The Angkor Temples

To sum up the magnificence of Angkor’s temples in a few lines is impossible. Within the fortified city of Angkor Thom lies The Bayon, the third tier of which is lined by more than 200 huge, imposing carved faces which stare down from 54 towers. Other highlights include the Buddhist temple of Ta Prohm, which looks just as it did when the French explorer Henry Mouhot stumbled upon it in the 1860s, with its giant jungle roots seemingly reclaiming the temple. Then there is, of course, Angkor Wat: a huge temple complex dedicated to Vishnu in the early 12^th century and surrounded by a vast moat. Many of the temples are covered with fantastic carvings depicting religious stories and scenes from daily life.