From wikipedia lagi: "The Bayon is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences."

Haaa... maknanya temple ni lah antara temple yang paling lasssttt sekali dibina kat Angkor ni... temple ni penuh dengan muka2 Buddha atau Raja Jayavarman (masih dispeku-speku masyarakat arkeologis katanyer) dan banyak kali kena renovate sebab diorang ni ting tong skit bab-bab agama ni... bila mula2 dibina, temple ni untuk Buddhism... lepas tu raja mati, raja baru masuk Hindu, renovate. Lepas tu tukar balik agama ke agama Buddha... renovate lagi... mcm2 renovation la. Untung la siapa kontraktor masa tu.

Lepas tu kitorang gerak pulak ke sekitar barat laut Angkor Thom (kompleks Angkor yang maha besar itiew) yang mana menempatkan:

Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Royal Palace and Terrace of the Elephants, Northwest Angkor Thom

Apa kata Wikipedia:

"The Baphuon is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is the archetype of the Baphuon style. The temple adjoins the southern enclosure of the royal palace and measures 120 metres east-west by 100 metres north-south at its base and stands 34 meters tall without its tower, which would have made it roughly 50 meters tall."

Phimeanakas ('celestial temple') or Vimeanakas at Angkor, Cambodia, is a Hindu temple in the Khleang style, built at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman (from 941-968), then rebuilt by Suryavarman II in the shape of a three tier pyramid as a Hindu temple. On top of the pyramid there was a tower. According to legend, the king spent the first watch of every night with a Naga girl in the tower, during that time, not even the queen was permitted to intrude. Only in the second watch the king returned to his palace with the queen. If the naga who was the supreme land owner of Khmer land did not show up for a night, the king's day would be numbered, if the king did not show up, calamity would strike his land."

Err... tak berapa paham pulak pasal legend itiew tapi one thing's for sure, kaki raja2 ni memang la tersangat kuat sebab kena climb all the steep stairs of the temples and palaces. Believe me I've tried... fuh... memang nak terkoyak pala lutut. Lepas tu weol gerak ke Terrace of the Elephants pulak kat luar Phimeanakas ni:

"The Terrace of the Elephants is part of the walled city of Angkor Thom, a ruined temple complex in Cambodia. The terrace was used by Angkor's king Jayavarman VII as a platform from which to view his victorious returning army. It was attached to the palace of Phimeanakas, of which only a few ruins remain. Most of the original structure was made of organic material and has long since disappeared. Most of what remains are the foundation platforms of the complex. The terrace is named for the carvings of elephants on its eastern face. The 350m-long Terrace of Elephants was used as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king's grand audience hall. It has five outworks extending towards the Central Square-three in the centre and one at each end. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with life size garuda and lions; towards either end are the two parts of the famous parade of elephants complete with their Khmer mahouts."

Matila panjang, tapi tetap nak cerita... teres2 gajah ni (bukan dewan makan MRSM Terendak; Teres Teratai ye hadek2) sebenarnya adalah altar atau pun pelataran di mana raja-raja Khmer ni duduk pose2 chantek sambil memberikan lambaian ratu untuk segala-mala ceremony contohnya bila askar2 balik dari perang, dayang2 buat tarian topless, hari kebangsaan dan sebagainya (ala mcm tempat duduk Agong kat depan Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad depan Dataran Merdeka tu).

Pose2 gini memang tak dapat dielakkan la kan sebab frame2 ni memang banyak bersepah... I speku dayang2 & puteri2 diorang dulu2 memang suka main2 london bridge is falling down kat sini kot... tak pun pose2 sambil orang lukis gambar diorang... ye la dulu kan tak ada SLR.

Last but not least (for that morning till noon alone), kitorang gerak pula ke:

Ta Phrom


Menurut sumber yg boleh dipercayai (wikipedia la tu), Ta Phrom ni dibina pada akhir kurun ke-12 dan pada awalnya diberi nama "Rajavihara". Kedudukannya lebih kurang 1 kilometer ke timur Angkor Thom dan dibina oleh Raja Khmer yang bernama Jayavarman VII sebagai monasteri & universiti Buddhist... ha amek ko universiti... ko ado? Tak seperti kuil2 yang lain kat Angkor ni, Ta Phrom ni dibiarkan tak terusik berkurun-kurun lamanya sampai pokok2 hutan belukar tumbuh menjalar ke kuil ni which is quite cool la sampaikan filem Tomb Raider pun pernah difilemkan di sini.

Ok... bersambung ke part 2 pula... sebab part 2 untuk petang. Segala detail kecik2 mcm makan lunch, pegi pasar shopping segala tu tak perlu I cerits ok...