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Siem Reap - Angkor Thom
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Hello again,
The Angkor empire began in 802 when the warrior Jayavarman II declared himself king. He unified what had previously been numerous, independent city/states. By the 12th century, the Angkor empire was one of the largest in the world. Angkor Thom was home to over 1 million people. By comparison, London's population at that time was only 35,000.
Angkor Thom was built by Jayavarman VII. Located inside Angkor Thom is the Buddhist Bayon Temple. A classic example of Khmer art and architecture. It is famous and easily recognizable by its large faces. There are four faces per tower. Each face is several meters high and faces out a different direction (N,E,S,W). With up to 49 towers, you can figure out how many faces total.
What I find most interesting about Angkor Thom are the stories depicted on the walls. The bas-reliefs along the south wall recount a battle on the Ton Le Sap Lake. It is speculated to be the 1177 attack by the Chams, who lived in central Vietnam. You can easily see crocodiles eating the unfortunate soldiers who fell into the water. Ow! One of the reasons why animals got farmed.
During the 14th century, the Thais to the west started attacking. They were originally from China but had been forced to migrate southward by (I think) Genghis Khan. By the 15th century, the Thais had sacked the Angkor empire and burned Angkor Thom. The Thais stole hundreds of artists, dancers and intellectuals from the royal court. Many people don't know this, but much of Thai culture today originated from the Khmer in 1431.
Eric
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