Ancient temple cities of Cambodia

The gates of the walled city of Angkor Thom are flanked by a row of gods and a row of demons. It signifies the event called 'Churning of the Sea of Milk', where gods and demons worked together under the guidance of Lord Vishnu to produce the elixir of immortality.

East entrance of Angkor Wat

Outer compounds of Angkor Wat

Many temples were destroyed or looted and restoration work is ongoing, undertaken by the Cambodian and foreign governments.

Dancing apsaras or fairies engraved on temple walls

Boy monks inside Angkor Wat

Ruins of the eastern entrance to Angkor Wat

The moat surrounding Angkor Wat

Banteay Srei or the Citadel of Women is a symbol of beauty, seen in its red sandstone structure and intricate carvings

Banteay Srei is among the smallest and most delicate of the Siem Reap temples

Remains of a temple gate in the forests; many temples have been reclaimed by the jungles

The famous face towers of Bayon temple, it is unknown to who the faces belong

Bas reliefs at the Terrace of the Leper King, the tale goes that a powerful king fought a giant snake and contracted leprosy. The statue of the leper king is no longer here.

Shiv linga is a phallic symbol, one of birth and ultimately, prosperity

The riverbed of Kbal Spean is said to be carved with a thousand lingas (male symbol) and a few yonis (female symbol). During the dry season when the waters retreat, the linga carvings are visible and so are the carvings of Lord Vishnu and his garuda.

Phnom Bakheng temple has spectacular views of the area and of sunset

Pre Rup temple is a beautiful, quiet place for a lookout

Carving of a devi or female deity

Preah Khan temple has beautiful wall carvings and tiny rooms. The walls are almost falling apart and look quite unsafe. The rooms that house the gods and deities are small, as they were not meant for worship, but for the gods to have a beautiful and secluded abode from where they could practice their powers and benevolence.

Preah Khan temple has many trees growing over its walls. The trees grow from crevices and get their moisture from the stones. The tree roots spread out and work their way between stones, providing a support structure for the weak walls. When the trees die, the walls lose their support and disintegrate.

Bakong temple was the State temple of the ancient city of Hariharalaya, which no longer exists. The Hariharalaya sect worships both the Hindu Lords Shiva and Vishnu, and integrates the beliefs and customs of the Shaivik and Vaishnav sects.

Nandi bull at the entrance to Preah Ko temple. Nandi was the vehicle of Lord Shiva.

Sandstone walls of Preah Ko, the earliest of the Hariharalaya temples, in the region now known as Ruluos.

Beng Milea, an isolated temple reclaimed by dense forests

Ancient stones and living trees in perfect harmony

Ruins of Beng Milea. The piles of stone as you walk by are massive and overwhelming, and the occasional carvings of deities and fairies take you into a glorious age gone by.

When all is lost and there are tales of the forgotten past, the forest still breathes

Ta Phrom, within the city of Angkor Thom, was selected by archaeologists as the temple to be left in its natural state, overgrown by trees, to show how most temples of the Angkor region had looked upon their discovery in the 19th century.

Ta Phrom temple

Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is vivid in grey and golden

Summer flowers at the Royal Palace

Model of Angkor Wat at the Royal Palace

Sculptures at the Royal Palace