Shanghai Daily News

Layered like a great work of literature with meaning and myth, Angkor Wat is the centerpiece of one of Asia's finest collection of ancient monuments. Tina Kanagaratnam visits the monuments of Angkor, and discovers plenty of hidden gems.

There is a quiet sadness to Phnom Penh, the ghost of a violent past that haunts the city still. It settles with a sigh over the royal city, but like a tragic heroine, the sadness only enhances the beauty of Cambodia's capital. The brilliance of the royal palace and the faded beauty of the Art Deco French buildings stand in bold relief. So do the gentle gaits of the strolling monks, the joyful shouts of naked children jumping into the muddy Mekong River, the genuine smiles of the young women selling flowers outside ancient temples.

But there is time for only a fleeting glance at Phnom Penh, before jetting off to Cambodia's star attraction, the ancient Khmer temples clustered around the village of Siem Reap, just 45 minutes away by air.

Siem Reap may be Phnom Penh's elder sister, but she has a much younger vibe. Here, Cambodia's tragic past has been compartmentalized and placed firmly where it belongs -- in the past -- while the cluster of villages surrounding Angkor Wat surges ahead into a future brought by the tourists who flock to see some of Asia's grandest monuments. The energy is palpable here, its physical evidence in the rows and rows of brand new hotels -- ``300 hotels, 290 temples,'' reports my guide. Yes: and still, the finest hotel dates from the 1920s, the golden age of travel. The Grand Hotel d'Angkor, once and again the place from which to visit the temples, lives up to its name with a spectacular 1930s grandeur -- from a gracious, retro-uniformed staff to a vintage 1929 working lift -- and its cool, marbled interiors make an ideal base for exploring the temples.

There's no better home (and no better pool) to return to, sweaty and tired, after clambering all over the ancient monuments of Angkor. From the ninth to the 15th century, Angkor was a thriving Khmer city, but because the domestic architecture was built of wood, only the city's temples have survived. These mysterious monuments are strewn about this area almost carelessly, some swallowed by the jungle, others romantic ruins. But even among this glorious abundance, it is the famous Angkor Wat temple that stands out. Like a great work of literature, Angkor Wat is layered with meaning and myth, with a form that offers an awe-inspiring tranquillity.

The pyramidal central tower, a jagged limestone peak, represents Mount Meru, the home of the Hindu gods. Surrounding towers represent smaller mountains; the lower courtyards are the continents, and the grand moats, the oceans. Magnificent bas-reliefs are carved on the exterior walls of the temple complex, detailing battles, heaven and hell, and fabulous ``Churning of the Ocean of Milk'' -- a creation tale, a la Cambodge. A different perspective is revealed as the visitor proceeds through the temple, a journey that scholars say is a metaphor for the four ages of classical Hindu thought.

Today, visitors can climb a steep ladder to the central tower, for views over the temples and visions of heavenly nymphs, frolicking along the stone. If Angkor Wat is Siem Reap's most famous temple, the Bayon, built in the exact center of the city of Angkor Thom, may be its most mysterious. Bayon's 54 towers boast enigmatic, smiling faces -- perhaps of the king Jayavarman VII, perhaps a deity -- eerily watching from everywhere as you climb around the monument. For sheer atmosphere, there is little to compare with the ``Jungle Temple,'' Ta Prohm.

The 12th century Buddhist temple is covered with phantasmagoric plant life, with gigantic banyans enveloping its crumbling complex. Once supported by 80,000 people -- including 615 temple dancers --Ta Phrom, of all the temples, allows the imagination to run wild, to imagine what the Angkor temples looked like when the French ``discovered'' them in the 1860s. And perhaps the most exquisite temple of all is tiny Banteay Srei, ``Citadel of Women,'' cut from a pinkish stone and built on a scale that gives it the feel of a child's playhouse. It is the carvings on this 10th century Hindu temple, though, that truly set it apart: scholars say that these elaborate carvings may be the finest Hindu carvings anywhere in the world, with scenes from the Ramayana and detailed representations of women covering almost every inch of the surface.

Beyond the temples, Siem Reap offers all the pleasures of a rural Asian village, now updated with chic cafes and bars. Quiet jungle waterfalls beckon for a swim in the midday heat. Bustling markets overflow with exotic produce, strange-looking fruits and vegetables, and an unsung local cuisine. There are boat rides to the floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. It's all there, for when the senses get overloaded -- but somehow, even in the midst of a tropical jungle, the temples of Angkor beckon, bidding you come for one more look.