Angkor Wat Temple, Cambodia

The Angkor Wat temple is a collection of more than 100 temples at Angkor, Cambodia. It is the one of the most religious and spiritual places in the world with stunning and gorgeous architecture.

This ancient temple belongs to the age of Khmer Empire, built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. It is the largest and best preserved significant temple of Hindus dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

The Angkor Wat Temple has two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture. They are the temple mountain and the galleried temples. This temple is designed to represent Mount Meru which is the home of the gods in Hindu mythology. There are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. A quincunx of towers stands at the centre of the temple. The designs are made from sandstone with bricks to create extraordinary art work. Being oriented to the west, the temple is admired for its grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs and numerous devatas adorning its walls. The whole city of Angkor has declared as the UNESCO world Heritage site in 1992.

Location

The Angkor Wat Temple is situated at 6 km from the north of the Siemreab town, in the northwestern Cambodia, Southeast Asia.

Historical Importance

Angkor Wat temple was built in 12th century between 802 and 1220 AD by Khmer civilization for Suryavarman II King. The temple was earlier known as the Vrah, Vishnulok after the presiding deity.  The place of Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer in 1177. Later, the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple called the Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively a few kilometres to the north.

Between 14th and 15th century, the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhist use which remains the same till today.  In 16th century the Angkor Wat temple was neglected and its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle. By this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok. The modern name, Angkor means "City Temple". One of the first Western visitors to the temple was Antonio da Magdalena, a Portuguese monk who visited the temple in 1586. The Angkor temple was brought to the world’s attention by the French explorer Henri Mouhot in 1860.

Nearby Attractions

Bakeng Hill
Close to Angkor Wat lies the Bakeng Hill which is meant to resemble Mount Meru, the center of the earth in the Hindu cosmology. It is a great spot for sunrise or sunset viewing and becomes heavily crowded in high season.

Bayon
The Bayon is the centerpiece of the larger Angkor Thom city, and it has classic carved faces. It is a Buddhist temple built under the reign of prolific Jayavarman VII. As the temple was built atop a previous Hindu site, it adheres to Hindu cosmology.
Vimean Akhar

The "Palace of Air" or Vimean Akhar is a royal place built by three successive kings, Jayavarman II and V as well as Suryavarman I, over a period of time from 944 to 1045. This Hindu temple is dedicated to Shiva and is some 12m (40 feet) high with three levels. Each of the three levels represents one of the kings who helped build it.

Terrace of the Leper King

Built by Jayavarman, the terrace of the Leper King is the northern half of a long north-south shelf which was used as a main viewing stage for the king and his entourage to watch elaborate shows in the open area out front.

Elephant Terrace
This terrace is situated to the south end Leper King Terrace and has elaborate designs of elephants, whose trunks make decorative columns.

Preah Khan
Built by Jayavarman VII in 1191, it is referred as the Sacred Sword. It is believed that this was where Jayavarman called home during the building of the Bayon.

Ta Prohm
This temple is located in the jungle foliage. Ta Prohm is a favorite place covered with the Khmer Spoong tree which is something like a banyan tree.

Ta Kaeo
Ta Kaeo temple was never completed and according to the legend, the temple was struck by lightning during its construction, and all work was abandoned at a stage where the main structure was complete, but no adornment had been added.

Banteay Kdei
It is the first temple built by Jayavarman VII in 1181, just opposite the large Sra Serang Reservoir, a lovely lily pond that is 300 by 700m and surrounded by sandstone steps of Khmer Vintage.

How to reach

By Air: Nearest Airport is Phnom Penh’s Pochentong

By Road: There are number of buses and cars available apart from buses to Phonom Penh from Saigon via Moc Bai.