To Another Sunday in Iceland Gather to the Chapel

Another Sunday in Iceland, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

Liam Finn - "Gather to the Chapel" Yep Rock Records 6,614 views

If you want to see how I made this (and how you can too!), visit my HDR Tutorial. I hope it gives you some new tricks! This is a really nice little church by a graveyard in the south of Iceland. It was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, as you can tell. The gate with the cross on the top leads to a tiny and lonely graveyard. Graveyards are always interesting and macabre places for photography, and the mood changes dramatically depending on the time of day. I notice there are a few things that are "Mood Amplifiers" in photos. These are items to include in your photo to take whatever mood is being conveyed to the next order of magnitude. These include: graveyards, churches, dogs, pretty women, miniature horses, and blood. I've been trying to think of a way to include all of these elements into a single mind-blowing photo, but a clear path has yet to present itself.

from my daily photo blog at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/

Taken onFebruary 11, 2007 at 10.07pm CST

Posted to FlickrOctober 12, 2008 at 12.23pm CDT

Uploaded by Stuck in Customs on 12 Oct 08, 10.23AM PDT.

good morning everyone, i loved this foto...watched harry potter this weekend...was a great movie...it was very sad at the end :( but the very ending made up for it...but still sad, it's such a fantasy movie isn't it?...while i was at the movies again...i'm not sure why incidents always happen while i'm going to a movie? anyways...this lady who was calling out...again...these same words that i seem to hear...she called out..." hello anyone, can you help me...can you help me...can you help me..." a couple people stopped but they couldn't help her...they gave a dazed look and said, "sorry"...so again...because i was in the right place at the right time...my first intention was just to shoot the escalators leading up to the theaters but...she distracted me...so i said, "yes" and smiled...she's like, "oh can you help me? i'm not feeling good, i need to go to the hospital..." my eyes widened, i was like, "ok..."

she said, "i want to go to toronto general hospital, i know it's somewhere around here...but i can't take a cab, i need to go on my scooter"

the reason why was this woman didn't want to cab was maybe it was too expensive for her...she was very heavy set, she wheezed from her breathing...she told me her kidney's were bleeding...she's like, "i'm sick, my kidney's are bleeding, i don't feel good"...instead of cabbing it she rather take her scooter...

so! what did i do...? i got out my nifty blackberry bold and decided to do a search...i knew where it was kinda but had to be sure....so i gave her the address and then we asked this other man also for the cross streets and then we explained everything to her...

...the first couple people whom she asked just nonchalantly said, "toronto general? i don't know..." but come on everyone knows where the hospital is...don't be silly...anyways it happens...sometimes you just don't want to be bothered right? it was a nice feeling again...to help her...help someone

i'm not sure why every time i go out of the house now some, "can you help me" thing happens to me? well not every time but feels like more frequently now and the only difference is i'm writing it down now, it's strange? but i quite enjoy helping these people as these experiences come along the way...do you enjoy me writing these things down? i wonder if people missed me when i stopped this for a few days? prolly not, but i enjoy writing this for you today...

...her name was tracy...at the end i caught a glimpse of her ring...was beautiful...will upload soon...i love you...ntfe brb.

...have a blessed day everyone, it's Sunday :)

Fast car -Tracy Chapman 5,696,916 views i love tracy chapman...nice to come here today...

Subscribe

Unsubscribe

orregolog
March 08, 2007
wena wena loco locoCategory: MusicTags: trenzas como de negro

in the end...she said...i'm gonna be a fashion designer one day...she said she use to be a nurse...in cardiology...

You got a fast car ?
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere

Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
You got a fast car
And I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way...

lots of thunder and lightning today...

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

The Guardian of Enlightenment Return to Innocence Enigma

The Guardian of Enlightenment, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

It was my second day in the wats of Angkor and I was back to explore the edges of the vast complex. One turn and another, a room within a room, I quickly became lost, which is altogether a great thing in these sorts of situations. Even better, as those of you that know me already understand, there was not a single tourist around to ruin the mood out deep in hidden recesses.

