Bakong Located near the present-day village of Roluos, Bakong is a Hindu temple-mountain built by King Indravarman I (reigned 877-889). It was the center of Hariharalaya, the capital of the Khmer Empire before it was transferred to Yasodharapura (Angkor) by Yasovarman I (reigned 889-c.900). Constructed on an artificial mound, the temple is an earthly representation of mythical Mount Meru, a mountain of five peaks, sacred in Hindu cosmology. It is now used by Buddhists, and a modern Buddhist pagoda stands adjacent to the ruin site. The morning I visited the site, the guard was kind enough to allow me entrance some fifteen minutes early. I was alone in the temple save for two young Khmer girls who were collecting the remains of yellow candles that had been placed throughout the temple and lit for a ceremony the previous evening. How I would have liked to have seen the temple aglow in such fashion. A beautiful flowering tree (Delonix regia - royal poinciana) near the pagoda was alive with butterflies.
Preah Ko Preah Ko ("The Sacred Bull") was built as a funerary monument to the mother and father of King Indravarman I (reigned 877-889 CE). This ancestral temple also honors the king's maternal grandparents as well as his predecessor, King Jayavarman II, and his wife. Dedicated to Shiva, it was completed in the late 9th century. One of the oldest Khmer temples, it is also one of the best preserved and most beautiful. The carving on the columns, lintels, and false doors is superb. Ornate niches shelter skillfully rendered dvarapalas (male guardians) and devatas (female guardians). Intricate floral and geometric elements abound in the lintels, as do depictions of various mythic monsters including kala, makara, naga, and garuda.* When I arrived at Preah Ko, on a cloudy morning of intermittent rain, the site was aswarm with humans, including a large group of Korean tourists that was incredibly loud. However, within minutes of my arrival the rain began to fall hard, and the Koreans were compelled to retreat to their tour bus, leaving the temple much less crowded and much quieter. The rain brought out the rich colors of the stone as well as the heady perfumes of the forest. It was lovely and intoxicating. I told one of the guards, in my beginner's Khmer, that I like the rain: "Kñom jool-jet pliang." He flashed a quizzical smile. Speaking Khmer, I tried to explain where I was from and what the weather is like. I do not think he had heard of Oregon. * Kala - jawless monster resembling a lion's head with two bulging eyes often depicted devouring floral garlands. Makara - a strange hybrid of crocodile, fish, tapir, bird, and elephant depicted in profile and placed at the ends of lintels. Naga - Cobra with odd-numbered heads (usually five, seven, or nine), serpent god of the waters, an important and ubiquitous figure in Khmer sculpture. Garuda - An anthropomorphic eagle creature, enemy of the Naga, revered as the mount of Vishnu, also very common in Angkorean sculpture.
Banteay Srei
Banteay Srei ("Citadel of the Women") is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, constructed in the latter half of the 10th century CE. Originally called 'Isvarapura', it was commissioned by a Brahmin of royal descent, Yajnavaraha, who served as tutor to the royal prince, Jayavarman V (968-1001). Construction began during the reign of Jayavarman's predecessor, Rajendravarman II (reigned 944-968), but the temple was not dedicated until after his death in 968. The red sandstone used in the construction of Banteay Srei makes it unique among the temples of Angkor. Also unique is the enigmatically small scale on which it was built. The doors in the towers measure less than 5 feet high. However, the carvings on the lintels, pediments, false doors, pilasters, and columns are some of the finest in Angkor. These masterworks depict lively scenes from the Hindu epics and Puranas. They display not only great skill, aesthetics, and artistry but also a deep familiarity with Hindu mythology and literature. I visited this temple on my first trip to Cambodia in 2014. Our group toured the site in the evening when many other tourists were present. I felt that visit to be rather rushed and so was grateful for the opportunity to visit the temple again on my most recent trip. My two friends and I were the first to enter the temple on a beautiful, if rather warm, Saturday morning (most Angkor temples open at 7:30). The golden light of early day and clouds scattered across the blue sky made for a captivating scene, silent and serene. Advice To One Traveling to the Far North
To get there you will travel by aircraft. Jets at first, then progressively smaller planes, until you sit crammed into the worn leather seats of a tiny Cessna 185. Your head will ache and your stomach will turn queasy. Your flights will be delayed or canceled. The weather will determine your schedule. You will spend hours looking at runways. Have a book to read. Expect things to go wrong. They will, but in ways you do not expect. When possible, enjoy the view out the window, a rare and wondrous vantage. You must pack light, but not too light. Weigh your priorities and try to envision the range of needs that could arise. It could be sunny. It could be snowing. You could catch tons of fish or none at all. You may have to spend extra days in the bush. Know that you will get wet. If not immediately upon arrival, then soon enough. Plastic bags. Have plenty of them. You will understand why when you get there. Some take weapons. Where you are going there are plenty of reasons to have one. They are called grizzly bears. They come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. All of them can shred you to tatters in seconds. Most of them will want to avoid you. Let them. Make noise in places where your vision is limited. Loud voices work best although it takes time to get used to hollering like a madman. If you should encounter a bear, be calm. Never run, for to do so makes you prey. You cannot outrun a bear. As an alternative to a gun, I carry pepper spray. A grizzly hunter once told me "it's only good on fish and sheep meat." It is useless when the wind is strong but it is more reassuring than nothing. Your days will be full of hard walking. There are no trails except intermittent paths worn by game. The ground is beautiful—an undulating carpet of mosses, lichens, delicate leaves and berries—but it is murder to walk on, unstable and uneven, riddled with hidden rills and murky bogs. You will occasionally fall down. It cannot be helped. It is the way of the tussock. Miles are made with great difficulty. You must have patience. Occasionally, you will have to ford a swollen river. Move slowly, but not too slowly, for the water is frigid. Too long in it and you will begin to lose feeling in your legs. If you should fall in, you have only minutes before hypothermia commences. Do not fall in. Rain is likely. You will curse it under your breath. You will curse it out loud. Learn to live with it for you cannot make it go away. Long periods of precipitation can wear you down. Keep up your caloric intake. Find beauty in your misery. When you are finally inside your tent, listen to the rain fall. It makes a sound like fire. There are very few good campsites to be had. The country is huge and magnificent and thoroughly untrammeled, but flat, hard ground is difficult to come by. Be adaptable, be merry. Campsites always get better once you have been there a while. After you set up your tent, fix yourself an Arctic martini—a shot of Bombay Gin with a handful of wild blueberries. Study the sky, it is always changing. Study the land, it changes with the light. Caribou move like ghosts across the glowing tundra. Dall sheep skitter over the coal-black crags high above. A grizzly sow and her cubs ramble up a distant hillside. These things will haunt you. Sleep will come easily, for you will be exhausted at day’s end. It will still be light when you crawl into your sleeping bag. If you awaken in the night, listen closely for wolves. They have their own advice to give. |