Joanna James
To tap into the inner Indiana Jones or Lara Croft in you, you can visit these temples in Angkor, Siem Reap, that aren't well known to many.
Koh Ker used to be the capital city of the Khmer empire at one point. Yes, it was only for about sixteen years, but still, it made the cut to be the capital city. But now, this temple is abandoned. It’s tiered massive pyramid and the incredible grounds around it are all forgotten. As the temple is located over one hundred kilometres from Siem Reap, it doesn’t surprise us. Having said that, this temple with these glorious views needs to be visited. The journey is absolutely worth it. On top of that, there many other tourist attractions you can check out around the area too.
The next temple in our list of ‘unknown but magnificent temples’ is called the Banteay Srei. Wondering what it means? Well, it's loosely translated into meaning ‘the citadel of women'. This is actually a nickname that was given. This tenth-century temple gets its name due to the light pink coloured sandstone the temple boasts of. These sandstones are also shaped into incredible carved statues that are all dedicated to God Shiva, the Hindu God. The temple is well protected to this day and deserves a visit. For accommodation around the area, you can check out Siem Reap resorts, the likes of Anantara Angkor Resort, for a good stay.
This temple goes all the way back to the 7th century and is one of the oldest temples in the Siem Reap region. Besides, the temple is thought to be one of the places where the very first massive bas-reliefs were used. These are a particular feature when designing temples that actually became famous in Khmer architecture later on. The most amazing part of this temple is its Prasat Chrey. This is a tower, a small one actually, that is entirely overgrown and surrounded by a plant to a point it looks like the door leads right inside the trunk. That is a picture that needs to be taken!
The Ta Nei Ta Nei temple is located near to the Angkor Wat. On top of that, the temple is right by the Angkor Zipline. As the temple is located in an unpaved pathway which is quite rough to walk in, the place doesn’t attract a lot of people. If you ask, this is one reason you really should visit this temple. The structure was built by King Jayavarman VII in later years of the twelfth century and has some fascinating carvings!
The Beng Mealea is one of the biggest temples in this region which covers over one square kilometre. Most of this region is overtaken by wild vegetation. This temple takes the same design as Angkor Wat. Therefore, there are some theories that say that this temple was a test model. As this temple hasn’t had any recent renovations, getting around it might be a little hard.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
