Siem Reap, Cambodia by Dustin Johnston on Exposure

Angkor wat

The world’s largest religious monument in the world, covering 402 acres. Construction of the Khmer temple began in 1113 and was finished in 1150. Like other temples in Siem Reap, it was originally a Hindu temple, later transitioned into a Buddhist temple, and then back to Hindu.

So. many. Tourists.

And this was low season…

Bayon Temple

Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman‘s capital, Angkor Thom. (Via Wikipedia.)

If you look closely, this photos is NSFW.

Ta Prohm

Local tour guides refer to this temple as “Tomb Raider” because parts of the 2001 movie were filmed here, but the real reason for the temple’s popularity is because of the enormous trees that have grown all over the temple. This was not unique to Ta Prohm, it was left in this condition to exemplify how most of the temples looked when they were re-discovered in the early 20th century.

BANTEAY SREI

Banteay Srei is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. (Wikipedia)

Other temples

Temple fatigue is real, my friends. Similar to visiting churches in Europe. But here are the highlights of all of the temples we visited. I wish I had been more organized and labeled them all but perhaps it is better to just enjoy the photos, the Khmer architecture, and not worry about the identity of each.