Terrace of Leper King

TERRACE OF LEPER KING

The stone monarch is absolutely naked, his hair is plaited and he sits in the Javanese fashion. The legs are too short for the torso, and the forms, much too rounded, lack the strong protuberances of manly muscles; but, however glaring are his defects, he has many beauties, and as a study of character he is perhaps the masterpiece of Khmer sculpture. Whilst his body is at rest his soul boils within him. His features are full of passion, with thick lips, energetic chin, full cheeks, aquiline nose and clear brow... his mouth, slightly open, showing the teeth. this peculiarity of the teeth being shown in a smile is absolutely and strangely unique in Cambodian art. Terrace of the Leper King is located immediately north of the Terrace of the Elephants and it can be accessed from the main road. It was built at end of the 12th century by king Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181-1220)

Terrace of Elephants

Terrace of Elephants

An Imperial hunts in the somber forests of the realm. There are formidable elephants. The forest in which they travel in impenetrable to all but tiny creatures, able to squeeze their smallness between the fissures of the undergrowth, and to the biggest animals, which crush chasms for their passage in the virgin vegetation. The elephants are ridden by servants and princes, and tread as quietly as if they were on an excursive promenade. The steps of even length have no respect for any obstacle. Terrace of the elephants is located in the Royal Square of Angkor Thom. Accessible entry from the road at the east. It was built at the end of the 12th century, dedicated to Buddhist and replica to Bayon style of art.

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Baphuon Temple

Baphoun Temple (Prasat Baphuon)

The Baphuon is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. 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. 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. Its appearance apparently impressed Emperor Chengzong of Yuan China's late 13th century envoy Chou Ta-Kuan during his visit from 1296 to 1297, who said it was 'the Tower of Bronze...a truly astonishing spectacle, with more than ten chambers at its base. In the late 15th century, the Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple. A 9 meter tall by 70 meter long statue of a reclining Buddha was built on the west side's second level, which probably required the demolition of the 8 meter tower above explaining its current absence. The temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense size the site was unstable throughout its history. By the 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed, and restoration efforts have since proven problematic: a first effort begun in 1960 was interrupted by the coming to power of the Khmer Rouge, and records of the positions of the stones were lost.

Baksei Chamkrong Temple

Baksei Chamkrong Temple (Prasat Baksei Chamkrong)

The bird that shelters under its wings.This little temple with its four square tiers of laterite, crowned by a brick sanctuary, might serve for a model in miniature of some of its giant neighbors, and is almost as perfect as perfect as the day it was built.

Banteay Kdei Temple

Banteay Kdei (Prasat Banteay Kdei) Is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. 

Built in the late 12th to early 13th centuries CE during the reign of Jayavarman VII, it is a Buddhist temple in the Bayon style, similar in plan to Ta Prohm and Preah Khan, but less complex and smaller. Its structures are contained within two successive enclosure walls, and consist of two concentric galleries from which emerge towers, preceded to the east by a cloister. Banteay Kdei has been occupied by monks at various intervals over the centuries, but the inscription stone has never been discovered so it is unknown to whom the temple is dedicated. There is no record of why it was built-or by whom-because no marker stone with that information has ever been found. Its name means 'The citadel of the monks' cells', but that does not necessarily indicate its function.

Banteay Srei Temple

Banteay Srei Temple

Banteay Srei temple was built by a Brahmin Yajnavaraha with his younger brother in 967AD in the middle of 10th century. While at that period, king Jayavarman V was still very young about 15 years old, when his father king Rajendravarman II had died. Thus, all administrative affairs and religious practices include to build temples was under organized by his guru Brahmin Yajnavaraha. BrahminYajnavaraha was also a royal blood who was a grandson of king Hurshavarman I.

Angkor Wat - 7th Wonder of the World

ANGKOR WAT was listed in World Wonder List

Angkor Wat, in its beauty and state of preservation, is unrivaled. Its mightiness and magnificence bespeak a pomp and a luxury surpassing that of a Pharaoh or a Shah Jahan, an impressiveness greater than that of the Pyramids, an artistic distinctiveness as fine as that of the Taj Mahal. Angkor Wat is located about six kilometers (four miles) north of Siem Reap, south of Angkor Thom. Entry and exit to Angkor Wat can only be access from its west gate.

Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century (113-5BC). Estimated construction time of the temple is 30 years by King Suryavarman II, dedicated to Vishnu (Hindu), replica of Angkor Thom style of art.

Kampi Dolphins in Kratie Province

Sombok Mountain View in Kratie Province

Kampong Thom Provinces

Introduction

Kampong Thom is Cambodia's second largest province by area. Its capital is named Kampong Thom, a picturesque town on the banks of the Stung Saen River.The Sambor temple and Prei Kuk temple are the two main temples in Kompong Thom as well as other less significant Angkorian sites. Kompong Thom was a very powerful capital in Southeast Asia during the Funan period. Later on, during the French rule, the province was home to a large group named the Stieng, but they have long been assimilated into Khmer society.Kampong Pos Thom was the original name of the present called Kampong Thom. Because originally long time ago, at the dock of the Sen River next to a big natural lake, there was a big cave with a pair of big snakes inside. The people living around this area usually saw these big snakes every Buddhist Holiday.

