandy and I, as well as a 69 year old retired USAF serviceman named Gerald and his wife Leona, were picked up at the hotel lobby by our tour guide.  The sun was already up and shining (this after 3 days of rain) when we boarded our van for the 45-min. drive to Keelung City. Nicknamed the “Rainy Port” (due to its frequent rain and maritime role), Keelung City is Taiwan’s second largest seaport (after Kaohsiung).

Keelung City Proper

From the city proper, our van drove up a hill, east of the city, to Chung Cheng Park (derived from Chiang Chung-cheng, a given name of Chiang Kai-shek).  Situated on the side of Ta Sha Wan Shan, atop a hill off Hsieh Road, Chung Cheng Park (also spelled as Jhongjheng Park) was formerly called Kang Park in the past.  The first immigrants to Taiwan used to fight with each other for land. In order to stop these disputes, they set up a temple for yearly worship. During the Japanese occupation, the temple was in Kao Sha Park  and later moved to Chung Cheng Park.

Entrance to Chang Chung Park

There are three levels in the park. On the first level is a historic cannon fort. On the second level is a Buddhist library, Chung Lieh Temple and Chu Pu Tan Temple.  The temple attracts many worshipers on July 15, the Chung Yuan (Hungry Ghost) Festival, when families lights a lamp in front of their door in order to light the way for ghosts at night.

Chang Chung Park

Our destination was the Kuan Hai Pavilion, on the third level. Here, we  had a scenic view of Keelung City, its excellent 2,000 m. long and 400 m. wide harbor (embraced by mountains to its east, west and south); luxury passenger ships; smaller commercial craft; naval and coast guard vessels: and the azure Pacific Ocean.

Naval and commercial ships

Dock facilities

The city proper

Also here is the 22.5 m. (74-ft.) high, white smiling statue of Guan Yin (the Buddhist message of compassion and peace), the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.  The landmark of Chung Cheng Park, it is the biggest goddess statue in Southeast Asia. Inside the statue, Jandy and I climbed a steep stairway leading to the top. From portholes on the sides, we could take in views of the harbor and the city.

Statue of Guan Yin (Buddhist Goddess of Mercy)

For me, Chung Cheng Park is a combination of a Buddhist holy site and amusement theme park. The grounds by the Guanyin statue are crowded with snack vendors and souvenir shops while toy vehicles for children to ride around on, some of them musical, are offered for rent.

The souvenir shop and children’s rides for rent

Behind the statue is a Buddhist temple. We noticed a  backwards swastika, a Buddhist symbol of peace (as opposed to the forward facing Nazi symbol), on top of a bell tower (you can ring the bell for a NT$50 donation). Further downhill are several 3-storey pagodas, a museum and a martyrs’ shrine. Since this park is near downtown, it is popular with city folk as well as tourists.

The backward swastika symbol

Chung Cheng Park: Keelung City, Taiwan.  Tel: (+886-2) 2428-7664.

How to Get There: take 206 bus and stop at provincial hospital.  The park entrance is on the other side.

Mengjia Longshan Temple (Taipei City, Taiwan)

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From Taipei 101, Jandy, Isha and I again walked to the Taipei City Hall MRT Station where we boarded the MRT to Longshan MRT Station.  It was just about dusk when we arrived at the station.  Before exiting, we all bought cups of coffee for take out and, upon exiting, leisurely sipped it while watching a Chinese dance being performed, beside the fountain, at Manka Park.

Gateway of Mengjia Longshan Temple

After finishing our coffee, we all walked over to the Mengjia Longshan (also spelled as Lungshan) Temple in front of the park, one of Taiwan’s most important places of worship.  Surrounding the temple are antique shops, Buddhists article shops, fortune tellers, traditional Chinese medicine shops and paper stores selling paper products that are burned for the deceased.

Waterfall of Cleaning Your Heart

Built in 1738 (during the Qing Dynasty), on a much smaller scale, as the spiritual center of Han settlers from the Jinjiang, Nan’an and Hui’an districts of Quanzhou County, Fujian, China, the temple has been destroyed, either in full or in part, by numerous earthquakes and fires. Nevertheless, Taipei residents have consistently rebuilt and renovated it. From 1919-1924, it was renovated, in large scale,  under the direction of famous architect Wang Yi-shun, a master of temple building in Fukien.

The Fore (or Front) Hall

On June 8, 1945, during World War II,  it was hit by American bombers, who claimed that the Japanese were hiding armaments inside. The whole main hall and a part of the right annex were damaged and many precious artifacts and artworks were lost in the ensuing fire. The fire somehow  missed the statue of Avalokiteshvara (in Sanskrit) or Guanyin (short for Guanshiyin which means “observing the sounds of the world”), the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (only her toes were singed), even though the iron railing around her melted.  After the end of the war, a few months later, the temple was again rebuilt.

