More about temples

I have lost count of the number of Angkor temples that I have visited. Most are enormous structures. Many have water features, moats, or sacred pools associated with them.

The temples were places of worship and imperial prominance. Towers reach up to the sky and often whole surfaces are covered in carvings.

The designs are usually symetrical and oriented to all four directions. As one comes up to a temple typically a bridge is crossed, and enclosures lead on to other enclosures. In the center is an especially sacred place.

With the massive scale and numerous small rooms, temples can be very disorienting. For example I toured Angkor Wat with a small group of very experienced historians including some who had been to the site multiple times. We got turned around so much that we lost our sense of direction. Fortunately I was carrying a compass with me at the time (yes, I am an Eagle Scout), and I pointed the way out for our group.

It was not the only time that a compass has come in handy on this trip.

The picture below is me at one of the "lesser temples" near Angkor Wat. You can tell that the scale of these buildings is enormous.