Angkor Wat
symbol of the Khmer people soul

Suryavarman II erected this remarkable temple, symbol of the Khmer people soul, place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from all Asia, in the 12th century in less than thirty years. About 50 000 people worked hard to build Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious building. This temple first was dedicated to worship kings and Vishnu, a Hindu god, before becoming a Buddhist worship place in the 16th century

Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious building

The outside perimeter of Angkor Wat measures 5 500 meters. Dimensions are gigantic forming a rectangle of about 1500 by 1300 metres with 200 metre wide moats. The structure is build up over three stages (three galleries connected by a transverse gallery) rising to five distinctive towers in the center, the tallest one reaching 65 metres

Bakan

The inner gallery is a sanctuary (60 metre square) called Bakan. Very steep stairways must be gone up to come there, it represents the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of gods. This is worth noting there are wonderful views of Angkor Site from the top of the central sanctuary

Bas-reliefs in galleries

The three main galleries have a great number and a wide range of bas-reliefs representing about 2000 Apsaras always in different shape, Devatas, historical and epic or religious scenes, but also imperial court and everyday life scenes

Angkor Wat characteristics

As well as other Angkor temples, Angkor Wat was built according to the plan of the temple mountain and the galleried temple. But Angkor Wat has some characteristics :

• The central tower (symbolic representation of the mythical Mount Meru) is surrounded by four smaller ones (because the mythical Mount Meru had five peaks). And Each tower has a lotus bud shape
• It is the only temple oriented to the west rather than the east for uncertain reasons
• Bas-reliefs in galleries, are to be viewed in an anti-clockwise direction, what is the reverse of the normal order
• Gigantic dimensions of galleries, walls and moats

Angkor Wat in the History

Angkor Wat first was a state temple and a capital city for kings. But when the Angkor site was abandoned, this temple continued to be inhabited and remained a significant religious center. Now, it is the most impressive and the most perfectly constructed Khmer temple, it represents the Khmer architecture refinement, and a symbol of Cambodian nation. Angkor Wat adorns the national flag of Cambodia and bank notes. It is the prime cultural attraction for visitors in Asia. Since December 1992, Angkor Wat has been classed as UNESCO “World Heritage”