...i just loved this one too...<3

I came upon this meditating pilgrim, who had created her own little shrine area where the unexpected Hindu god statues had been absconded from the altar. She continued on, chanting in her particular Brahmanistic offshoot meme that seemed to bring her enough peace to allow me to pass after careful examination.

thank you for everything...thanks to mr. ratcliff, flickr, youtube, beloved musicians, artists...i can see these things all right here....and did you know placebo went to the temple to do a fundraiser to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking, a crime impacting millions of people worldwide.produced by MTV EXIT? i so loved this event they created, thank you placebo, thank you mtv...from the bottom of my heart, yes it's true! they told me! check out their myspace...oh nevermind i'll bring it right here...there are so many more stories to bring back...so i'm doing so one by one...i only have two hands, have a blessed day everyone...

Contains
Content From:

EMI Music

thank you so much EMI love you, needed this for my post <3>

Subscribe

Unsubscribe

Najimul
April 02, 2009

(more info)

(less info)

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

Thats not the beginning of the end
Thats the return to yourself
The return to innocence.
[Love - devotion
Feeling - emotion]
.
Love - devotion
Feeling - emotion
.
Dont be afraid to be weak
Dont be too proud to be strong
Just look into your heart my friend
That will be the return to yourself
The return to innocence
.
If you want, then start to laugh
If you must, then start to cry
Be yourself dont hide
Just believe in destiny
.
Dont care what people say
Just follow your own way
Dont give up and use the chance
To return to innocence
.
Thats not the beginning of the end
Thats the return to yourself
The return to innocence
.
Dont care what people say
Follow just your own way
Follow just your own way
Dont give up, dont give up
To return, to return to innocence.
If you want then laugh
If you must then cry
Be yourself dont hide
Just believe in destiny.

Category: Entertainment

Tags: Return to innocence Enigma life English song mishu najimul

from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com

Uploaded by Stuck in Customs on 24 Nov 08, 8.36PM PDT.

...we already know she's part of the UN...but i guess in the future we'll see...i love this actress...many blessing to her and her family too..oh i'll just post her story her too so you can read...it's touching...

Angelina Jolie to join politics! 65,520 views

you know what else is special? i just found out through this lehren tv channel that Angelina Jolie wants to be a politician? is this true? more WOMEN IN POWER then...power to the people...i think cambodia is special to Angelina Jolie also...because i think this place (when she filmed her movie? i believe...i'm not sure i'd have to research more...) found her inner most peace? she found her first son there, what a beautiful story..isn't it? she adopted a beautiful boy from cambodia, it's a beautiful love story for sure, because now i think Angelina Jolie turned out to be such a beautiful mom herself...

Subscribe

Unsubscribe

Partner Video

lehrentv
June 23, 2009

(more info)

(less info)

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

Visit www.lehren.tv for more Bollywood news and videos. Actress Angelina Jolie is reportedly bored with the Hollywood industry and is considering turning to politics to make a difference in the world

Category: Entertainment

Tags: Bollywood Bollywoodhungama BollywoodMasala Gossip Lehren News Videos Actor Actress Entertainment Sexy Sizzling Fashion Angelina Jolie Hollywood diva politics

Severn Suzuki speaking at UN Earth Summit 1992 270,663 views

Subscribe

Unsubscribe

speedyboh
May 29, 2007

(more info)

(less info)

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

Raised in Vancouver and Toronto, Severn Cullis-Suzuki has been camping and hiking all her life. When she was 9 she started the Environmental Children's Organization (ECO), a small group of children committed to learning and teaching other kids about environmental issues. They were successful in many projects before 1992, when they raised enough money to go to the UN's Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Their aim was to remind the decision-makers of who their actions or inactions would ultimately affect. The goal was reached when 12 yr old Severn closed a Plenary Session with a powerful speech that received a standing ovation.

more information on http://www.davidsuzuki.org

BigUp to my friend Sebastian Sturm for letting me use his song... yes bredgin, TELL THEM THE TRUTH!!!