The main deity Guanyin with 2 bodhisattvas (Manjusri at the left and Samantabhadra on the right)

On August 19, 1985, Longshan Temple was designated as Taipei City’s fourth official historical site (after the Chang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, National Palace Museum and Taipei 101). The temple, one of the oldest and largest in Taiwan, has also been declared a Secondary National Heritage Site.

The temple courtyard packed with worshipers

We entered the temple’s gateway and, at the courtyard, noticed a small, man-made waterfall (the Waterfall of Cleaning Your Heart)  on one side and a lucky dragon fountain on the other.  The temple was already packed with locals either praying, reciting religious chants, lighting candles or burning incense sticks. They worship a  mixture of Buddhist, Taoist and folk deities such as Guanyin (also called Kuan-in), the main deity, Buddha, Matsu and other divine spirits. Thus, it is often called “meeting place of the gods” for the wealth of deities worshipped here. We didn’t see any Western tourists.

A bronze dragon pillar, the only one of its kind in Taiwan

The resplendent Longshan Temple,  with southern Chinese influences commonly seen in older buildings, is an emblematic example of Taiwanese Classical architecture.  Facing the south and mixing traditional Chinese siheyuan (“four-building courtyard”) with palace architecture in its design, it has a fore hall, main hall, a rear hall (added around the end of the 18th century) and a left and right wing.

Yuan Tung Grand Hall, the main hall

The Yuan-Tung Grand Hall, the main hall, is the center of the whole complex.  It houses the statue of Guanyin. The rear hall is divided into 3 parts.  The center is for the veneration of Matsu, the goddess of marine voyage, the left is dedicated to the gods of literature (or patrons of examination for civil service in the olden days) and the right is for Lord Kuan, the god of war.

The Rear Hall

The octagonal ceiling in its fore hall, the clock tower roof, and the circular ceiling (with its 7-layered spiral plafond) in the main hall are exceptionally elegant.  Its doors, beams and poles are also beautifully decorated.

Exquisite and elaborate carvings

A treasure trove of folk art, its fore hall is graced by a pair of unique bronze dragon pillars while the main hall has four pairs.  The walls and ceilings are covered by exquisitely delicate sculptures as well as many Chinese poems, verses and lyrics on signs, adding a touch of literature. The temple walls are graced with paintings of vivid creatures while stone statues of mystical creatures guard the temple grounds.  The wall and the roof  are joined without the use any nails or braces made of metal.

A phoenix figure on roof edge

The temple roof, representing the pinnacle of mosaic art in Taiwan, is covered with overlapping tiles and is decorated with figures of dragons, phoenixes and other auspicious creatures, all decorated with porcelain, clay, and shards of colored glass.

Drum Tower (West)

Bell Tower (East)

Two 2-storey buildings, one housing the bell on the east and a drum on the west side of the courtyard, between the fore hall and the main hall, have conic, hexagonal roofs with double eaves that forms a converse “S” curve, the first such roof design in Taiwan.

Mengjia Longshan Temple: 211 Guangzhou St., Old Town Center, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan.  Tel: (+886-2) 2302-5162. Website: http://www.lungshan.org.tw. Open daily, 6 AM-10:20 PM. Admission is free.

Shandao Temple (Taipei City, Taiwan)

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At the end of our half-day city tour, Jandy and I opted to visit the renowned Taipei 101 Building, once the highest building in the world, with Isha also joining us.  After Reto and Gabriella were dropped off at their hotel (they were leaving Taipei in the afternoon), Mr. Pang dropped us off at the Shandao Temple MRT Station where we were to take the MRT to Taipei City Hall Station (free shuttles to Taipei 101 can be taken there).

Shandao Temple

Next to the MRT station is the elegantly simple Shandao Temple, the largest of Taipei’s Buddhist temples.  We made a short visit here first.  Established in 1926 by Sera Yoshinari and Tamura Chigaku, two monks from the Japanese Pure Land School, the temple was originally called the “Pure Land School Taipei branch site.” After the defeated Japanese left Taiwan in 1945, the Taipei City government’s Department of Education expropriated the site.

Mercy and Kindness Building

The Shandao Temple originally comprised the Mahavira Hall (Precious Hall of the Great Hero), the Amitabha Hall (Maitreya Hall), the Hall of Observance and  the Merit Hall. In 1986,  the 9-storey Mercy and Kindness building was constructed over the original site of the Hall of Observance. Its 4th floor houses the Taixu Library while the 5th to 7th floors contain a museum of Buddhist history.  The museum’s collections include Buddhist artifacts from  the Northern Wei and Song Dynasties  to the present. The Amitabha Hall was converted into a 7-storey building in 2002.

