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Good vs. Evil at Angkor Thom’s Impressive Southern Gate

   Published Date: November 20, 2017  1 Comment on Good vs. Evil at Angkor Thom’s Impressive Southern Gate
Waiting in the TukTuk at Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia

Angkor Thom’s Southern Gate

After watching dawn rise over Angkor Wat, we continued on with Day Two of our independent temple tour to explore Angkor Thom (which translates to Great City). This city was the last capital of the Khmer Empire, and housed the residences of priests, officials of the palace and military, and the Kingdom’s administration buildings.

While Red relaxed in our tuk-tuk, I introduced myself to the many faces that lined the bridge approaching the Southern gate, which is the best preserved of the five that lead into the 12 km quadrangle of defensive walls surrounding Angkor Thom. The eastern side of the city wall has two gates, but the southern gate is the most impressive.

View from the bridge leading to the southern gate of Angkor Thom
View from the bridge leading to the southern gate of Angkor Thom

On each side of the bridge leading up to this gate are fifty-four stone figures performing a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean.

Churning of the Ocean wallpaper Hindu
Source: http://www.sanatansociety.com/free_stuff/free_wallpaper_churning_ocean1_800x600.htm

In the Churning of the Ocean myth, the snake’s body is wrapped around the central mountain (Mt. Meru), and as the Guardians pulled the snake in one direction and the Demons pushed in the other, the ocean began to churn the elements to milk the ocean to form the earth and the cosmos.

A Godly Tug of War

On the left side, a row of fifty-four Guardian Gods (Devas) pull the head of the snake.

Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Guardian Gods (Devas) leading to Angkor Thom’s southern gate

Here’s some close ups of the best preserved Gods from this side.

Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Guardian God (Devas) leading to Angkor Thom’s southern gate
Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Guardian Gods (Devas) leading to Angkor Thom’s southern gate
Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Guardian Gods (Devas) leading to Angkor Thom’s southern gate

On the right hand side fifty-four Demon Gods (Asuras) pull the snake’s tail in the opposite direction. This is one of my favorite images from Angkor Thom, I just love how striking this well preserved face is within this section of eroded demons.

Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Demon Gods pulling the snake’s tail

Here’s some of the my favorite Demon Gods from this side.

Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Demon Gods leading to Angkor Thom’s southern gate
Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Demon Gods leading to Angkor Thom’s southern gate
Angkor Thom South Gate The south gate of Angkor Thom is the best preserved. It is approached from outside via a causeway that extends about fifty meters across a moat. On each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. #SiemReap #Cambodia
Demon Gods leading to Angkor Thom’s southern gate

I have to say that the Demon side was my favorite – although they’re a grumpy looking bunch. I was so taken with these Gods that I completely forgot to take a closer look at the southern gate itself, which I’ve since read is an ornate collection of faces looking in all directions and elephants with gods on their backs carrying lightening bolts.

The Northern Gate of Angkor Thom

So as a consolation, here’s the one image I took of the Northern Gate that we drove through on the first day of our Temple tour, which we did in reverse order to avoid the crowds.

Angkor Thom Northern Gate

The faces above the gate portrays Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and at the bottom are the three trunks of Airavata, the three-headed elephant that was the vehicle ridden by Indra. Devas and Asuras line the bridge leading to the north bridge, but they are no where near as preserved or as impressive as the ones leading to the southern gate.

Hindsight

If I had my time at Angkor Thom again, I’d spend more time taking in the majesty of these gates, but we were in a bit of a rush to see inside of the Great City that we rushed this aspect. This is one of the challenges with viewing the temples of Angkor Thom and  Angkor Wat, there’s just so much to see you’re not going to do every building, face, or statue justice by paying it the heed it deserves.

In Angkor Thom we visited:

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Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Khmer Empire, and housed the residences of priests, officials of the palace and military, and the Kingdom's administration buildings. Located adjacent to Angkor Wat, it has an impressive southern gate. #Cambodia #SiemReap Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Khmer Empire, and housed the residences of priests, officials of the palace and military, and the Kingdom's administration buildings. Located adjacent to Angkor Wat, it has an impressive southern gate. #Cambodia #SiemReap

The many faces of Angkor Thom's impressive South Gate are worth getting up close and personal with. #SiemReap #Cambodia Click To Tweet

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Author: Roving Jay

Jay is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a travel writer. She works with authors and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their self-publishing goals and reach their target audience through content marketing. Jay has published a series of travel guides, a travel memoir, and nonfiction books about travel writing. She housesits and volunteers around the globe with her husband, a Hollywood set painter, and she’s never more that 10 paces away from a wi-fi connection.

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