At the end of this month we will be making a second trip to Angkor in Cambodia. There are too many sites within the complex to cover in only one visit.

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer kingdom for 600 years or so from around 800 CE. Most of the structures were built in wood, but the religious monuments were built in stone and it is these that have persisted. At its height in 13th century, the Khmer empire covered most of the area of present day Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. In subsequent centuries it lost ground to the empire of Siam based at Ayutthaya and, possibly as a consequence, the capital moved to Phnom Penh in the 15th century and the importance of the site declined. It became known to Europeans when the notes of the naturalist Henri Drouhat were published in 1863.

The finest carvings are found at Banteay Srei, dating from the reign of Rajendravarman (944-968). Angkor Wat itself was constructed during the reign of Suryavarman II (1113-1150). The larger city of Angkor Thom, the name means great city, was built nearby in the reign of Jayavarman VII (1181-1220). Many visits end at sunset on the hill top of Phnom Bakheng (907). Further afield, it is worth travelling to Kbal Spean, upriver of Angkor, where reliefs of Vishnu and Brahma and thousands of Shiva lingam were carved into the river bed during the reign of Udayadityavarman II (1050-1066). Preah Vihear, up on the Thai border, dates from the reign of Suryavarman I (1002-1050), but because of the border dispute, is not easily accessible at the moment.

Khmer culture was heavily influenced by Indian culture. Until the reign of Jayavarman VII the rulers were hindu, and the temple complex of Angkor is a symbolic representation of the hindu universe. The towers represent the peaks of the sacred mount Meru and the galleries mountain ranges. The whole enclosure is surrounded by a moat, the symbol of the encircling ocean. The steep physical ascent of the stairs is an analogue of the steep ascent of the mountain. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu and carvings depict events in the career of his avatars Krishna and Rama. There are frequent depictions of apsara dancing girls and also of the hindu creation myth, the churning of the sea of milk. The causeways are lined with statues of devas and asuras, pulling on the seven headed naga, an image related to the myth. Leading from the outside into the temple, they may represent the rainbow which links the human world with the sacred world.

However, Jayavarman VII, the most important of the Khmer kings, became a Buddhist and dominating the state temple in Angkor Thom, the Bayon, as well as the gates in the walls around the city, are towers carved as four faces looking out towards the four cardinal points of the compass. The faces may represent the image of the king fused with the image of a bodhisattva. The elephant terrace, unsurprisingly, is carved with three-headed elephants plucking lotus flowers, representing Airavata the mount of Indra the sky god. The royal palace has gone, but there are still bathing pools in the park.

Also a feature of the site are the barays, the man made reservoirs of water. Their significance, whether practical or symbolic, is disputed. The West Mebon covers 1760 hectares and still contains water. Sanctuaries were built in the centre of these lakes. We didn’t spend any time on our last trip visiting the baray’s but I hope to do so this time.

Siem Reap is a pleasantly scruffy town. We stayed at the Soria Moria hotel(*), which I would recommend. The hotel also organised our transport and the guides. You only need US dollars. The airport is new and there is an excellent duty free shop airside. In town there is a newly built museum, the Angkor National Museum (*), which is worth visiting after visiting the site. I would also recommend the Landmine Museum (*), a collection of ordinance left behind from the bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. It makes the moral case against landmines, which is that they are indiscriminate weapons that inflict more damage than is necessary to achieve their purpose, often long after the conflict in which they were deployed.