http://www.sebastian-sturm.com
http://www.myspace.com/sebastiansturm

Category: News & Politics

Tags: one world earth environment eco children better future nature capitalism pollution poverty war global warming knom seng

Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (Scotch Mist Version) 687,123 views

Subscribe

Unsubscribe

radiohead
December 31, 2007

(more info)

(less info)

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

Radiohead
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (Scotch Mist Version)
from the album "In Rainbows"

Category: Music

Tags: Radiohead Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (Scotch Mist Version) In Rainbows

thank you to everyone on this post from the bottom of my heart

Butterfly Bleeding Love

watched more great movies, last week finally saw twillight in home theatre, wow what a story...just saw angels and demons...another great movie..........................................................................


Old Swallow Tail Butterfly, originally uploaded by p.m.w.

Taken on
August 23, 2008 at 12.57pm PDT

Posted to Flickr
August 25, 2008 at 9.20pm PDT

Uploaded by p.m.w on 25 Aug 08, 9.20PM PDT.views leona lewis bleeding love

Subscribe

Unsubscribe

Caliiniiqka18
March 09, 2008

(more info)

(less info)

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

2008 BRIT AWARDS - leona lewis - bleeding love

Category: Entertainment

Tags: 2008 BRIT AWARDS leona lewis bleeding love

i love you forever...................................................................................................................

Prelude to a kiss I love you so much I'm always thinking of you

Prelude to a Kiss, originally uploaded by p.m.w.

Taken on August 23, 2008 at 12.58pm PDT

Posted to Flickr August 25, 2008 at 9.20pm PDT

Uploaded by p.m.w on 25 Aug 08, 9.20PM PDT.

BEIRUT - The Penalty - From the Flying Club Cup 109,690 views


flyingclubcup
September 11, 2007
Nantes is the 1st song from the new Beirut album called the Flying club cup.

La Blogothèque filmed each track of this album in Brooklyn, and will publish each of them on a dedicated website.

You can see them all at flyingclubcup.com
Category: Music
Tags: Beirut Zach Condon Flying Club Cup The Penalty Blogotheque chryde vincent moon

Like an ancient day and I'm on trial
Let them seize the way, this once was an island
And I could not stay for I believed them
Left for the lights always in season

Impassable night in a crowd of homesick
Fully grown children, you'll leave the lights
Your family may not wait, Sir, keep on believing
Our parents rue the day, they find us kneeling
Let them think what they may, for they've good reason
Left for the lights always in season

Alicia Keys - Prelude to a kiss (keep a child alive) (milan) 1,976 views

facesko
March 31, 2008
Alicia Keys live in Milano 29-3-2008 prelude to a kiss
Category: People & Blogs
Tags: alicia keys live milan milano as am prelude to kiss

Approaching the Glacier after a Stormy Sunrise on Highway 7

Approaching the Glacier after a Stormy Sunrise, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

We left while it was still dark to reach this spot by the morning. The glacier is already a deadly blue, but the morning light gets into the nooks and crannies and makes the blue reflect around like an argon laser.

It was really cold when I took this. And raining. And windy. I had a panoply of towels, rags, and other drying agents in various pockets, constantly wiping down the lens. I also had the sweet lady D3X inside of a clear plastic bag to protect it from the whipping rain.

k-os - highway 7 1,330 views


deedu
January 11, 2009
Hey! I know that highway!
Category: Music

Every 30 minutes or so, I could hear an ungodly creaking and ripping of ice as another cleaved off into the water below. I understand if there was going to be a huge piece cleave off that the splash could actually make it all the way to me. I both wanted it to happen and didn't want it to happen at the same time. I think my indecision made it not happen.

Also -- interesting news? I am working on a little short film from Patagonia. It will be about 8 minutes long... I don't know when it will be done. It seems to be taking longer than expected! :)

From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com

Uploaded by Stuck in Customs on 8 Apr 09, 10.32PM PDT.

