PLACES
Tonle Sap
Phnom Penh

ANGKOR WAT
Angkor Wat was the "mountain temple" at the heart of the city, home of the Hindu gods and center of the earthly kingdom in which the king was regarded as sacred. It was built by Suryavarman II in the 12th century as a microcosm of the mythical world in which he identified himself as the god Vishnu who stands guard in the gate tower in the form of a ten and a half foot tall statue carved from a single block of sandstone. Angkor Wat's spires were mountains, the heights of enlightenment, and its moats signified a great ocean. Perhaps the greatest treasure of Angkor Wat is bas-relief that surrounds the walls of the outer gallery. It is the world's longest such continuous carving and narrates stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, legends of Vishnu and is adorned with hundreds of carvings of devatas and asparas -- celestial women.

ANGKOR THOM
Angkor Thom, built in the late 11th century, covers almost four square miles and is enclosed by a 26 foot high wall. The moat surrounding it was once stocked with crocodiles.

Its five monumental gates, each more than 65 feet high, are dominated by four carved faces of the Buddhist bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, facing north, south, east and west. In front of each gate are giant statues of 54 gods on the left, 54 demons on the right.

THE BAYON
The Bayon rests in the center of Angkor Thom. It is a massive cluster of towers carved with 172 faces of the bodhisattva. Its interior walls are covered with bas-reliefs showing 11,000 figures engaged in battles, ceremonial pageants or the everyday life of 12th century Angkor.