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Highlights of Temples in Angkor Wat at the World Famous Largest UNESCO Religious Monumental Site

Here we are today on the focus of visiting the best temples in Angkor Wat that you must see and things to do in Angkor Wat vicinity. This post is the second part of the Angkor Archaeological Park where tips are given on how big and small circuit tours work, and also which are the temples that fall into the two ranges.

Is Angkor Wat Worth Visiting?

Angkor Wat Temple is a touristic place along with some other distinguished temples in Angkor Archaeological Park. It is the world largest religious monumental site and is also listed in the UNESCO. Most of the temples around the Angkor Wat area have only a few visitors apart from those well-known ones. Thus, you will not be trapped in the crowd after moving away from the popular spots to explore others. If one comes to Siem Reap without visiting the temples around Angkor Wat, then it is deemed that one has never truly immersed into the real Siem Reap before. Worth visiting? Absolutely!

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Here are the spectacular religious monuments within the Angkor Archaeological Park that I had visited with my 3-day Angkor Pass in April. That is the hottest month of the year with a temperature hovering between 38°C to 40°C during the day. Even the nights were no better after the sunset. I would have visited even more temples, specifically those situated away from Angkor Park if the weather was kinder to me. I was utterly smitten with my Siem Reap city tour and fascinating Angkor travel experience. These are my 3-day itinerary for visiting the best temples in Angkor Wat.

• Day 1: Small Circuit ⦿ Angkor Wat ⦿ Ta Prohm ⦿ Banteay Kdei
• Day 2: Big Circuit ⦿ Preah Khan ⦿ Neak Pean ⦿ Ta Som ⦿ East Mebon ⦿ Pre Rup Small Circuit ⦿ Prasat Kravan
• Day 3: Small Circuit ⦿ Angkor Thom ⦿ Bayon

1. Angkor Wat

Among all the religious monuments in Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor Wat is the most famous of all. That is also the primary reason why 2 million visitors flocked to Siem Reap annually. It was built in the first half of the 12th century (1113 and 1150) by King Suryavarman II who made Angkor Wat his state temple. The construction took around 30 years to build under his leadership. There was also a claim that Angkor Wat was completed only after his death. The orientation of Angkor Wat faces the west, whereas all other temples constructed has an eastern facing.

As a pious worshipper of Lord Vishnu, who is the supreme god of all, temples associated with him usually sits in a westerly direction. Angkor Wat was originated from a Hindu temple and gradually evolved into a Buddhist temple at the end of the 12th century after King Jayavarman VII seized back the power from the invaders. Another interesting observation is that the buildings in Siem Reap city are all very low as no other monuments in Siem Reap can be erected higher than the Angkor Wat temple of 65m (213 feet) from the ground. That is the utmost supremacy of Angkor Wat historical value.

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2. Ta Prohm

Ta Phrom, popularized by the movie “Tomb Raider” is one of the must-see religious monuments in Angkor Archaeological Park next to Angkor Wat. Built as a Buddhist temple by King Jayavarman VII as a devotee of Mahayana Buddhism, the Ta Prohm temple was dedicated to his mother. The beauty of Ta Phrom lies in the big trees with overgrown roots encompassing the monument, giving a mystical sense of adventure upon stepping onto the imposing site. Thus, the locals also called it the “Tree Temple” or “Angkor Wat Tree Temple”. Upon seeing the magical Ta Prohm Temple, it is no wonder why it was chosen for the Tomb Raider’s movie.

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3. Banteay Kdei

After visiting the crowded temples of Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei gave a new refreshing perspective of the temple. There was an apparent lack of people at the site when we visited. As a result, there was a slightly melancholic feel of the temple but a calming effect. However, it was quickly compensated with several statues of lions at the external enclosure that conveyed a dignified silence.

The complex of Banteay Kdei is of a single level with not many steps to climb, and therefore, easy on the feet and also on the eyes. We could indulge in the tranquillity and take a closer look at the architecture. The meaning of Banteay Kdei is “Citadel of Chambers” or “Citadel of Monks’ cells”. The monks occupied this Buddhist monastic complex at a different period until the 1960s.

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4. Prasat Kravan

Prasat Kravan was the smallest temple that I had visited for the 3-day Angkor Wat trip. It was one that our taxi driver did not cover on the first day under the Small Circuit tour, and it kept me baffling. Nonetheless, I had it included on the second trip with my tuk-tuk driver. I have to be honest. Prasat Kravan was a temple that I did not find truly worthwhile to see after visiting all the impressive monuments. On the other hand, simplistic design is another form of beauty that some may appreciate. Prasat Kravan was one of the rare temples not built by a king but by a high-ranking priest of King Harshavarman I.

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5. Preah Khan

Ta Prohm was built in honour of King Jayavarman VII’s mother, whereas Preah Khan was to honour the king’s father. Preah Khan means “Sacred Sword” or “Holy Sword” to commemorate the defeat of the Cham people in 1191. Preah Khan was also a Buddhist monastery that housed about 100,000 inhabitants and 430 shrines of Hindu gods in a 56 hectares complex during ancient times. Furthermore, it was perceived as King Jayavarman VII first abode before he designated Angkor Thom his capital later.