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Kampong Chhnang Province

Introduction

The province Kampong Chhnang is located at the heart of Cambodia. Its bordering Kampong Thom to the North, Kampong Cham to the East, Kampong Speu to the South and Pursat to the West. This province is not only at the fertile and almost ever-wet heart of Cambodia, but also just a 91km ride from Phnom Penh, so it's a quick jaunt up.

Kampong Cham Province

Introduction

Kampong Cham is the capital of the province of the same name and the third largest city in Cambodia. With its Mekong River location and relatively close proximity to Phnom Penh (123km) and Vietnam, Kampong Cham has always been an important trade and transportation hub. The highway from Phnom Penh is in excellent condition-you can get here in just under two hours by road or by the bullet boats that are a main mode of transportation between towns on the Mekong River. Either way it's a nice fide, with views of the rural countryside or river area, depending on which way you go.

Battambang Province

Introduction

Battambang is Cambodia's second-largest city and the capital of Battambang Province, which was founded in the 11th century. It is the former capital of Monton Kmer and lies in the heart of the Northwest of Cambodia. Until the war years, in which almost every infrastructure was destructed it was the leading rice-producing province of the country.

The name Battambang or Batdambang, literally means "loss of stick" referring to a legend of the Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung (Kranhoung Stick King). The population is nowadays around 250,000 people . It's a riverside town, home to some of the best-preserved, French colonial architecture in the country.

Banteay Meanchey Province

Introduction

Banteay Meanchey is a Cambodian province in the northwest of the country, and its capital is named Sisophon. The town of Sisophorn is today a charming, quiet place that only gives hints to its turbulent past upon closer examination. Like Siem Reap and Battambang Provinces, control of the province has changed hands many times between the Thais and the Khmers in the more distant past, and the Khmer Rouge and central Phnom Penh government in recent decades. With the final demise of the Khmer Rouge (locals, however, firmly believe the Present national reconciliation only the Khmer Rouge trick), the province and towns are striving to rebuild their culture and economy. 

KHMER ANGKOR TOUR GUIDE ASSOCIATION (KATGA)

KATGA is the first tourist guide association in Cambodia which was established on September 9, 1999. The purpose of the KATGA is to help find sustainable marketing and jobs for Tourist Guides who have been trained by Ministry of Tourism and UNESCO to be official and professional in the Tourism field. KATGA is based in Siem Reap Angkor, Cambodia.

We have cooperated closely with Travel Agents, private-sectors, organizations and our government in order to receive all updated information about tourism destinations and tourism policies, moreover we have collaborated with National Authority (Apsara) and ECOLE FRANCAISE D'EXTREME-ORIENT-International Institute (EFEO) in order to receive all information about new discovery Archeological sites in all over Cambodia.

So far, we have gotten more than 300 members who speak ten different languages such as English, French, Thai, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese.

All our members have been joined occasional or short courses training on history, social, environment, Ecotourism and the other archeological sites by Ministry of Tourism and Apsara Authority for updating all new information.

Moreover KATGA has arranged many study trips for our members to visit other tourist attraction places around the country, especially to the Cultural and Ecotourism area around Tonle Sap Lake and to the northeast and the southwest of Cambodia country.

Through all endless study and long experience with our profession, we are ready to guide you all over Cambodia,Kingdom of Wonder. If you choose Cambodia for your holiday, please choose to travel with us, for sure you will get great experiences with our services.

The King of Cambodia

His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni is the son of His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk, former King of Cambodia and of Her Majesty Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk of Cambodia.

Khmer People and Languages

Khmer Languages

The Cambodian language is Khmer, which is inherited itself - and advanced in education with application of Indic languages Pali and Sangkrit from India.

Also, the Khmer language is influenced by spoken and written Thai. Some technical languages are borrowed from French. However, English is commonly communicated in hotels and business compounds at present days. English and French are popular second languages and Chineses is the third.

Ethnic Composition

The population of Cambodia today is about 10 million. About 90-95 percent of the people are Khmer ethnic. The remaining 5-10 percent include Chinese-Khmers, Khmer Islam or Chams, ethnic hill-tribe people, known as the Khmer Loeu, and Vietnamese. About 10 percent of the population lives in Phnom Penh, the capital, making Cambodia largely a country of rural dwellers, farmers and artisans.

Religion in Cambodia

Thearavada Buddhism is the official religion in Cambodia which is practiced by 95 percent of the population-- just like that of Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka. However, Christianity and Cham Muslim are being active and popular among a large number of population as well in the capital and provinces, showing a sign of growth. Daoism and Confuism are also commonly practiced among the Chinese people.

Cambodia Geography

Cambodia has a land area of 181,035 square kilometers in the southwestern part of the Indochina peninsula, about 20 percent of which is used for agriculture. It lies completely within the tropics with its southern most points slightly more than 10° above the Equator. The country capital city is Phnom Penh.