Taken on March 28, 2009 at 7.22pm CDT

Posted to Flickr
April 8, 2009 at 12.32am CDT

Blood Red Sunset Everyday Intro

Blood Red Sunset, originally uploaded by p.m.w.

Uploaded by p.m.w on 14 Feb 09, 5.36PM PDT.

Every day by Carly Commando 84,167 views
djembasspiano13
October 29, 2007
piano song
Category: Music
Tags: carly commando pianiste every day noah kalina piano musique néoclassique

The heartbeats in the ruins of Angkor from across the moat

Angkor Wat was really more of a fortress than it was a temple.

The ruins of Angkor from across the moat, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

There is a massive moat that encircles the complex. I can only imagine how long it took peasants to dig a thousand years ago. I also wonder how they all drank fresh water back then. I know I couldn't go more than 10 minutes walking around the area without needing a drink. The massive heat, humidity, and standing water was a perfect recipe for cavalcade of bacteria to rise up and fight back. I don't suppose they all boiled their water. Maybe everyone was just more hardy back then... Luckily, when I was there, there were plenty of little children running around selling me bottled water. Which, upon further reflection, I probably should not have drank.

The ruins of Angkor from across the moat, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

44,087 views as of June 7th 2009 Angkor Wat

Subscribe

imorgan10 July 30, 2006 49,583 views (more info) (less info)Video of Ancient Temple Angkor Wat in CambodiaCategory: Travel & EventsTags: angkor wat temple cambodia buddha ancient

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

Video of Ancient Temple Angkor Wat in Cambodia

4,129,759 views as of June 7 2009

Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats

Subscribe

erg0nFebruary 15, 2006 (more info) José González cover of The Knife's Heartbeats. Excellent acoustic sound. Also featured in the http://www.bravia-advert.com commercial.

Check out his album Veneer

DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS VID

Want to Subscribe?
Sign In or Sign Up now!

José González cover of The Knife's Heartbeats. Excellent acoustic sound. Also featured in the http://www.bravia-advert.com commercial. Check out his album Veneer DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS VID

Category: EntertainmentTags: acoustic guitar Jose Gonzalez Heartbeats cover love songs

from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com

Uploaded by Stuck in Customs on 13 Mar 09, 9.49PM PDT.

EDITED 8.19.2009 2.43pm est. added angor wat from wiki enlarged video for the peoples end note <3

Angkor Wat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The main entrance to the temple proper, seen from the eastern end of the Naga causeway.

A source of great national pride, Angkor Wat has been depicted in Cambodian national flags since 1863

Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត), is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.

The modern name, Angkor Wat, in use by the 16th century,^[1] means "City Temple": Angkor is a vernacular form of the word nokor which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (capital), while wat is the Khmer word for temple. Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of its founder, Suryavarman II.^[2]

Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Architecture 2.1 Site and plan 2.2 Style 2.3 Features 2.3.1 Outer enclosure 2.3.2 Central structure 2.3.3 Decoration 2.4 Construction techniques 3 Angkor Wat today 4 Notes 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

Angkor Wat is the southernmost temple of Angkor's main group of sites.

An 1866 photograph of Angkor Wat by Emile Gsell

Angkor Wat lies 5.5 km north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred on the Baphuon. It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures. It is the southernmost of Angkor's main sites.

The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113 – c. 1150), Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown, but it may have been known as Vrah Vishnulok after the presiding deity. Work seems to have ended shortly after the king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished.^[3] In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Sulyavarman II, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kilometres to the north.

In the late 13th century, King Jayavarman VIII, who was Hindu, was deposed by his son in law, Srindravarman. Srindravarman had spent the previous 10 years in Sri Lanka becoming ordained as a Buddhist monk. Hence, the new King decided to convert the official religion of the empire from Hindu to Buddhist. Given the constant political corruption of the time, citizens were quick to follow a faith founded on tranquility without a need for material gain and power. This made the conversion relatively easy. ^[4] Hence, Angkor Wat was converted from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.^[5]

One of the first Western visitors to the temple was Antonio da Magdalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of".^[6] However, the temple was popularised in the West only in the mid-19th century on the publication of Henri Mouhot's travel notes. The French explorer wrote of it:

"One of these temples—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo—might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."^[7]

Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, was unable to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site.