There were severe disfigurations on almost all Buddhist sculptures by the Shaivite iconoclastic under King Jayavarman VIII reign in the second half of the 13th century. He was anti-Buddhism and reverted the religion to Hinduism after the rulership of his father. Another noteworthy observation was that two rows of heads on the statues along the access path of Preah Khan were mostly missing. One row was gods, and the other was demons. Both sides were holding a serpent. It depicted the scene of a Hindu mythology – Churning of the Ocean of Milk.

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6. Neak Pean

Neak Pean refers to “The Entwined Serpents”. It is a small temple built on a small circular man-made island at Jayatataka Baray and associated with the Preah Khan temple. It was initially created with the belief that the healing water would cure diseases. The temple area can experience floods during the rainy season, but the visit to Neak Pean was unique. Firstly, you would go through the forested area with several stalls selling clothes and souvenirs. So far, the stretch of the walk has the most number of hawkers as compared to other Angkor temples.

Secondly, you will cross the reservoir on a long wooden plank. That gives a different atmosphere surrounded by water and an unblocked panoramic view. There were many visitors in Neak Pean even though the location was a bit far from the land. I did not really enjoy my trip to Neak Pean that much due to the far distance of the monuments which I could not see clearly. I preferred to admire them at a closer range.

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7. Ta Som

Ta Som had a style somewhat similar to the Bayon Temple. The Gopura entrance has well-preserved towers assimilating the four-faced Buddha, Bodhisattva Lokeshvara which no other temple has such passage, except Bayon, of course. There were a few claims of whom the temple was built to honour – ancestor, father or teacher.

Ta Som is the farthest temple in the Grand Circuit and was erected as a single layer complex. You will go through three layers of enclosures in a straight line. One eye-catching highlight in Ta Som was the overhanging fig tree of the gopura located at the third enclosure which provided some awesome photo shoots. The photos below illustrated different entrances in Ta Som that differed from one another if you have an eye for detail.

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8. East Mebon

East Mebon was another extraordinary sight that had a distinctive rectangular perimeter. It has large rocks which I had to widen my legs more to climb. During ancient times, the construction of East Mebon was on an artificial island 120 metres wide and only accessible by boat. The large reservoir, which is the East Baray, had now dried up. On the second level of East Mebon, elephants can be seen at both ends standing guard of the temple. The highest level of the central tower was a small enclosed chamber with the shrine of Shiva.

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9. Pre Rup

Pre Rup was King Rajendravarman II’s state temple although the construction was 9 years later after East Mebon. Pre Rup was my favourite temple in the Grand Circuit. I was mesmerised by the profuse rectangular frames that formed as part of the brilliant architecture. They looked as though you could take several selfies inside these frames with a stunning background.

Pre Rup was one of the Temple Mountain out of the other Khmer temples as an engineered impression of Mount Meru, a five-peaked mountain considered to be divine in aspects of physical, metaphysical and spiritual cosmos in India. The primary formation of Pre Rup on brick and laterite gives a deep warm tone visually. Therefore, it is best viewed during sunrise and sunset when the colour is further enhanced by the light.

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10. Bayon @ Angkor Thom

Bayon was the state temple of King Jayavarman VII in his capital Angkor Thom. Both Bayon and Angkor Thom were established much later than Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. Similarly to the earlier East Mebon and Pre Rup erected under King Rajendravarman II, the formidable architecture was another symbolic monument of Mount Meru, believed to be the centre of the universe in Hindu cosmology.

The most conspicuous hallmark of Bayon Temple was the 216 colossal smiling faces of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara / Lokeshvara carved in four directions on 54 monumental towers. Now, there are less than 54 face towers attributed to degradation and other factors. There was also speculation that the faces of the Buddha in Bayon were that of King Jayavarman VII himself.

Bayon is an even more awe-inspiring temple than Angkor Wat, in my opinion. Furthermore, the trail inside the Bayon Temple was more labyrinthine than any other temple. Hence, it was easy to miss out on some hidden routes leading to some sanctuaries. The visitors were as many as those of Angkor Wat. Therefore, it was not easy to take photographs of unblocked views without the heads and to manoeuvre around with the crowd with ease.

What not to be missed at the back of Bayon, or rather the external enclosure of the temple had visibly lesser people due to the closing time at 5:30 pm. The immense face towers on the skyline provided a stupendous background for some serious photoshoots or simply hanging around the vicinity admiring every foot of the marvellous unique landscape at Bayon.

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To round up this article on the visit to the marvellous Angkor Archaeological Park, you will be delighted to know that there are eateries outside every temple station. I am not sure whether they serve food as I did not see anyone eating there, but they will come and sell you drinks. Whenever tourists come close to them, they would ask if they want coconut juice. Drinking Coconut juice is helpful to reduce body temperature in hot weather like Cambodia. The coconut drink costs US$1, and it has the same price everywhere in Angkor Park. If the seller quotes you a higher amount, perhaps, you can wait until the next stop unless you are very thirsty.

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We are coming to the end of our Angkor Temples tour. However, visiting the temples is not the only thing you can do in Siem Reap. Whether you want to visit the Angkor temples or not, there are many places you can go during the day and night. You can read more suggestions on where to go in Siem Reap as I have been to most of them in my following article. I hope you can enjoy sightseeing and your time in Siem Reap as much as I do!