Kbal Spean. (ក្បាលស្ពាន) Angkor, Cambodia

Hi and welcome. Over the New Year my wife, Daniela and I returned to Siem Reap to enjoy the wonders of Angkor a second time. It was fabulous to go back and absorb the atmosphere and beauty of the temples and nature. You can see blogs of my first visit here: Siem Reap, here:Angkor Wat  and here: Angkor Thom.  Many thanks to Wikipedia for the factual comments. I hope you enjoy the photos

 Kbal Spean (Khmer: ក្បាលស្ពាន) ("Bridge Head") is an Angkorian era archaeological site on the southwest slopes of the Kulen Hills to the northeast of Angkor in Siem Reap District, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

The trek up the slopes of the Kulen Hills is a little demanding. In places steps are provided and gratefully used!

Incredible tree trunk

Light and shadow

The site consists of a series of stone carvings in sandstone formations carved in the river bed and banks. You can see a grid pattern layout with the channel flowing out representing Yoni

The stone carvings represent Hindu deities

Kbal Spean is described as "a spectacularly carved riverbed, set deep in the jungle to the northeast of Angkor". The river is also known as Stung Kbal Spean, a tributary of the Siem Reap River that rises in the Kulein mountains north of Banteay Srei

There are various Hindu mythological motifs, including depictions of the gods Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Lakshmi, Rama, and Hanuman, as well as animals (cows and frogs). Here Lord Vishnu in a reclining repose lying on the serpent god Ananta, with Goddess Lakshmi at his feet and Lord Brahma on a lotus petal

It is commonly known as the "Valley of a 1000 Lingas" or "The River of a Thousand Lingas". The motifs for stone carvings are mainly myriads of lingams (phallic symbol of Hindu god Shiva), depicted as neatly arranged bumps that cover the surface of a sandstone bed rock, and lingam-yoni designs

Upstream of the bridge, there is a sculpture of Shiva and Uma mounted on the bull Nandi

The common theme of these sculptures emphasizes creation as defined in Hindu mythology in the form of Lord Vishnu lying on a serpent in a reclining repose on the ocean of milk, a lotus flower emerging from Vishnu’s navel which bears Brahma, the creator god

Vishnu is also carved to match the contours of the river bed and banks

The Sahasra lingas continue further downstream up to the water fall

It's a beautiful place

It is believed that the Siem Reap River flowing into Angkor is blessed by the sacred lingas over which it flows

The archaeological site was discovered in 1969 by Jean Boulbet, an ethnologist, but further exploration was cut off due to the Cambodian Civil War. The site regained prominence for safe visits from 1989

After the waterfall we begin the walk back down the slopes

Views of the forest on the hills......

.....warm the heart

As does the sight of this little one

More of Angkor to come. Hope to see you soon

Thaipusam without piercing

Welcome to the second posting on the Hindu Festival Thaipusam. The first, if you missed it is here. There is no health warning this time as there are no photos of piercing!

The shots are mostly of people that caught my attention, like the lovely profile of this young lady.

The Festival was a fascinating glimpse of an Indian culture of devotion. It was an honour to witness it and it stimulated further my fascination for India, its culture and its people.

The following two lines of a poem called "Listen" by Mirabai, a devotee of Krishna, give an insight into the "road" of the Guru-devotee relationship.

"Listen, my friend, this road is the heart opening,
kissing his feet, resistance broken, tears all night"

I hope you enjoy the photos.

And next time, I hope you like Orchids! Do come and have a look.

Alan

















Music is an essential part of the festival
















Part of the Sri Perumal Temple






















The entrance to the Temple.
The Gopuram (tower) shows
the different incarnations of
Lord Vishnu.






















Lord Vishnu with his wife Lakshmi,
the goddess of prosperity and abundance.
Thaipusam is an expression of
devotion to Lord Murugan.
Vishnu is his maternal uncle.
(Relationships between Hindu
Deities are a bit complicated)















Warming up for the procession

















Not sure why these ladies attracted my
attention! I'll leave it to you to work out.
I'd love to know what they were talking about


















A Brahmin priest one cannot ignore






















Puja at a Vishnu shrine that
will get pulled by one of the
devotees in the procession


















Not sure why these young people are dressed
in yellow













Little ones surrounded by photographers. It
all got a bit too much for one of them, but....














....Dad comes to the rescue and all is forgotten,
including the photographers






















What a great instrument. I used to
have lessons in playing the recorder at
primary school. But mine wasn't as
grand as this one!






















Quiet contemplation

















Another striking profile

















Washed and cleansed and eager to participate


















That "recorder" again. Notice the
finger tips of the drummer














The priest without the shades.
What a great beard!
















The guy in the middle needs to tie, very
tightly, the waistband of the guy on the right

















So the guy on the left is helping him draw in
his stomach

















Flowers adorn this lady. And I love the specs!






















Gorgeous.....................
sari
















These houses overlook the road where the
procession takes place. The man, looking
down at the street is probably a foreign
worker, wondering what's going on!






















Free breakfast was being served here.
A place to rest for the elderly lady



















What a shirt and hat!

















Devotees wear these uncomfortable sandals
as part of their sacifice to Lord Murugan.
They are in the shape of padukas, shoes
worn by the Guru. Except the guru's
padukas would not have the spikes

















Festival equipment for the devotee......





















.......and a moment of stillness in the hustle
and bustle
















Offerings of rice and bananas are favourite
offerings to the Gods. Limes signify protection
and the coconut is the purest form of offering
one can offer
















Devotee preparing himself, surrounded
by his friends and family


















Out on the street, a deserved rest for four
colourful ladies and a little one