When news of Angkor reached Europe in the late 19th century, determined tourists began streaming in by hundreds. They had to cross Tonle Sap by steam boat, take a sampan upriver to the tiny Siem Reap town and hop onto a bullock cart for a two-hour ride on bumpy tracks, bringing their own food, bed linen and cooking equipment. Leeches, monkeys and deadly diseases were just some expected obstacles. What with air travel, tar roads and over 100 hotels and hostels to choose from, the trip is painless today.

The handful of adventurers has swelled to some two million tourists a year now. Take a turn and walk into another group of elderly Japanese. Gasp at the bas reliefs and join the chorus of French, German, Thai, Spanish and American sighs. In 2004, they counted a shocking 2,400 cameras crowded on the 2,500 sq metre platform at Phnom Bakheng, clicking furiously at the setting sun everyday. Amazingly, accessibility has done little to dent Angkor's allure. The giant Buddha’s smile serenely, unperturbed by eager tourists scrambling for a good shot.

Angkor's multi-faceted draw is most evident in the diversity of its pilgrims. Religious: Buddhists and Hindus pay homage. Artistic: Photographers, film-makers, painters derive inspiration. Scholarly: Archaeologists, ethnographers, historians hazard theories. Treasure hunters: The corrupt versions of Sara Croft, making away with hacked-off statues. Curious: The layman tourist who tries to understand Angkor's mystery. To each, Angkor calls in different voices.

In 1850, Charles-Emile Bouillevaux, a French missionary to Indochina, noted in a melancholic tone after a visit, In order to appreciate the splendours of the ancient civilization of Cambodia one must go to Angkor.

Only there is it possible to gain a true impression of what the Maha Nokor Khmer was once like. In our own century the Orient no longer counts; it has grown soft and self-indulgent. The Orient of antiquity, on the other hand, is the strange and wonderful realm of priestly mysteries and gigantic ruins."

Everything about Angkor conjures a vision of lost glories. The entire complex took up 400 sq km. There were easily over 1,000 temples in its heyday, from the first temple at Phnom Kulen and smaller shrines to the final grand project of Angkor Thom. Angkor spanned 23 Khmer kings — Jayavarman 11 (790-835) to Jayavarman VIII (12431295) - and took a good 500 years to complete. Henri Mouhot, the French naturalist credited with 'discovering' Angkor wrote in 1864, "What strikes the observer with not less admiration than the grandeur, regularity, and beauty of these majestic buildings, is the immense size and prodigious number of the blocks of stone of which they are constructed. In this temple alone are as many as 1,532 columns. What means of transport, what a multitude of workmen, must this have required, seeing that the mountain out of which the stone was hewn is thirty miles distant!"

it was a place of riches and rituals. From 9th century to 15th century, Angkor hosted capitals of the Khmer kingdom (present-day Cambodia) and was its religious centre. Chinese emissary, Chou Ta-Kuan stayed for a year at Angkor in 1296 and mused, "I imagine it is these monuments that account for the glowing reports which foreign merchants have always given of rich and noble Cambodia."

However, it was not to last, The Siamese (present-day Thailand) finally invaded the Angkor capital in the 15th century, forcing the Khmers to flee south. In triumph, the Siamese king took with him the Buddha statues made of gold, silver, bronze and precious stones and deported the monks and some 60,000 families to Thailand. Angkor was abandoned to the jungle, and its legendary wealth became a dim memory.

Temples, Temples Everywhere

Angkor is a vast museum. Walk the temples and down the annals of Cambodian history, culture and art.

First there was Hinduism. Most monuments in Angkor are Hindu and scenes from epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata adorn the galleries and walls.

Hindu cosmology determined the architecture of the temples.

For example, Angkor Wat. A Vishnu temple, it is a model of MountMeru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology. The moat around it symbolizes the oceans surrounding earth and the galleries are the mountain ranges around MountMeru, which peaks are represented by the central towers.

Then came Buddhism King Jayavarman VII (1181-1220), the last great Khmer king, converted the kingdom to Buddhism and started the last building projects. Angkor Thom, an entire new city in the shape of a mandala was created. Bayon, the monumental Buddhist temple with over 200 Lokesvara faces on its towers, stood at the core.

At Angkor, it is easy to trace the development of Khmer architecture and art. Jayavarman II started with square towers at Phnom Kulen (9th century) and Suryavarman it took art to a dizzying level with Angkor Wat (12th century). Relief carvings reached a peak at the little temple of Bantaey Srei (11th century) with graceful apsaras and delicate lintels. Finally Jayavarman VII took building on a larger and grander scale, leaving us with incredible monuments such as Bayon.

Almost every temple and monument in Angkor has its distinct characteristics. Such as the fine reliefs of Bantaey Srei, the symbolism and impressive bas reliefs of Angkor Wat, the serenity emanating from smiling giant Lokesvaras at Bayon, the towering kapok trees crushing the stones of Ta Prohm and the celebrity status of Ta Keo, the "Tomb Raider" temple. All of which add up to the inimitable charm of Angkor.