Angkor Thom
The towering, 8-metre-high ramparts of Angkor Thom stretch for some 3 kilometres on each side enclosing what was the heart of the capital of the mighty Khmer empire from the end of the 10th century until its final abandonment in the 14th. Also known as Nokor Thom; nokor and angkor are both cognates of the Sanskrit word nagara, meaning city, while Thom is the Khmer word for big or large. Angkor Wat, lying just over 1 kilometre to the south, is then ‘Temple City’, while Angkor Thom is thus ‘Great City’.
This, however, is the modern, colloquial name and in its heyday, the city was recorded as Yasodharapura. pura is another Sanskrit word – again meaning city or settlement – while Yasovarman I was the late-9th-early 10th-century ruler who first constructed his royal city in the area. (His capital was actually slightly south of present-day Angkor Thom, in the vicinity of the hilltop temple Phnom Bahkeng.)
Looking north from Phnom Bahkeng across the forested Angkor Thom These huge laterite walls were in turn enclosed by a moat crossed by five demon and deity-lined bridges connected to five massive ‘gates’ or gopuras, which allowed access to the city proper. The entrances were situated at the four cardinal points with an additional causeway north of the eastern gate, which aligns with the royal viewing platform, the Terrace of the Elephants. The latter entrance is known as the Victory Gate while the true eastern one is ominously called the Gate of Death, as legend states that returning, victorious armies entered by the former and defeated ones from the east. The massive sandstone entrances with the iconic faces were a later addition by Jayavarman VII towards the end of the 12th century.
Just some of the iconic faces at Prasat Bayon Indeed, the focal point of the World Heritage site as seen today is the spectacular Bayon, the royal temple of the aforementioned Jayavarman VII, however, a long series of earlier kings had also commissioned their own sanctuaries within the city. Some are long gone, others remain, such as the impressive Baphuon, built in the mid-11th century by King Udayadityavarman and Suryavarman I’s royal temple Phimeanakas, while numerous smaller sanctuaries and temples are scattered throughout what is today the densely forested site.
The mid-11th-century temple of Baphuon lies a short distance north of Bayon Angkor Thom was, of course, merely the fortified centre of the city; the ‘downtown’ area, housing the palace and staff, royal guards, the king’s ‘dancing girls’ and musicians and the aristocrats, priests, etcetera. The peasants, farmers, workers, et al, lived in the suburbs, outlying villages or beside the canals which extended for miles beyond the walls in every direction. The vast conurbation stretched from the edges of the Tonle Sap Lake to the foot of Phnom Kulen in the north and from Rolous – site of an earlier incarnation of the capital – in the east to way beyond the West Baray to the west. Estimates vary wildly but a total population of somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million is likely, making it one of the World’s largest pre-industrial cities. This rivalled Rome at its peak while 12th-century Paris or London barely housed 50,000 inhabitants.
Bakong Temple, part of the Rolous Group – the 9th-century pre-Angkor capital which became a satellite town of Angkor One could spend days exploring Angkor Thom; perusing the elaborate reliefs of the Leper King Terrace, the carved mythical beasts of the Royal Enclosure or seeking out remote temples hidden in the forest, while a hike along the ancient ramparts offers great views of the moat on one side and the well-preserved forest on the other. Indeed, the site’s protected forest cover forms an oasis for local wildlife and gibbons and otters are often spotted along with a wealth of bird life so even if a visitor tires of ancient ruins, there’s plenty more to see.
Part of the elaborate reliefs at the Terrace of the Leper King Of course, unless one has a week to devote to the site, one can’t see everything. Our small group Cambodia tours as well as the Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam and Cambodia itineraries, include an afternoon walk through the forest with visits to the principal temples Phimeanakas, Baphuon and Bayon as well as the Royal Enclosure and the spectacular reliefs of the Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King. Our off-the-beaten-track Cambodia tour, Beyond Angkor, also features a half-day hike around the ramparts of Angkor Thom so offers the chance to see some of the lesser-known, remoter temples as well as the opportunity to check out some of the flora and fauna. (All tours include free time so, if you do wish to see more, the site is just a short tuk-tuk ride from our Siem Reap hotel.