There were no ordinary dwellings or houses or other signs of settlement including cooking utensils weapons or items of clothing usually found at ancient sites. Instead there is the evidence of the monuments themselves. ^[8]

Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century, mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation.^[9] Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues.^[10]

The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863.^[11] In January 2003 riots erupted in Phnom Penh when a false rumour circulated that a Thai soap opera actress had claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.^[12]

[edit] Architecture

[edit] Site and plan

A plan of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, located at 13°24′45″N 103°52′0″E / 13.4125°N 103.86667°E / 13.4125; 103.86667Coordinates: 13°24′45″N 103°52′0″E / 13.4125°N 103.86667°E / 13.4125; 103.86667, is a unique combination of the temple mountain, the standard design for the empire's state temples, the later plan of concentric galleries, and influences from Orissa and the Chola of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolises the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean.^[13] Access to the upper areas of the temple was progressively more exclusive, with the laity being admitted only to the lowest level.^[14]

Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This has led many (including Glaize and George Coedès) to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple.^[15] Further evidence for this view is provided by the bas-reliefs, which proceed in a counter-clockwise direction—prasavya in Hindu terminology—as this is the reverse of the normal order. Rituals take place in reverse order during Brahminic funeral services.^[9] The archaeologist Charles Higham also describes a container which may have been a funerary jar which was recovered from the central tower.^[16] It has been nominated by some as the greatest expenditure of energy on the disposal of a corpse. ^[17] Freeman and Jacques, however, note that several other temples of Angkor depart from the typical eastern orientation, and suggest that Angkor Wat's alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with the west.^[13]

A further interpretation of Angkor Wat has been proposed by Eleanor Mannikka. Drawing on the temple's alignment and dimensions, and on the content and arrangement of the bas-reliefs, she argues that these indicate a claimed new era of peace under king Suryavarman II: "as the measurements of solar and lunar time cycles were built into the sacred space of Angkor Wat, this divine mandate to rule was anchored to consecrated chambers and corridors meant to perpetuate the king's power and to honor and placate the deities manifest in the heavens above."^[18][19] Mannikka's suggestions have been received with a mixture of interest and scepticism in academic circles.^[16] She distances herself from the speculations of others, such as Graham Hancock, that Angkor Wat is part of a representation of the constellation Draco.^[20]

The north-west tower of the inner gallery at sunset

[edit] Style

Angkor Wat is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture—the Angkor Wat style—to which it has given its name. By the 12th century Khmer architects had become skilled and confident in the use of sandstone (rather than brick or laterite) as the main building material. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks is yet to be identified, although natural resins or slaked lime have been suggested.^[21]

Angkor Wat has drawn praise above all for the harmony of its design, which has been compared to the architecture of ancient Greece or Rome. According to Maurice Glaize, a mid-20th-century conservator of Angkor, the temple "attains a classic perfection by the restrained monumentality of its finely balanced elements and the precise arrangement of its proportions. It is a work of power, unity and style."^[22]

Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. The statuary of Angkor Wat is considered conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work.^[23] Other elements of the design have been destroyed by looting and the passage of time, including gilded stucco on the towers, gilding on some figures on the bas-reliefs, and wooden ceiling panels and doors.^[24]

The Angkor Wat style was followed by that of the Bayon period, in which quality was often sacrificed to quantity.^[25] Other temples in the style are Banteay Samré, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda and the early temples of Preah Pithu at Angkor; outside Angkor, Beng Mealea and parts of Phanom Rung and Phimai.

