Angkor Thom is Khmer for “Greater City”, a part of the Khmer Empire extending from Angkor Wat – about 2 km away and home to the Bayon Temple.
The city is enclosed by squared walls and a moat. All inroads were guarded by massive gates including South, East (Gate of the Dead), Victory, North and West. Outside of the gates and joining walls is a moat and the bridges for the access roads. The causeways are lined with two rows of stone giants holding a snaking and churning the sea of the milk. There are 54 devas (gods) and 54 asuras (demons) on opposite sides.
South Gate is the closest Angkor Thom entrance gate from Angkor Wat and therefore most prevalent. Also, it’s the only gate that has a paved access road bridge. The South Gate is actually a tourist destination and a stop for buses, whereas the others gates have limited traffic. That said, it’s hard to photograph if you don’t want herds of tourist in your photo. </p>
The gate was restored in 1950s and is the only gate with all 104 devas and asuras’s heads. </p>
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