The Three Treasures Buddhas at Mahavira Hall

We visited the Mahavira Hall, converted into a 10-storey building in 2003.  Its structure and feeling is very different from those built by the Taiwanese, the austerity and solemnity being the biggest differences.  Its pared down architecture is truly a soothing change from the bright colors and opulence of other temples. Inside its main hall, large enough to accommodate several hundred people, are the Three Treasures Buddhas.

Shandao Temple: Zhongxiao East Rd., Section 1, Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan.  Open Tuesdays-Sundays, 9 AM-5 PM.

Tung Ho Zen Temple (Taipei City, Taiwan)

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Jandy and I woke up by 6:30 AM as our half-day city tour was scheduled this morning.  After our buffet breakfast at the Golden Ear Restaurant, we proceeded to the hotel lobby to await the arrival of our tourist guide, Mr. Pang of Edison Travel Service, who arrived by 7:45 AM.  We boarded a van and made short stopovers at 2 hotels to pick up Swiss couple Reto and Gabriella Conrad and Ms. Ishani Dave, a Marketing & New Product Development  Manager at Hannover Milano Fairs India Pvt. Ltd.

Tung Ho Zen Temple

The first item in the tour itinerary was a visit to the century-old Tung Ho Zen Temple, a Soto Zen monastery.  The temple was first started in 1908 and originally covered an area of 4,500 pings (14,850 sq. m.).  It then consisted of the Soto Zen Center, the Kuanyin Zen House, the Taipei Junior High School and the bell tower. The bell tower (designated a municipal historic landmark in 1997) and the Kuanyin Zen House are the only two remaining buildings in the area of the complex that has gradually shrunk to 700 pings (2,310 sq. m).

Interior of temple (in the foreground is the censer or incense urn)

The Kuanyin Zen House was renamed as Tung Ho Zen Temple in 1946, about the same time that the complex and the land it was built on were donated by the Japanese colonial owners to the temple’s former master, the Master Hsin Yuan.  Upon the death of  Hsin Yuan on March 1970, aged 89, the central government took over the complex a month later.

Interior of temple (at right, a devotee prays to the goddess Mazu)

Tung Ho Zen Temple: cor. Linsen South Rd. and Jenai Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan.

Xingtian Temple (Taipei City, Taiwan)

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After checking in at our hotel room and freshening up a bit, Jandy and I went out for lunch, bringing our jackets as it was drizzling when we arrived in Taipei.  After changing a US$100 note for New Taiwan Dollars at Taipei Fortune Hotel (the banks were closed it being a Saturday), we walked along Song Jiang Road to Changchun Road where, near the corner, we dined on burgers at a MacDonald’s outlet.

Xingtian Temple as seen from Song Jiang Road

Thus sated, we started our own tour of the city, walking back to Song Jiang Road, past our hotel, towards Minquian East Road, where the 7,000 sq. m. Xintian Temple (and an MRT station) is located.   This relatively new temple (also called Hsing Tien Kong or Shingtien Temple), built in 1967, is one of the biggest and most popular (visitors sometimes number more than 20,000 a day) temples in Taipei.

Entrance to Xingtian Temple

The temple is dedicated to Guan Yu or Guan Gong (162-219 A D ), a famous general who lived  during the Three Kingdoms period (184-280 AD) and an important character in the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms.  A man who valued loyalty and righteousness above all things, Guan Gong was later deified and worshiped as the God of War (and, by extension, of martial arts).  Since he had a gift for strategy and tactics and was also adept at managing finances, Guan Gong is also worshiped as the patron deity of businessmen and merchants.

Main building of Xingtian Temple

It being a weekend, this  simple and dignified temple’s courtyard was filled with with crowds of worshipers bowing their heads, burning incense or kneeling in devotion, praying for help or seeking divine guidance by consulting oracle blocks.  Sculptures of dragons feature prominently in this temple’s design.  Its soaring, ship-prow roofs are adorned with carved dragons.

The unusual censer (incense urn)

At the front courtyard of the hall, we noticed a censer (incense urn) with 2 handles in the shape of golden-winged dragons clinging to each side, a somewhat unusual design, with its 2-tiered metal canopy adorned with a horde of dragons’ heads stretching toward the sky.

A long table with offerings

On the main altar, we saw long tables with offerings of fresh flowers, fresh fruit (pineapples, bananas, apples, etc.), migao (a sticky, slightly sweet rice cake) and tea from the faithful.  The temple forbids the killing of of animals as offerings;  discourages the burning of ritual paper money (or “ghost” or “spirit” money) as an offering to the deities and the spirits of the deceased; the staging of operas for the gods; the presenting of gold medallions in gratitude to the deities; and the like. Candles are supplied for free to worshipers and there is no donation box (a first for traditional religion in Taiwan). After the gods have partaken of the offering’s essence, these are eventually given to the needy.