[edit] Features

Aerial view of Angkor Wat

[edit] Outer enclosure

The outer wall, 1024 by 802 m and 4.5 m high, is surrounded by a 30 m apron of open ground and a moat 190 m wide. Access to the temple is by an earth bank to the east and a sandstone causeway to the west; the latter, the main entrance, is a later addition, possibly replacing a wooden bridge.^[26] There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points; the western is much the largest and has three ruined towers. Glaize notes that this gopura both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper.^[27] Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu, known as Ta Reach, which may originally have occupied the temple's central shrine.^[26] Galleries run between the towers and as far as two further entrances on either side of the gopura often referred to as "elephant gates", as they are large enough to admit those animals. These galleries have square pillars on the outer (west) side and a closed wall on the inner (east) side. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus rosettes; the west face of the wall with dancing figures; and the east face of the wall with balustered windows, dancing male figures on prancing animals, and devatas, including (south of the entrance) the only one in the temple to be showing her teeth.

The Temple viewed from the northwest

The outer wall encloses a space of 820,000 square metres (203 acres), which besides the temple proper was originally occupied by the city and, to the north of the temple, the royal palace. Like all secular buildings of Angkor, these were built of perishable materials rather than of stone, so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some of the streets.^[28] Most of the area is now covered by forest. A 350 m causeway connects the western gopura to the temple proper, with naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side. Each side also features a library with entrances at each cardinal point, in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance, and a pond between the library and the temple itself. The ponds are later additions to the design, as is the cruciform terrace guarded by lions connecting the causeway to the central structure.^[29]

[edit] Central structure

This model of Angkor Wat shows intact the half-galleries of the lower level and towers at the corners of the second-level galleries.

The temple stands on a terrace raised higher than the city. It is made of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, each level higher than the last. Mannikka interprets these galleries as being dedicated to the king, Brahma, the moon, and Vishnu.^[3] Each gallery has a gopura at each of the points, and the two inner galleries each have towers at their corners, forming a quincunx with the central tower. Because the temple faces west, the features are all set back towards the east, leaving more space to be filled in each enclosure and gallery on the west side; for the same reason the west-facing steps are shallower than those on the other sides.

The outer gallery measures 187 by 215 m, with pavilions rather than towers at the corners. The gallery is open to the outside of the temple, with columned half-galleries extending and buttressing the structure. Connecting the outer gallery to the second enclosure on the west side is a cruciform cloister called Preah Poan (the "Hall of a Thousand Buddhas"). Buddha images were left in the cloister by pilgrims over the centuries, although most have now been removed. This area has many inscriptions relating the good deeds of pilgrims, most written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese. The four small courtyards marked out by the cloister may originally have been filled with water.^[30] North and south of the cloister are libraries.

Beyond, the second and inner galleries are connected to each other and to two flanking libraries by another cruciform terrace, again a later addition. From the second level upwards, devatas abound on the walls, singly or in groups of up to four. The second-level enclosure is 100 by 115 m, and may originally have been flooded to represent the ocean around Mount Meru.^[31] Three sets of steps on each side lead up to the corner towers and gopuras of the inner gallery. The very steep stairways represent the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the gods.^[32] This inner gallery, called the Bakan, is a 60 m square with axial galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine, and subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers. The roofings of the galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in the heads of lions or garudas. Carved lintels and pediments decorate the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines. The tower above the central shrine rises 43 m to a height of 65 m above the ground; unlike those of previous temple mountains, the central tower is raised above the surrounding four.^[33] The shrine itself, originally occupied by a statue of Vishnu and open on each side, was walled in when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism, the new walls featuring standing Buddhas. In 1934, the conservator George Trouvé excavated the pit beneath the central shrine: filled with sand and water it had already been robbed of its treasure, but he did find a sacred foundation deposit of gold leaf two metres above ground level.^[34]

[edit] Decoration

The bas-relief of the Churning of the Sea of Milk shows Vishnu in the centre, his turtle avatar Kurma below, asuras and devas to left and right, and apsaras and Indra above.

Integrated with the architecture of the building, and one of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat's extensive decoration, which predominantly takes the form of bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Higham has called these, "the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving".^[35] From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka (from the Ramayana, in which Rama defeats Ravana) and the Battle of Kurukshetra (from the Mahabharata, showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans). On the southern gallery follow the only historical scene, a procession of Suryavarman II, then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hindu mythology.

