Long-tail boat moored at Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach, Ko Pha-ngan, Changwat Surat Thani, Gulf of Thailand. These simple but efficient boats are unique to Thailand, distinguished by their long propeller shaft attached directly to a second-hand turbocharged truck or car engine - designed for navigation in the shallow and narrow passages of Thailand’s complex waterways. They are renowned for their impressive speed and agility, often exceeding speeds of 160 kmh.
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Tags: KoPhaNgan Surat Thani Thailand gulf Calm sea sail boat outdoors Sunset long-tail Thong Nai Pan Yai Changwat Surat Thani Gulf of Thailand. beach
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A classic clifftop bungalow retreat with lush topical rainforest gardens and a polished teak terrace overlooking the Gulf of Thailand and a palm-fringed, powdery-white sand beach below, Changwat Surat Thani, southern Thailand.
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Tags: Thailand Gulf of Thailand. Changwat Surat Thani Koh Samui clifftop bungalow lush topical rainforest gardens Outdoors
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Classical Khmer kings of medieval Cambodia promoted the notion of Devarāja, a cult of the "god-king” that provided the religious rationale for royal authority. They were depicted as divine universal rulers or deified monarchs with transcendental qualities.
The gigantic sandstone smiling faces at Bayon Temple portray the great Mahayana Buddhist king, Jayavarman VII, as a living god on earth - a Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara or enlightened Buddhist saint overseeing a vast and disparate empire with an enigmatic blend of benevolence and absolute authority.
Bayon Temple served as the primary locus of the royal cult and was Jayavarman's personal mausoleum at the height of his rein over the Khmer Empire in the late 12th Century. The temple is positioned at the centre of the ancient Angkor Thom city complex and rural in northwestern Cambodia. Over 200 serenely smiling visages carved on more than 50 sandstone face-towers remain throughout the temple. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Rethinking Portraiture | Personal Faves | National Geographic
Tags: Khmer kings Cambodia Devarāja cult god-king Bayon Angkor Thom temple faces Mahayana Buddhist Jayavarman Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara religion portrait asia UnescoWorldHeritageSite wat SoutheastAsia architecture culture ethnic DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism red ochre monk people ancient medieval Hinduism bas-reliefs mausoleum
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The beautifully carved sandstone bas-reliefs at Bayon Temple (East Gallery) depict classic scenes of ancient Khmer social and military life, including this battle scene between the royal Khmer and Cham armies. Khmer foot soldiers armed with javelins are seen as they overwhelm their Cham enemies.
Bayon Temple is positioned at the centre of the ancient Angkor Thom city complex, built at the height of Khmer royal power (late 12th Century) in northwestern Cambodia.
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Tags: Khmer kings Cambodia Devarāja cult god-king Bayon Angkor Thom temple faces Mahayana Buddhist Jayavarman Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara religion portrait asia UnescoWorldHeritageSite wat SoutheastAsia architecture culture ethnic DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism People art
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Tucked away in the dense jungle of Angkor Thom lies Ta Som, a small enigmatic temple of the late-12th century in northwestern Cambodia.
The eastern gopura or gateway entrance to Ta Som consists of a stone causeway leading through a series of finely carved doorways to the inner sanctuary.
Exquisite bas-relief carvings, graceful apsaras and scenes from Hindu mythology are depicted on the sandstone temple walls. Some carvings remain partially unfinished while others were damaged or looted over the centuries. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Tags: Khmer kings Cambodia Devarāja cult god-king Bayon Angkor Thom temple faces Mahayana Buddhist Jayavarman Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara religion portrait asia UnescoWorldHeritageSite wat SoutheastAsia architecture culture ethnic DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism People art bas-reliefs
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