Wayfarer, September: the Chola temples, Angkor and Samarkand.
Editor's Dispatch
Ancient places make us feel small, which is part of their appeal. They also make us over-confident. A guide points at a carving and tells you exactly what it meant, and for a moment you forget that someone, somewhere, spent a career arguing about it.
This month we have tried to keep both feelings. We have written about places with dates that are not in dispute, the Chola temples, for example, and about others where the dates and the stories are still being argued over. Where sources disagree, we say so. Where we could not check something, we say that too.
Lead story
Angkor, slowly: the Khmer capital beyond the sunrise queueAngkor Wat is the postcard. The city around it, built over six centuries, is the story.
Also in this issue
- Imphal and Loktak: a royal citadel and a floating lake, with careManipur's heritage is some of the richest in the Northeast. Its present is complicated. Read this before you plan.
- The Great Living Chola Temples: three towers, three kingsThanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram: a short temple trail that explains an empire.
- Samarkand and Bukhara: the Silk Road citiesTwo UNESCO-listed cities on the old trade routes of Central Asia, and a visa change for Indian travellers.
- Egypt: the Grand Egyptian Museum, a year after openingA museum beside the pyramids that finally shows Tutankhamun's treasures together.
- The Solo Travel Safety ChecklistTen sensible habits for travelling alone.
Coming up
- JanmashtamiAcross India · 4 September 2026 (approx. — verify)
- Ganesh ChaturthiMumbai, Pune and across India · 14 September 2026 (about ten days) (approx. — verify)
- Ziro Festival of MusicZiro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh · 24–27 September 2026 (approx. — verify)
- Mysuru DasaraMysuru, Karnataka · 11–21 October 2026 (approx. — verify)
One practical tip
Go to the biggest ancient site in the first hour after opening, or the last. The middle of the day is for the shade.
Your turn
Which ancient place would you travel to just to stand in? Reply and tell us.