Saturday, January 24, 2009

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

If i keep getting new countries at this pace, im gonna reach 100 in a blink of an eye!  And country no. 93 is reserved for no one else but Cambodia! Just amazing!

And apart from being a new, and according to some objective rating, a hard-to-get-country, it is also a UNESCO site...and it looks magnificent!  The sender says that she had been there many times so far, but each time she goes, she feels amazed.  No wonder...who wouldnt be at a site like this!

Angkor Wat is the main attraction of the  Angkor complex  whose hape is depicted on the Cambodian flag. It was built by king Suryavarman II (1113-1150) in the beginning of the 12th century, and its construction lasted 37 years.  Angkor Wat (the name means 'The Pagoda of the City') was a funerary monument, which explains its orientation to the west in contrast to the sanctuaries dedicated to the deities, which are oriented to the east.
The temple was build according Brahman techniques to represent the entire universe. The central tower represents the sacred mount Sumeru, situated at the centre of the universe. The 5 towers make the symbolism consistent with the 5 peaks of mount Sumeru. The outer wall represents the end of the world and the surrounding moat represents the surrounding ocean.
If time permits, one should visit Angkor wat at least twice, once in the morning to admire the bas-reliefs when the light is bright and clear and once in the evening when the towers become increasingly golden as the sun sets at the horizon. Sometimes, in the twilight, bats leave the monument in large numbers, presenting the spectator with a spectacular view as if columns of smoke rise and are dispersed in the wind.

Thank You Zarah sooo much for this amazing contribution to my collection!!! 

6 comments:

Martinha said...

Wow, this card is sooooo beautiful. It makes me want to fly to Cambodia. I want 1 too.
:)

Sreisaat said...

Hi Ana... glad that the postcard finally reached you! I'm very happy to know that you like it. Your postcard is here with me now, too :) A lovely aerial view of Skopje.

Postcards Crossing

Gone with postcrads said...

I also got a card from Zarah~~ Many thanks!

Marie Reed said...

Hi!

I was flabbergasted when I saw how many wonderful postcard blogs there are in the blogosphere! I have been stumbling over gorgeous postcard images as I visit blog after blog after blog. My cheeks hurt from smiling! I love finding people with similar interests.

I am starting a postcard event called Postcard Friendship Friday. I'll put Mister Linky on my blog to keep us all connected. It would be wonderful if you could join, visit, and leave a comment on the other blogs who have joined the event too!

You don't even have to be a collector to join! There are zillions of postcard images on Flickr to pick from. Vintage, postcrossing, retro, personal travels, kitsch…… the list of postcard types is long!

I'll see you on Friday

Marie

PS Please comment back if you would like to join!

Gabby Girl said...

Yeah, one day, I am going to grab my postcard book, open to a random page and point - and that is where I am going to go for a vacation. Cambodia seems like an interesting place to visit.

ARTERY said...

ZJ also sent a postcard like this. It's really beautiful!

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