Cambodia,  Monochrome Madness,  Photographic techniques,  Ruins,  Travel galleries

Gallery: the ruins of Angkor in black and white

August 6, 2026 / 44 Comments

Angkor is perhaps the greatest of Man’s essays in rectangular architecture that has yet been brought to life

Arnold J. Toynbee, historian

Although Angkor Wat is the most famous sight in Angkor, it is not the only one by any means, despite the fact that the two names are often used interchangeably. Angkor in fact means β€˜city’ and Angkor Wat the β€˜city temple’. But there are over a thousand temples, ranging in scale from mere piles of rubble scattered through rice fields to Angkor Wat itself.

I’m repeating myself with that statement, which first appeared in my post about Angkor Thom. Β It bears repeating, as a reminder of the scale of what was achieved here. We only had time to visit a handful of the temples, but one thing that struck me at all those we saw was the incredible detail in the relief carvings. I thought for this week’s theme-free Monochrome Madness I would see how these looked in black and white. Why? Because monochrome is often good at highlighting texture and detail, and also because they are naturally of a single colour, i.e. β€˜monochrome’.

Some of these details have appeared here before, but in colour. Others should be new to you, I hope. Among them you’ll see several examples of the many devata or apsara relief carvings. These are depictions of beautiful women, with ornate hairdos and jewellery, and bare-breasted. I’ve seen different explanations of the difference between the two, but the most common seems to be that apsaras are the dancing figures while devatas are standing still, facing forward as guardians of the temples. So that’s the explanation I’ve adopted.

Above an entrance door in Angkor Wat

From the Churning of the Sea of Milk relief in the East Gallery, Angkor Wat

Devatas in the Upper Gallery, Angkor Wat

Early morning lights on a devata in the Upper Gallery, Angkor Wat

Relief showing generals riding elephants and foot
soldiers, Bayon Temple
My feature photo was also taken here and shows a pig stuck in the wheels of a cart

A family on foot, Bayon Temple

The woman is carrying a baby on her back, while bottom left you can see a man blowing on a fire beneath a cooking pot

A woman giving birth beneath a table, Bayon Temple

Monkeys picking coconuts as soldiers march beneath, Bayon Temple

On the south gate of Angkor Thom

The Terrace of the Leper King, Angkor Thom

Above a lintel at Ta Prohm

Devata at Ta Prohm

Apsaras at Banteay Kdei

Devatas at Banteay Kdei

Devatas at Banteay Kdei

I visited Angkor in February 2020

44 Comments

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