apsara – Travels with Tricia

Photo du Jour: A Bejeweled Horse – Angkor Wat, Cambodia

A horse stands in front of Angkor Wat, in Cambodia.

The magic of Angkor Wat and magnificent Cambodian temples like Ta Prohm and Bayon is all in the details: richly-carved female devata and apsara bas-relief figures, a visiting Buddhist monk clad in a tangerine-colored robe spotted amid the grey structures, a handsome horse wearing a bejeweled bridle in Angkor Wat’s fore.

The Devatas and Apsaras of Angkor Wat in Black & White

Two pairs of devatas (goddesses) are shown carved into Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

The 1,796 female figures rendered in sandstone on Angkor Wat’s pillars and walls have weathered war and a harsh tropical environment for more than 800 years. During my first visit to Angkor Wat in 2009, I was struck by the beauty and individuality of these devatas, which decorate the largest religious building in the world. WhenContinue reading “The Devatas and Apsaras of Angkor Wat in Black & White”

Angkorian Dress-Up in Cambodia

Six adults, dressed in traditional Cambodian costumes, stand near Angkor Wat.

The silken costumes with gold embellishments transform these Angkor Wat models into winged creatures, apsaras, and other mythological beings from Angkorian times. They position themselves in a prime location within Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat complex.