International borders are shared with Thailand and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on the West and the North, and the Social Republic of Viet Nam on the East and the Southeast. The country is bounded on the Southeast by the Gulf of Thailand. In comparison with neighbors, Cambodia is a geographical contact country administratively composed of 20 provinces, three of which have relatively short maritime boundaries, 2 municipalities, 172 districts, and 1,547 communes. The country has a coastline of 435 km and extensive mangrove stands, some of which are relatively undisturbed.

The dominant features of the Cambodian landscape are the large, almost generally located, Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and the Bassac River Systems and the Mekong River, which crosses the country from North toSouth. Surrounding the Central Plains which covered three quarters of the country’s area are the more densely forested and sparsely populated highlands, comprising: the Elephant Mountains and Cardamom Mountain of the southwest and western regions; the Dangrek Mountains of the North adjoining of the Korat Plateau of Thailand; and Rattanakiri Plateau and Chhlong highlands on the east merging with the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

Cambodian History

No one knows for certain how long people have lived in what is now Cambodia, as studies of its prehistory are undeveloped. A carbon-l4 dating from a cave in northwestern Cambodia suggests that people using stone tools lived in the cave as early as 4000 bc, and rice has been grown on Cambodian soil since well before the 1st century ad. The first Cambodians likely arrived long before either of these dates. They probably migrated from the north, although nothing is known about their language or their way of life.

By the beginning of the 1st century ad, Chinese traders began to report the existence of inland and coastal kingdoms in Cambodia. These kingdoms already owed much to Indian culture, which provided alphabets, art forms, architectural styles, religions (Hinduism and Buddhism), and a stratified class system. Local beliefs that stressed the importance of ancestral spirits coexisted with the Indian religions and remain powerful today.

Cambodia's modem-day culture has its roots in the 1st to 6th centuries in a state referred to as Funan, known as the oldest Indianized state in Southeast Asia. It is from this period that evolved Cambodia's language, part of the Mon-Khmer family, which contains elements of Sanskrit, its ancient religion of Hinduism and Buddhism. Historians have noted, for example, that Cambodians can be distinguished from their neighbors by their clothing - checkered scarves known as Kramas are worn instead of straw hats.

Choeung Ek Museum

Choeung Ek (Khmer: ជើងឯក [cəəŋ aek]), the site of a former orchard and mass grave of victims of the Khmer Rouge - killed between 1975 and 1979 - about 17 km south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is the best-known of the sites known as The Killing Fields, where theKhmer Rouge regime executed over one million people between 1975 and 1979. Mass graves containing 8,895 bodies were discovered at Choeung Ek after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime. Many of the dead were former political prisoners who were kept by the Khmer Rouge in their Tuol Sleng detention center.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Buddhist Stupa at Choeung Ek killing fields

Today, Choeung Ek is a memorial, marked by a Buddhist stupa. The stupa has acrylic glass sides and is filled with more than 5,000 human skulls. Some of the lower levels are opened during the day so that the skulls can be seen directly. Many have been shattered or smashed in.

Angkor Wat: Visiting The World’s Largest Religious Monument

After a lovely time in Phnom Penh, we took a bumpy bus ride across the country to Siem Reap, home of the famed Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the world’s largest Hindu temple complex, and the overall largest religious monument (of any faith), anywhere in the world. The temple complex was built in the 12th century, and was originally dedicated to Vishnu, a Hindu god. However in 1177, Angkor was attacked and a new empire came to power. Gradually the temple was changed from a Hindu house of worship to a Buddhist one.

While never fully abandoned, the temple complex became used less over time. The surrounding jungle grew up around it, hiding the temple while simultaneously preserving it. Angkor Wat was continually used by

Siem Reap: Cambodia’s Most Touristy City

Siem Reap, like Phnom Penh, is an interesting mix of old and new, finished and unfinished, and tourists and locals. It felt more touristy than Phnom Penh, and overall, I liked it a little less. The streets seemed a little more chaotic, there were more tourists, and it’s the only place we saw any child beggars. But despite all this, it’s still a vibrant and interesting place. There’s a gorgeous market in the center of the city in a modern and clean building next to a picturesque river, there’s a loud and busy street filled with restaurants and bars (called “Pub Street”), and there are a lot of cute shops devoted to selling goods made by Cambodian women, fair trade items, or that just generally support an NGO. That was one of my favorite parts about the

city, and I did a lot of my Christmas shopping in these shops!

We spent several days in Siem Reap, but we really only spent a couple of evenings exploring the city, as our

Cambodia’s S-21 Prison/Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Aside from the Killing Fields, the next most infamous remnant of Cambodia’s civil war is the S-21 Prison, now known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

The prison had an innocent start–before the war, it was a high school. After the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in 1975, the school was converted into a prison and interrogation center, and was renamed Security Prison 21 (S-21). It is unclear exactly how many people passed through this prison, but it’s estimated to be somewhere between 17,000 and 30,000 over the course of the war.

Electronic Visa driving tourism development in Cambodia

Cambodia E-Visa is changing the way of travelling. It makes more comfortable, easier and faster for tourists to visit the Kingdom of Cambodia.

We think of digital innovation of electronic visa that is to create a convenient and touching happen to tourists.

E-Visa page: http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/