Statue of the red-faced, black-bearded Guang Gong

Among a pantheon of Chinese deities is the easily identifiable statue of the black-bearded, red-faced Guan Gong.  In his youth, the face color of this defender of the weak was said to have been given to him  by an immortal as a disguise after he killed a local bully. Along the hallways of the temple are elderly seated nuns, in  blue robes, reading scriptures.

Blue-robed nuns reading scriptures

People also stand in line to get blessed by these blue-robed nuns who wave incense onto the clothes of visitors in the practice of shoujing (which restores souls that have left the body in a frightened state).  These nuns, who tend to the day-to-day operation of the temple, also hand out incense sticks.

A nun blessing a worshiper

We missed visiting the “Street of Fortune Telling ,” the famous psychic alley located at the underground pedestrian passage  under the Song Jiang-Minquan intersection, filled with numerous fortune telling stands.  These fortune tellers, who do a brisk trade taking commercial advantage of the temple’s popularity, offer answers to troubled people or discuss the future.

 Xingtian Temple: No. 109, Section 2, Minquan East Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan.  Tel: (+886-2) 2503-1831 and (+886-2) 2502-7924.

How to Get There: Take the THSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail) or TRA to Taipei Station, transfer to the MRT to Xingtian Temple Station.  Go out Exit 3, then turn right.  The temple is on the other side of a crossroad. You can also take the 5, 33, 49, 63, 72, 74, 214, 222, 225, 283, 285, 286, 505 or 617 bus to Xingtian Temple Stop.

Chinatown District (Singapore)

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From Tanjong Pagar, we crossed over to the Chinatown district via South Bridge Rd.  This traditional Chinese precinct is bounded by South Bridge Rd., Kreta Ayer Rd., New Bridge Road and Upper Cross St..  South Bridge Road is unique, being an example of Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-religious community, with the Sri Mariamman Temple (1827), Jamae Mosque or Masjid Chuliam (1830), Fairfield Methodist Church and  Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (2007) are all located here.

South Bridge Road

In 1843, the area was leased or granted to the public for the building of shophouses, many of which doubled as shops, warehouses, family quarters and workers dormitory.  They display strong Fujianese, Teochew and Cantonese influence.  Today, relatively little has changed with the original buildings in the area.

Colorful Chinatown Shophouses

Jandy and I first visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. This S$62 million temple, its architectural style based on the Tang Dynasty, was built in 2007 to house the tooth relic of the historical Buddha found in 1980 in a collapsed stupa in Myanmar.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

Sri Mariamman Temple, with its landmark ornamental tower entrance (gopuram), is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.  More popularly known as Mariamman Kovil or Kling Street Temple, it was first built in 1827 by immigrants from the Nagapatnam and Cuddalore districts of South India.  However, unlike my first visit here in 1992, I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside.

Sri Mariamman Temple

In 1843, the temple was rebuilt in plaster and brick and, in 1962, a new temple structure with intricate sculptural works reminiscent of temple architecture in India was built. The original gopuram, built in the late 1800’s, was rebuilt in the 1930s and, in the 1960s, was repaired and restored with elaborate proliferation of sculptures.

Jamae Mosque

The nearby Jamae Mosque, on the other hand, was built in 1826 by the Chulias (Tamil Muslims). Its unique architectural style is eclectic. The entrance gate is distinctively South Indian while the 2 prayer halls and the shrine are in the Neo-Classical style typical of George Drumgoole Coleman. The mosque was gazetted a National Monument on 29 November 1974.

Chinatown Heritage Center

Kreta Ayer, considered by many to be the heart of Chinatown, houses the Chinatown Heritage Center, Chinatown Night Market and Chinatown Food Street.  The newly-restored Chinatown Heritage Center, occupying 3 shophouses along Pagoda St.,  houses memories and untold stories of Singapore’s early forefathers. The Chinatown Complex, along Smith Street, houses a wet market and shops selling sundry goods. At its second floor food center, Jandy and I indulged in some authentic Singaporean hawker food fare for lunch.

Trengganu Street

Shophouses do not have a single classification, combining different elements of Baroque and Victorian architecture with narrow wooden jalousies (often with adjustable slats) and decorative fanlights over the windows and pilasters, balconies and plasterwork seemingly Mediterranean in flavor.  Many of them are painted in a variety of different pastel colors. Trengganu St. (converted into a pedestrian mall transformed into a night market after dark), Pagoda St. and Temple St. as well as development in Upper Cross St. and the houses along Club St. are examples of this type of architecture.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum: 288 South Bridge Rd., Singapore 058840. Tel: 6220 0220. Fax: 6220 1261. Open daily, 7 AM-7 PM.  E-mail: services@btrts.org.sg.  Website: www.btrts.org.sq.