Devatas are characteristic of the Angkor Wat style.

Glaize writes of;

"... those unfortunate souls who are to be thrown down to hell to suffer a refined cruelty which, at times, seems to be a little disproportionate to the severity of the crimes committed. So it is that people who have damaged others' property have their bones broken, that the glutton is cleaved in two, that rice thieves are afflicted with enormous bellies of hot iron, that those who picked the flowers in the garden of Shiva have their heads pierced with nails, and thieves are exposed to cold discomfort."^[36]

On the eastern gallery is one of the most celebrated scenes, the Churning of the Sea of Milk, showing 92^[37] asuras and 88 devas using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu's direction (Mannikka counts only 91 asuras, and explains the asymmetrical numbers as representing the number of days from the winter solstice to the spring equinox, and from the equinox to the summer solstice).^[38] It is followed by Vishnu defeating asuras (a 16th-century addition). The northern gallery shows Krishna's victory over Bana (where according to Glaize, "The workmanship is at its worst"^[39]) and a battle between the Hindu gods and asuras. The north-west and south-west corner pavilions both feature much smaller-scale scenes, some unidentified but most from the Ramayana or the life of Krishna.

[edit] Construction techniques

The stones, as smooth as polished marble, were laid without mortar with very tight joints that were sometimes hard to find. The blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints in some cases, while in others they used dovetails and gravity. The blocks were presumably put in place by a combination of elephants, coir ropes, pulleys and bamboo scaffolding. Henri Mouhot noted that most of the blocks had holes 2.5 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep, with more holes on the larger blocks. Some scholars have suggested that these were used to join them together with iron rods, but others claim they were used to hold temporary pegs to help manoeuver them into place. The Khmer architects never made the curved arches used by the Romans. They did create a corbelled arch, but this often proved unstable and collapsed.

The monument was made out of enormous amounts of sandstone, as much as Khafre's pyramid in Egypt (over 5 million tons). This sandstone had to be transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 25 miles (40 km) to the northeast. The stone was presumably transported by raft along the Siem Reap river. This would have to have been done with care to avoid overturning the rafts with such a large amount of weight. One modern engineer estimated it would take 300 years to complete Angkor Wat today. Yet the monument was begun soon after Suryavarman came to the throne and was finished shortly after his death, no more than 40 years.

Virtually all of its surfaces, columns, lintels even roofs are carved. There are miles of reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns, griffins, winged dragons pulling chariots as well as warriors following an elephant mounted leader and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hair styles. The gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1,000 square meters of bas reliefs. Holes on some of the Angkor walls indicate that they may have been decorated with bronze sheets. These were highly prized in ancient times and were a prime target for robbers. While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stone mason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet (1.2 m), this took about 60 days to carve. ^[40] Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. ^[41] The labour force to quarry, transport, carve and install this much sandstone must have run into the thousands including many highly skilled artisans. The skill required to carve these sculptures was developed hundreds of years earlier, as demonstrated by some artifacts found that were dated to the seventh century before the Khmer came into power. ^[42][43]

[edit] Angkor Wat today

This model of Angkor Wat is designed to give tourists an overview of the site. In the foreground is depicted the cruciform terrace which lies in front of the central structure.

The Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992. [1] Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, established in 1992, which has provided some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to protect the site.^[44] The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to protect the devatas and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple from damage. The organisation's survey found that around 20% of the devatas were in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone but in part also due to earlier restoration efforts.^[45] Other work involves the repair of collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapse: the west facade of the upper level, for example, has been buttressed by scaffolding since 2002,^[46] while a Japanese team completed restoration of the north library of the outer enclosure in 2005.^[47] World Monuments Fund began work on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery in 2008.

Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 2004 and 2005, government figures suggest that, respectively, 561,000 and 677,000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years.^[48] The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has also provided some additional funds for maintenance—as of 2000 approximately 28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples—although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities.^[49]