For anyone who has a goal of seeing the oldest (or most beautiful) religious sites of the world, Ankgor Wat is on that list. Ankgor Wat is the oldest Buddhist temple in the world and is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ankgor Wat translated really just means “Ankgor Temple”. In actuality, Ankgor is almost a complex of many different temples, including Ta Phrom, Preah Kahn, and Bayon temples, all of which provide an interesting and completely unique experience to their visitor.
One of the most unique experiences I have ever had, though, occurred at Ankgor Wat. I have definitely been blessed in more ways than one in my life- I am blessed that I am able to travel the way that I do. I am blessed with (mostly) good health. I am blessed in that I am able to continue my education in college. In Ankgor Wat, I was blessed in the most literal sense possible. I was with a travel group (how I usually travel) of about 13 people and we were just about to leave to visit Bayon temple. As we were leaving, our tour guide took us off the main path and down one of the side ones in the temple. Imagine the main building of Ankgor Wat as almost a many-layered maze; there are many different levels and rooms interconnected by pathways. If you stay with the crowd, you’re likely to see a lot, but if you break off, you’re likely to discover places that many people don’t see.
We were walking down one such hallway and happened to come upon a few monks, 2 adults and one child. One was standing in a corner, and the other two were sitting on the floor on a straw mat. One was more centrally seated than the other, with a bowl of water in front of him, a bowl for donations beside him, and a third bowl on the other side that was full of braided bracelets. He stopped our tour guide and asked him (in Khmer- the Cambodian language) if we would like to be blessed.
Normally, I tend to stay away from cultural rituals, especially those that have to do with religion, as I don’t want to cause offense to anyone. However, as the monk had offered, I felt as though it was appropriate to accept. I knelt down in front of him, sitting cross-legged and he instructed me (through the tour guide) to close my eyes, which I did. He proceeded to bless me, chanting words over and over again (which I later learned translated to sayings wishing me good health, long life, and prosperity) and flicking water onto me via a brush. The blessing lasted almost two and a half solid minutes- the entire time, the monk chanted and flicked me with water. After he was done chanting, he took my hand from where it was resting face up on a wooden box in front of him and tied a red and yellow braided bracelet around my wrist. I learned later from my tour guide that this is also a sign of good fortune and hope for the future.
Two years later, I still have the bracelet (although I don’t wear it anymore, as I’m scared that it will fall off), and being blessed was one of the most interesting cultural experiences I have had.
To anyone visiting Ankgor Wat- go off the beaten path. Get a little lost (I promise you’ll find your way back again), and you might get blessed.
*photo credits go to Sylvia Marohn*
