All pictures are courtesy and copyright A Patwardhan with narration taken from the book Angkor by Dawn Rooney.

"We stand before it stunned. There's nothing else like this in the land."

Many visitors consider the Bayon to be a true rival of Angkor Wat. Located just a few kilometers from Angkor Wat, the Bayon is located in the exact geographical center of the ancient city of Angkor Thom. Built by King Jayavarman VII in the late 12^th/early 13^th centuries, the Bayon is a Buddhist temple, designed like a temple mountain in its grandiose scale. It has a distinctive architectural style, represented by the over 200 faces carved over 54 towers. These faces are supposed to signify the omnipresence of King Jayavarman VII.

1: Entrance to the city of Angkor Thom where the Bayon is located. Note the Naga (with its 9 heads) balustrade in the foreground, and the four-headed gopura (entranceway).

2: Causeway to Angkor Thom, depicting the Devas and Asuras.

3: East Entrance to the Bayon

4: Bas Relief, Bayon, depicting the victory of the Khmers over the Siamese.

5: Entrance to the second level, Bayon. Note the Apsara carvings at the entrance.

6: Third level, Bayon

7: View from the third level, Bayon

8: Smiling Faces: Are they of King Jayavarman VII or Bodhisattava Avalokiteshvara? This issue has been widely debated by scholars.

9: The smile of Angkor.

The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘nagara' meaning ‘holy city'. Wat is the Thai name for a temple. "The city which is a temple," Angkor Wat is a majestic monument, the world's largest religious construction in stone, and an architectural masterpiece. It was built by King Suryavarman II around 1113-1150 AD as a temple dedicated to Vishnu. The Khmers attribute the building to the divine architect Visvakarman. It occupies a rectangular area of 500 acres and is defined by a laterite enclosure wall that is surrounded by a moat, which is 200 metres wide. Estimated time for construction is 30 years. Kambuja is the Sanskrit name for Cambodia.

The Khmers adhered to the Indian belief that a temple must be built according to a mathematical system in order for it to function in harmony with the universe. Distances between certain architectural elements of the temple reflect numbers related to Indian mythology and cosmology.

We spent three afternoons visiting this magnificent monument, and still felt like coming for more. The sheer scale and plan of the monument makes it difficult to grasp: it's a series of elevated towers, covered galleries, chambers, courtyards on different levels, all linked by stairways. Angkor Wat represents the cosmic world, with the central tower symbolizing Mount Meru situated in the center of the universe.

10: Angkor Wat, with causeway in foreground.

11: Main gopura, which now houses a Vishnu idol. Gopura or gateway is the main architectural feature of the wall that surrounds a Khmer temple. The name, which is derived from Sanskrit, originated in the 7^th century Pallava architecture of South India.

12: Six armed Vishnu at the Main Gopura.

13: All five towers of the magnificent Angkor Wat temple are visible with the moat surrounding it.

14: North gallery, Angkor Wat. Each gallery houses amazing bas-reliefs i.e. carved decorations at the Angkor Vat. Scenes of the east west relate to the rising and setting of the sun.

15:West gallery, Angkor Wat. These are magnificent places to just sit and imbibe the magnificence of the complex.

16: South gallery, Angkor Wat, with tower. Note the windows.

17: East gallery, Angkor Wat. Note the distinctive Khmer style of window design.

18: Bas Relief from the Ramayana called Reamker in the Cambodian version. It is believed that the local composition took place between 200 BC and 200 AD.

19: The steep stone stairs leading up to the third and uppermost level. One slight lapse of concentration and the fall would mean death.

20: Dancing Apsaras, Angkor Wat

21: Third Level, Angkor Wat

22: Central Tower, symbolizing Mount Meru, third level, Angkor Wat. 65 metres (213 feet) is the height of the Angkor Vat from ground to the top of the Central Tower. Its five towers correspond to the peaks of Meru, the outer wall to the mountains at the edge of the word and the surrounding moat to the oceans beyond.

23: View from the Top

24: View from the top with outer enclosure in the background.

