Hi friends!  

We continue to consider with you the art of ancient Cambodia. A lot of tourists want to visit such a beautiful historical place. This is not surprising. Only in Cambodia there is a clear division into the city-temple, where people devoted themselves to high thoughts, and the country as a whole. Historical monuments allowed to learn more about the life of ancient Cambodia with its culture and customs.

Banteay SREI is a special temple in Khmer history

Banteay SREI. East pediment. Relief depicting Indra

Banteay SREI is a beautiful temple. It was built in 967. A distinctive feature is that the temple was built not by the ruling king, but by a powerful court. This gem of Khmer architecture is located 25 kilometers northeast of Angkor. The length of the temple is 200 meters. Oriented from East to West.

One of the five entrances to Banteay SREI

According to the classics of Khmer architecture in the temple 5 inputs. The size of the temple is very small, but all the rules of construction of temples. With such dimensions, the unity of the architectural group is even more felt.

The Central temple of the ensemble looks very nice. It is built of pink Sandstone. The color scheme of other buildings shines with different colors-yellow, blue, gray, dark red. In the morning all the colors of nature connects to a single color scheme with the tints.

Banteay SREI "Library"

I really like the relief image on the walls of the library. You look and the soul begins to sing. In Banteay SREI is observed sophistication of the Khmer architectural style. The height of the temple creates the effect of proximity of all sculptural compositions at eye level.

The element of relief library

What beautiful ornaments we see in the photo. It is refinement and refinement of forms. The subtlety of the work is a great admiration and respect for the ancient Khmer

It surprises me every detail of the temple of Banteay SREI. There is no place where there would be no relief drawings. Naivete and sophistication, a very fine stone carving, the richness of the sculptures in this temple. Monkey guards are made very plastic. It seems that they are quickly ready to jump on the enemy.

I really like all the entrance doors to the temple. This is an amazing and magical design! Beautiful curves and reliefs attract the eye. The ornaments remind me of delicate lace! In Banteay SREI is a unity and oneness of Royal architecture and folk traditions. The ancient architects so delicately held between the thread of the enterprises in this temple.

I would like to see Khmer art preserved for many years. Young architects should see and learn from such forms and beauty of the ensemble in order to develop the thinking of the artist and architect.

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom is Grand and majestic in its architecture and the area of 900 hectares carries a lot of history. Behind the entrance you can see a large area of the Park, which was specially imported many species of trees that are nowhere else in Cambodia can not be found. Good and evil spirits meet you in the sculptural design on both sides of the road.

One can only imagine how many people were involved in the construction of the temple. How much work was masons to make sculptures and reliefs on the temples.

What a beautiful gate to Angkor Thom. The sculptor worked very well and gave the faces that look at the four sides of the world, boundless peace and beauty. I do not tell the story, my goal is to show the beautiful architecture of the ancient Khmer.

Such an interesting idea of the location of elephants. They look very monumental. Beautiful reliefs give solemnity to the entrance to the temple complex.

Each tier of the gate is filled with bas-reliefs with different images. I have long considered the entrance to the temple complex Angkor Thom. And every time I found new sculptural bas-reliefs. It feels like they're limitless. It just looks amazing

Detail of a relief of the terrace of the elephants

The sculptural group of the terrace of elephants. Let's see what features and magnificent carved headdress! This is amazing!

The sculptural group of the terrace of elephants

The sculptural group of the terrace of elephants

Look at the dynamics observed in the reliefs of the walls. It seems that now all the relief sculptures will break out. As the ancient Khmer sincerely passed on their lives. The subtle decoration of the reliefs gives the naturalness and liveliness of the perception.

Sculptural group of the labyrinth " Thousand beauties"

Asura Head

Buddha Sculpture

Bayon temple gives you 54 towers with magnificent bas-reliefs. It belongs to the complex Angkor Thom and is its latest structure built ensemble at the last great king of Cambodia. The outer gallery has a length of 600 meters and is decorated with reliefs on which the ancient Khmer tell us how they fought the enemies and defended their territory.

It is difficult for me to imagine how the ancient Khmer could have created such towers in those days. It is interesting how modern residents restore all the temples. After all, previously there were quite different technologies. Surely face difficulties to recreate everything close to reality. Modern building materials are very progressive. If you recreate the story with new materials, it will be a different story. Still wondering how modern sculptors of Cambodia restored stone sculptures.

Life of the local population

Very interesting street markets and sellers with goods

The faces of tourists who come to Cambodia, Shine with happiness!

I wanted to share with you a beautiful carved candlestick. Such candlesticks makes my friend self-taught. Loves to carve the image of Buddha.

This is my Buddha from Cambodia. He's always on my Desk. A small souvenir reminds me that there is a country in which the ancient Khmer made architectural wonders

-------------------------------------------

 Until next time, @r3benok  

Photos from the family archive