Showing posts with label Banteay Srei. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Banteay Srei. Show all posts

Friday, February 24, 2017

Banteay Srei





Devata





There are many special places in this world, some are much more well known than others.

Angkor Wat is a very well known wonder that is known as well as popular throughout the world.  Angkor Wat is much more than the just the temple whose name now is identified with the entire region. Besides the temple of Angkor Wat, the Siem Reap region also has the archaeological sites and ruins of the walled city of Angkor Thom with its temples of Bayon, Baupuon, Preah Palilay, Preah Pithu Group, Tep Prahnam, and unique features such as the Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of the Elephants, Khleangs & Prasat Suor Prat. Nearby there are the temples of Ta Prohm, Baksei Chamkrong, Phnom Bakheng, Prasat Kravan, Banteay Kdei, Ta Keo, Ta Nei, Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon, Preah Khan, Preah Neak Pean, Ta Som, Pre Rup, and Banteay Samre to name some but not all.  In my opinion, a minimum of three days is necessary to tour the sights with five days recommended to also visit the outlying sites.  In is easy to be overcome with "ruins overload".  Just as with the Grand Canyon National Park or other wonders of this world, several visits are needed to fully appreciate and to better start to understand the wonders before you.




My wife and I returned for a third visit last December.  The site is not as crowded as Angkor Wat and the surrounding area is not as "crazy" as the "Angkor" complex.  We have noticed changes from our first visit 10 years ago and even from our last visit 2 years ago.



Access is more restricted now with areas roped and barricaded off to tourists. The reception area is now more developed with a large paved parking lot for the ubiquitous tour buses, a commercial area, restaurants and covered as well as paved walkways to the vicinity of the site.  On our last trip the walkways of the reception area were the sight of a large photography exhibit of photos from the Huangshan Region of China. Some of the photos were incredibly beautiful.  There is some kind of sponsorship or association between Banteay Srei and the Huangshan Region. Banteay Srei as well as the other sights n the region are changing - evolving quickly  to the pressures of tie and the assistance of other nations to become the multicultural globalization vision of a proper and fitting heritage sight.



However the temple is still well worth a visit.  The sandstone carvings are magnificent and in general, well preserved.  Take advantage of the opportunities on your drive along Highway 67 to stop and experience some the sights, tastes, sounds and smells of contemporary Cambodia away from the madness of Siem Reap city.


Banteay Srei is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva constructed in 967 CE.  Banteay Srei, "Citadel of the Women" is constructed out of pink colored sandstone and has some of the finest carvings in the world.

Many of the carvings are from the Hindu epic "Ramayana"

"Ravana ShakingMount Kailasa" - East Pediment of the South Library

"Narasimba Clawing Hiranyakasipu" - North "long gallery"
"Fire In the Khandava Forest" - East pediment of North Library

"Krishna Killing Kamsa" - West pediment of North Library
The opportunity to experience the beauty and exquisite details of the carvings at Banteay Srei along with the experience of viewing some of the Cambodian countryside is well with the 45 minute drive out to the site from Angkor Wat.





Wednesday, December 23, 2015

A New Gallery - "Back In Time - Angkor Wat"








A new photo gallery is now available on my photography website.

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Back-In-Time-Angkor-Wat

This gallery of 35 photographs from our trip to Angkor Wat a year ago is a departure from my normal practice for my photographic work.  I typically post and populate my galleries with color photographs.  I prefer color because, for me, it better represents the reality of the moment that was captured.

For a photographer, or any artist, it is important to maintain an open mind and, more importantly, to continually refine one's style and improve one's skills.  I have started to venture a little more into black and white for some of my photographs.  For this series of photographs, in particular, the use of black and white is appropriate and, now in my opinion, preferable to color.

The ruins of Angkor Wat and its environs are a profusion of vegetation and weathered stone.  I find that in most cases the focus on the muted tones of the ruins are distracted by the vegetation in color photographs.

On Facebook, I recently seen and enjoyed many photographs from the 1880s and early 1900s of Southeast Asia.  I also noted how popular the postings were.

For this gallery I decided to try to capture more of the mood of the ruins than can be conveyed in an "as shot" reality of today.  To capture my interpretation of the mood for the ruins, I post processed my shots to convert them into a more 1880s and early 1900s photographs.



My goal is to provide a more unique opportunity to clients to purchase different type and style photographs of the Angkor Wat and its environs than is so commonly available from others.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Cambodia - Day #3 - More Temples and More Ruins

Our third day in Cambodia, Saturday 11 August, was spent touring more of the temples and ruins in the Siem Reap area as well as a visit to a holy mountain.  It was another busy day.


Cambodian Peasants Planting Rice Outside of Siem Reap

Farmer Uses Pole To Create Holes For Planting Rice

As we left Siem Reap at our customary start time of 8:00 A.M. we were soon out in the countryside where the people were busy planting rice.  Unlike in Isaan where the farmers transplant rice seedlings into the mud of flooded paddies, the Cambodian farmers use the dry cultivation method where the rice seedlings are transplanted into prepared relatively dry ground.  The work was performed by hand other than using oxen to plow the ground.  A woman used a pole to create holes in the ground to place the seedlings rather than using a see drill even one powered by an animal.  Due to the lack of money and with Cambodia still recovering from its recent history, traditional methods of farming predominate.  Hopefully in the not too distant future productivity can be improved with the incorporation of some mechanical methods of agriculture.  We watched these farmers for awhile and upon our return to Siem Reap later in the day, approximately 4:30 P.M., they were still hard at work in the fields.  I thought that we had had a long and tiring day but our exertions paled in comparison with their activities for the day.  Whereas we could relax and enjoy our time, they were working for their and their family's survival.  It is on these forays out into the countryside of southeast Asia that the reality of the differences in life and culture here as compared to people's life in America becomes so apparent.  I end up appreciating both more for these experiences.