25: View from the top: East side

26: Exchanging wisdom after the steep ascent

27: Side view of the stairways to indicate its angle of ascent. This shows the three distinct levels of the Wat.

28: Sleeping Buddha, Central Tower, Angkor Wat.

29: Five towers in silhouette, Angkor Wat,

30: Causeway to Angkor Wat with lions guarding each stairway.

31: Side ramparts of the Wat at sunset. Note the nine-headed Naga balustrade, a common sight in Khmer architecture.

Banteay Srei ("The citadel of the women") is renowned for its exquisite carvings. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Built by King Rajendravarman II in the tenth century out of pinkish sandstone, the temple has been restored back to an amazing condition. One of the favorite sites in the region, the enchanting temple of Banteay Srei was called Isvarapura and is said to be the closest to Indian architecture than any other temple in Cambodia.

32: Entrance to Bantaey Srei

33: Close up of entrance

34: Temple towers

35: Entrance looking back

36: Immaculate proportions and intricate design are the hallmarks of Banteay Srei

37: Central towers

38: Central Towers

39: North Library

40: Library from from a different angle

41: Carvings on North Library depicting Indra riding a chariot drawn by a three headed elephant, scattering celestial rain.

42: Library carving depicting Shiva pushing the weight of Mt Kailasa on to Ravana.

4. Preah Ko, Cambodia

Preah Ko (sacred bull) is a magnificently proportionate Hindu temple in a tranquil setting. Dedicated in the ninth century to Shiva, the temple has been restored to its original exquisiteness.

43: Main Gopura (entranceway), Preah Ko.

44: Inner Enclosure showing two gopuras.

45: Main tower

46: Main tower, side view. Originally the main tower was surrounded on all sides by water. The mini-moat can be seen clearly in this photograph.

Preah Khan, the "sacred sword", was built in the 12^th century by Jayavarman VII as a monastery and center for learning. The complex houses Buddhist and Hindu (Lord Shiva + Lord Vishnu worship and dedicates one sector for ancestral worship, a common practice in South East Asia. It was built on a battle site where the Khmers finally defeated the Chams (another Hindu people from central Vietnam). The temple is kept as a partial ruin, deep in the Cambodian jungle, and is testimony to what havoc nature can wreak on even the grandest of man made structures. It is a series of buildings interconnected by passageways with four enclosure walls.

47: Building, unique because of its European style.

48: Coexistence of Buddhist and Hindu shrines. Note Lord Shiva's linga in front and Buddhist Stupa inside.

49: Garuda, on one of the temple ramparts. Garuda is the mount of Lord Vishnu.

50: Central sanctuary, Buddhist. A close up of the Stupa that you saw two pictures before.

51: Preah Khan has many cruciform shaped shrines. This is from the same spot where the earlier pic was taken, but looking 90 degrees east. Note the dvarpala guarding the shrine on the left.

52: Hall of the Dancing Apsaras.

53: Ta Prohm: "its state of ruin is investigated with delight and left with regret." The tall trees in the background are actually on top of the temple structure.

54: Ta Prohm, left untouched by archaeologists, with giant trees spreading their roots over, under and in between the stones.

55: Bakong, Hindu (Lord Shiva) temple, late 9^th century, at the centre of the town of Hariharalaya. This is a temple mountain symbolizing the cosmic Mount Meru

55A: Climbing the unbelievably narrow stairs is an exercise in endurance and fear. There are five levels, four representing nagas, garudas, raksas and yakshas, and the fifth for the gods.

56: Garuda, Terrace of the Elephants, Angkor Thom

57: Neak Pean, "the coiled serpents" set in a large pond, Buddhist shrine.

My Son houses several temples built by the Hindu Chams in Central Vietnam. Built with bricks a thousand years ago, these temples stand in ruins, having even suffered bombardment by American airplanes during the Vietnam War.

58: Library Tower, there's a Polynesian, Javan influence in the shape of the inverted boat (roof)

59: Carved sentinels on the walls of the temple

60: Shiva carvings

61: Vishnu

62: Central Temple, out of sandstone is in ruins with Linga in foreground. The tower visible in the background was used as a crematorium.

63: Exquisite carvings amidst the ruins.