Posts Tagged "new temples"

APAD 215: Temple run

Posted by on Jan 21, 2014 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia life, Expat Life, travel, What's On in Cambodia | 0 comments

Photo originally uploaded in my other blog.

Village main temple rural Cambodia

A temple I chanced upon while looking for a friend’s house.

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APAD 125:Unfinished

Posted by on Apr 24, 2013 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, sights, That's My World, travel, What's On in Cambodia | 2 comments

apad 125 unfinished

An unfinished pavillion inside Prasat Vihear Sour

 

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APAD 124: Buddhist temple entrance

Posted by on Apr 23, 2013 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia life, Expat Life, sights, That's My World, travel, What's On in Cambodia | 0 comments

Sorry if I sound a bit like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft here but here’s a few more temple photos that I took in one of our road trips earlier this year. Remember Prasat Vihear Suor which I visited last February? If you had forgotten, here it is (please click the highlighted text).

We entered through a cement archway that is decorated with elephants and faces similar to that found at Bayon Temple. We could not stop the car by the entrance so I had to walk inside (looking out) to take a photo. Here is the result:

apad 124 dvarapalas at temple entrance2

Archways like this are very typical of an entrance to Cambodian temples. They give you a sense that you are entering Buddha’s domain.

These statues of temple guards, called dvarapalas, and the creature they are holding is called a naga, the mythical seven-headed, miles-long serpent that is said to  inhabit the waters of the great Mekong River.

Looking in the same direction, I went closer to the statues to my right and managed to get a close up shot of a dvarapala.

This should give you an idea how it looks like:

apad 124 close up of grouchy dvarapala2

Looks grouchy; scary even, isn’t it? There must be a hundred of them on either sides of the road. I found out not all of these dvarapalas look the same. I kid you not. Here is another dvarapala, on the other side of the road.

Those soldiers are called dvarapalas and the creature they are holding is called a naga, the mythical seven-headed serpent that is said to  inhabit the waters of the great Mekong River.

After our visit and on our way out, while my husband was waiting for a gap in the traffic, I hurriedly took this photo.

apad 124 dvarapalas holding up the naga at temple entrance

You can see the two seven-headed nagas being carried by the dvarapalas on both sides.


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APAD 111: Temple guardian

Posted by on Apr 2, 2013 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia life, Cycle 2, sights, That's My World, travel, What's On in Cambodia | 3 comments

I’ve always been fascinated by different mythical creatures and deities and living here in Cambodia doesn’t disappoint. These creatures are present in Khmer culture.

apad 111 dvarapala khmer temple guard

This is a temple guardian called, or a dvarapala. And it’s only one of the many other dvarapalas that adorn in most Khmer temples. Another kind of dvarapala is found here.


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APAD 104: Another wat on a hill

Posted by on Mar 19, 2013 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia, Cycle 2, sights, That's My World, travel, What's On in Cambodia | 1 comment

In one of our previous trips to the countryside, my husband and I passed by this newly-constructed wat (temple) located just within the same area as Wat Phnom Oudong. This temple is called Wat Leu, if I remember it correctly. It sits on top of a hill on the other side of Phnom Oudong. “Leu” means top, hence, the wat‘s name which means the upper wat.

apad 104 wat phnom leu

This is the new prayer hall in magnificent gold and maroon colours. The roof is decorated in ornate Khmer classical design, the kbach, and the five-headed naga, a mythical water serpent.

Here are some pictures we took while exploring the wat. Click the picture once to open it in a new tab. Once it opens in a new tab, click the picture again, if you want a larger view.

The temple although very new is a great place for taking photos. The beautiful flat countryside dotted with palm trees as far as the eyes can see. It is also very quiet and local villagers come here to seek peace and serenity if only for a few hours.


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