Harvesting Rice Seedlings For Transplanting



Cambodian Farmer Preparing Ground For Rice Seedlings
On the way to what is considered to be the most sacred mountain in Cambodia, Phnom Kulen, we stopped and visited a family business along side of the road.  Once again the label of "family business" in Cambodia as in Thailand indicates that the small children are directly involved in the business.  If I were a child again, this family business would be one that I would be most happy to be working in - "palm sugar".  In front of their home, the family was busy producing "palm sugar'.  Palm sugar reminds me a great deal of the maple sugar candies from Vermont that I often got in my stocking at Christmas.


Family At Work Making Palm Sugar


Duang Climbing A Sugar Palm
The production of palm sugar commences with workers climbing a primitive bamboo ladder to reach the flower buds of the palm tree.  The workers slash the nut like buds to cause sap to flow which the y later collect.  The sap, just like maple sap, is then boiled to reduce it to a thick syrup.  The thick syrup is then poured into molds on top of a cooling table where the syrup quickly solidifies.  At this location the "cooling table"  was a rough lumber table covered with a thick and clean heavy plastic tablecloth.  The molds were rings about 4 centimeters (1-1/2 inch) in diameter created by cutting off  1 centimeter long pieces of bamboo. The day that we visited the family, the mother and father were busy boiling the sap down over a wood fire while the children under the shade of a canopy were occupied in removing the solid disks of finished sugar from their bamboo ring forms. Once the disks of palm sugar had completely cooled, the children placed them into plastic bags for sale to customers.  The family was very generous in allowing tourists to sample the drippings from the cooling table.  It was an act of kindness often experienced during our trip to Cambodia and a very effective marketing ploy.  We left with two bags of finished product - one to eat during the remainder of our stay in Cambodia and one to bring back home to Thailand.


Palm Sugar Ready To Be Sold

One of the benefits of freelance travel is stop and spend as much time at locations that interest you.  Hiring a guide and letting them know what your interests are helps to make each trip that much more special and memorable.  Being able to talk and learn from your guide about life in the area is another added benefit.  During our stop at the palm sugar "factory", we took the time to watch traffic move along the road.  Three of my favorites were the young woman with firewood stacked high on the back of her bicycle, the coconut vendor headed to his stall on his motorbike, and the farmer in his ox cart.


Headed Home With Some Firewood


Headed His Food Stall With Fresh Green Coconuts


Cambodian Farmer Headed Down the Road
From the palm sugar "factory" we drove aways into the countryside and commenced the climb to the sacred mountain.  We stopped at Kbal Spean - a locale on the Kbal Speam River where many ancient carvings have water flowing over them.  The ancient carvings are related to Hinduism and the worship
of the Hindu trinity "Vishnu", Shiva" and "Brahma"  One section of the riverbed was discovered in 1968 to have many lingham (linga) carved into the bedrock.  "Shiva" is worshipped in the form of "lingham".  Lingham or linga have been interpreted by some people as representing or symbolizing the male penis.  There remains a debate about the phallic symbololism of linga.  My attitude is ... "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck .. it is a duck"


Hindu Carvings In River Bed of Kbal Spean River

The Waffle Maker
We arrived at Phnom Kulen to discover a temple and near by picnic area where many Cambodian families were enjoying the surroundings and opportunity to swim in the narrow river.  After touring the temple, we crossed a small suspension bridge - think in terms of Indiana Jones over the river.  We were open game for the Cambodian children.  As we crossed the rickety bridge the children at the far end of the bridge jumped up and down causing the bridge to sway from side to side and to bounce up and down.  It was all good natured fun and when Duang's screams got too loud and uncontrolled, the children stopped.  There were many vendors in the area selling all types of prepared foods and drinks.  One of my favorite treats were waffles cooked over an open wood fire - delicious.  As we ate our lunch we watched the children diving off the bride into the river, and splashing about in the water - just like children at a river anywhere else in the world.  It was entertaining and enjoyable to observe them.


A Khmer Mud Pie Maker in Phnom Kulen

As we enjoyed the children's antics at the river and watched other children playing in the nearby village, our joy was somewhat tempered by the knowledge that these children and their families remain at risk from UNEXO "Un Exploded Ordnance" - land mines in the area.  Phnom Kulen had been a refuge for the Khmer Rouge so both sides of the civil war extensively used land mines in the area.  During our Cambodian visit we saw many people missing limbs from war and from the remnants of war that continue to victimize innocents today.


Courtyard of Land Mine Museum

On our return journey to Siem Reap we visited the Land Mine Museum - a vast collection of defused land mines collected by a Cambodian man dedicated to freeing his homeland from the curse of modern warfare.  It was a sobering experience to view the quantity as well as variety of weaponry used for "denial of territory".  Weapons that still kill, maim and will for many years to come.


Banteay Srei Ruins

Before returning to our hotel, we visited Banteay Srei, a 1,100 year old Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.  The temple is constructed from pinkish rock and has excellent carvings - an excellent choice by our guide for the last temple that we would visit on this trip.


Exquisite Banteay Srei Stone Carvings


One of Many Banteay Srei's Fine Carvings


We returned to our hotel around 5:00 P.M.  After dinner at a restaurant across the street and a visit to the local night market, we retired to our room for some well needed sleep.  the next day would be another long day - a trip to Tonle Sap Lake and the floating village of Chong Kneas.