Angkor Wat is a fascinating temple complex in northwestern Cambodia, located in the former capital of the ancient Khmer Empire, which ruled a vast kingdom in Southeast Asia from the 9th to the 14th century. While Buddhists believe that it was built at night on the orders of the god Indra, it actually took decades to create an originally Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, one of the three main Hindu gods. With an area of ​​about 162,6 hectares (about 400 acres), Angkor Wat is the largest and most complex religious monument ever built in human history.

Construction of the unforgettable temple of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat was built over 30 years by King Suryavarman II of Khmer Empirewho ruled from 1113 to 1150. It was to serve as a temple complex, mausoleum and political center of its vast empire. The name Angkor Wat means "city of temples", where of Angkor means "capital" and What "temple". The Khmer Empire existed between the 9th and 15th centuries, but during the 12th century. the civilization of Angkor was already at its peak and was experiencing a cultural boom. The surviving records show that 300 workers and 000 elephants took part in the construction.

According to archaeologist Charles Higham, King Suryavarman was not just a human being, but a demigod. Many inscriptions on construction sites testify to his life and deeds. However, inscriptions of the end of his reign were not found; his exact reign and cause of death are thus unknown. 

Angkor Wat Mountain Temple, was built to represent  Hindu  universe, although at the end of the 12th century. was converted into a Buddhist temple. Five sandstone towers rise above the temple enclosures. The central tower symbolizes the sacred mountain of Meru, the center of the Hindu universe and the home of the god Brahma and Deva. The surrounding peaks, perimeter walls and moat represent the mountains and ocean.

Aerial view of Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia.

Architecture of Angkor Wat

From the architectural viewpoint, Angkor Wat temple is spectacular. It is a huge three-level pyramid built on a rectangular plot surrounded by water. The Khmer used laterite blocks encapsulated in carved sandstone to build the temple and city walls, while the rest of the structures were made of less durable materials such as wood, which explains why nothing was left of them.

Unlike most temples in Angkor, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west, which has led experts to believe that it was built as a mausoleum for Suryavarman II (although he was never actually buried there).

The extent of this complex is difficult to imagine. The outer perimeter wall with a length of 1024 × 802 meters and a height of 4,5 meters is surrounded by 30 meters of open space and about 200 meters of moat, which symbolized the ocean surrounding Mount Mera. Access to the temple is possible via a clay wall on the east and a sandstone embankment on the west side. The church facade is covered with intricate relief carvings. The inner walls lining the outer gallery are decorated with scenes from the Hindu written works of Mahadbharata and Ramayana telling stories of history and mythology. Cambodia. From the northwest corner of the Western Gallery, the counterclockwise battle depicts the Battle of Lanka and the Battle of Kurukchetra. The south gallery depicts a historical scene depicting the procession of King Surjarmarman II when he first entered the city.

Almost 3 nymphs are also carved throughout the temple, each of which is unique. In the central tower there is a 000 m high statue of Vishnu, carved from one block of sandstone. Around the statue are offerings from pilgrims and young people who have before the wedding. The Buddha Gallery in the Central Temple was once home to hundreds of Buddha images, many of which were stolen during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 3,25s.

lustration of the facade of Angkor Wat by Henri Mouhot from circa 1860

Discover the temple of Angkor Wat and the city of Angkor

While historians often tell the story of the lost temple, according to Alison Kyra Carter "Angkor Wat has never been abandoned," unlike other sights in Angkor. History.com in this context, he states that Angkor Wat "was important to the Buddhist religion" until the 19th century, although it was "not used and dilapidated."

According to with the BBC was the first European to visit the temple in 1586, Portuguese monk Antonio da Madelena. Europeans learned about the temple around 1860 thanks to the French naturalist and traveler Henri Mohout, who conducted extensive research in this area. He then influenced generations of researchers with his findings. Mohout himself originally thought that the temple was built by another human race and not by the Cambodians. He claimed that Ankor Wat was "more magnificent than anything built by the Greeks or Romans."

Angkor Wat is the most famous of the hundreds of temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park, which is now UNESCO World Heritage Site . It is estimated that the city of Angkor was once home to one million people. It excelled with an ingenious irrigation system, cobbled roads and beautiful buildings. However, within 200 years, Khmer civilization collapsed for no apparent reason. Without any written records and credible evidence, the researchers concluded that the main reason for the demise of Khmer civilization may have been environmental collapse.

The area has attracted archaeologists for decades. Since 2007, aerial archaeologists Damian Evans and Jean-Baptiste Chevance have been mapping the ruins from the air to gain a clearer picture of the landscape, the scale of this vast ancient city, and to reveal hidden topographical details. Their work even allowed them to map the city's vast irrigation system, which allowed the Khmers to provide food for such a huge population. National Geographic He said that of Angkor it once had the "expanse of today's Los Angeles," making it "the largest settlement ever built in human history before the Industrial Revolution."

Efforts to restore magnificent architecture Angkor they didn't really start until the 60s. but they were hampered by the Cambodian civil war in the 20s and the cruel Khmer Rouge government. There are even bullet holes in the outer walls of the complex, which are kept as a reminder of this era. When Angkor was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 70, it was also listed as a World Heritage Site, which includes natural and cultural sites that are in acute danger of extinction due to earthquakes, overgrowth, frequent looting, illegal excavations, and / or war.

Following a UNESCO campaign to protect and restore the famous Cambodian ruins, the temple was removed from the World Heritage List in Threat in 2004. It is now one of the biggest threats to Angkor tourism. The number of tourists in 2018 reached more than 2,6 million (7 per day).

Tourist visiting Ta Prohm temple in Angkor.

Visit Angkor Wat

The impressive and mighty Angkor Wat and the ancient city that surrounds it is an interesting place to visit, which calls into question the still prevailing belief that our civilization is more advanced than the civilizations that existed in the past. Angkor Archaeological Park is about 6 km from Siem Reap Airport and is open from 5:00 until 18:00. The best way to visit it is to rent it tuk tuk (motorized tricycle), whose driver is also your guide and will spend the whole day with you. The best months to visit are December and January, when there is a drought. You can buy 1, 3 and 7 day passes. It takes at least three hours to visit the site of Angkor Wat, but it can take several days to get to know the whole city of Angkor. Although Angkor Wat is no longer an active temple, it is important to keep in mind that it is a sacred place and visitors should dress modestly, avoiding bare knees and arms.