Angkor WatFrom Wikipedia , the free encyclopediaJump to : navigation , search For the American thrash metal band , see Angkor Wat ( band ) . Angkor WatCoordinates : 13 ° 24 ′ 45 ″ N 103 ° 52 ′ 0 ″ E / 13 . 41250 ° N 103 . 86667 ° E / 13 . 41250 ; 103 . 86667 Coordinates : 13 ° 24 ′ 45 ″ N 103 ° 52 ′ 0 ″ E / 13 . 41250 ° N 103 . 86667 ° E / 13 . 41250 ; 103 . 86667 NameProper name : Prasat Angkor WatLocationCountry : CambodiaLocation : Angkor , Siem Reap Province , CambodiaArchitecture and culturePrimary deity : VishnuArchitectural styles : Khmer , DravidianHistoryDate built : ( Current structure ) 12 th centuryCreator : Suryavarman II / SamudraguptaAngkor Wat ( Khmer : អង្គរវត្ត ) is the largest Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world . The temple was built by a king Suryavarman II in the early 12 th century in Yasodharapura ( Khmer : យសោធរបុរៈ , present - day Angkor ) , the capital of the Khmer Empire , as his state temple and eventual mausoleum . Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings , Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu . As the best - preserved temple at the site , it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu , then Buddhist . The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture . It has become a symbol of Cambodia , [ 1 ] appearing on its national flag , and it is the country ' s prime attraction for visitors . Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture : the temple mountain and the later galleried temple , based on early Dravidian Architecture , with key features such as the Jagati . It is designed to represent Mount Meru , home of the devas in Hindu mythology : within a moat and an outer wall 3 . 6 kilometres ( 2 . 2 mi ) long are three rectangular galleries , each raised above the next . At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers . Unlike most Angkorian temples , Angkor Wat is oriented to the west ; scholars are divided as to the significance of this . The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture , its extensive bas - reliefs , and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls . The modern name , Angkor Wat , means " Temple City " or " City of Temples " in Khmer ; Angkor , meaning " city " or " capital city ", is a vernacular form of the word nokor ( នគរ ) , which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara ( नगर ) . [ 2 ] Wat is the Khmer word for " temple grounds ", derived from the Pali word " vatta " ( वत्त ) . [ 3 ] Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok ( Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit ) , after the posthumous title of its founder . [ 4 ] This article contains Khmer text . Without proper rendering support , you may see question marks , boxes , or other symbols instead of Khmer script . This article contains Indic text . Without proper rendering support , you may see question marks or boxes , misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text . UNESCO World Heritage SiteAngkorName as inscribed on the World Heritage L i s t C o u n t r y C a m b odiaTypeCulturalCriteriaI , II , III , IVReference 668 UNESCO regionAsia and the PacificInscription historyInscription 1992 ( 16 th Session ) Contents [ hide ] 1 History 2 Architecture 2 . 1 Site and plan 2 . 2 Style 2 . 3 Features 2 . 3 . 1 Outer enclosure 2 . 3 . 2 Central structure 2 . 3 . 3 Decoration 2 . 4 Construction techniques 3 Angkor Wat today 4 References 5 External links [ edit ] HistoryKing Suryavarman II , the builder of Angkor WatAngkor Wat lies 5 . 5 kilometres ( 3 . 4 mi ) north of the modern town of Siem Reap , and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital , which was centred at Baphuon . It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures . It is the southernmost of Angkor ' s main sites . The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12 th century , during the reign of Suryavarman II ( ruled 1113 – c . 1150 ) . Dedicated to Vishnu , it was built as the king ' s state temple and capital city . As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found , its original name is unknown , but it may have been known as " Varah Vishnu - lok " ( literally " Holy Vishnu Location ", Old Khmer Cl . Sanskrit ") after the presiding deity . Work seems to have ended shortly after the king ' s death , leaving some of the bas - relief decoration unfinished . [ 5 ] In 1177 , approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II , Angkor was sacked by the Chams , the traditional enemies of the Khmer . Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king , Jayavarman VII , who established a new capital and state temple ( Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively ) a few kilometres to the north . In the late 13 th century , Angkor Wat gradually moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use , which continues to the present day . Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16 th century it was never completely abandoned , its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle . [ 6 ] One of the first Western visitors to the temple was António da Madalena , a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it " is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen , particularly since it is like no other building in the world . It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of . "[ 7 ] In the mid - 19 th century the temple was visited by the French naturalist and explorer , Henri Mouhot , who popularised the site in the West through the publication of travel notes , in which he wrote : one of these temples — a rival to that of Solomon , and erected by some ancient Michelangelo — might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings . It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome , and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged . "[ 8 ] Mouhot , like other early Western visitors , found it difficult to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple , and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome . The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site . There were no ordinary dwellings or houses or other signs of settlement including cooking utensils , weapons , or items of clothing usually found at ancient sites . Instead there is the evidence of the monuments themselves . [ 9 ] Facade of Angkor Wat , a drawing by Henri MouhotFrench postcard about Angkor Wat in 1911 Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20 th century , mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation . [ 10 ] Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970 s and 1980 s , but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post - Angkorian statues . [ 11 ] The temple is a powerful symbol of Cambodia , and is a source of great national pride that has factored into Cambodia ' s diplomatic relations with France , the United States and its neighbour Thailand . A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863 . [ 12 ] From a larger historical and even transcultural perspective , however , the temple of Angkor Wat did not became a symbol of national pride sui generis but had been inscribed into a larger politico - cultural process of French - colonial heritage production in which the original temple site was presented in French colonial and universal exhibitions in Paris and Marseille between 1889 and 1937 . [ 13 ] The splendid artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate on 11 August 1863 and invading Siam to take control of the ruins . This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country that had been under Siamese ( Thai ) control since 1351 AD ( Manich Jumsai 2001 ) , or by some accounts , 1431 AD . [ 14 ] Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 and has controlled Angkor Wat since that time . During the midst of the Vietnam War , Chief of State Norodom Sihanouk hosted Jacqueline Kennedy in Cambodia to fulfill her " lifelong dream of seeing Angkor Wat . "[ 15 ] In January 2003 riots erupted in Phnom Penh when a false rumour circulated that a Thai soap opera actress had claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand . [ 16 ] [ edit ] Architecture [ edit ] Site and planGeneral plan of Angkor Wat with central structure in the middleDetailed plan of the central structureAngkor Wat , located at WikiMiniAtlas 13 ° 24 ′ 45 ″ N 103 ° 52 ′ 0 ″ E / 13 . 41250 ° N 103 . 86667 ° E / 13 . 41250 ; 103 . 86667 , is a unique combination of the temple mountain , the standard design for the empire ' s state temples , the later plan of concentric galleries , and influences from Odisha and the Chola of Tamil Nadu , India . The temple is a representation of Mount Meru , the home of the gods : the central quincunx of towers symbolises the five peaks of the mountain , and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean . [ 17 ] Access to the upper areas of the temple was progressively more exclusive , with the laity being admitted only to the lowest level . [ 18 ] Unlike most Khmer temples , Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east . This has led many ( including Glaize and George Coedès ) to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple . [ 19 ] Further evidence for this view is provided by the bas - reliefs , which proceed in a counter - clockwise direction — prasavya in Hindu terminology — as this is the reverse of the normal order . Rituals take place in reverse order during Brahminic funeral services . [ 10 ] The archaeologist Charles Higham also describes a container which may have been a funerary jar which was recovered from the central tower . [ 20 ] It has been nominated by some as the greatest expenditure of energy on the disposal of a corpse . [ 21 ] Freeman and Jacques , however , note that several other temples of Angkor depart from the typical eastern orientation , and suggest that Angkor Wat ' s alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu , who was associated with the west . [ 17 ] A further interpretation of Angkor Wat has been proposed by Eleanor Mannikka . Drawing on the temple ' s alignment and dimensions , and on the content and arrangement of the bas - reliefs , she argues that the structure represents a claimed new era of peace under King Suryavarman II : " as the measurements of solar and lunar time cycles were built into the sacred space of Angkor Wat , this divine mandate to rule was anchored to consecrated chambers and corridors meant to perpetuate the king ' s power and to honor and placate the deities manifest in the heavens above . "[ 22 ] [ 23 ] Mannikka ' s suggestions have been received with a mixture of interest and scepticism in academic circles . [ 20 ] She distances herself from the speculations of others , such as Graham Hancock , that Angkor Wat is part of a representation of the constellation Draco . [ 24 ] [ edit ] StyleUpper gallery at Angkor WatAngkor Wat is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture — the Angkor Wat style — to which it has given its name . By the 12 th century Khmer architects had become skilled and confident in the use of sandstone ( rather than brick or laterite ) as the main building material . Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks , while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts . The binding agent used to join the blocks is yet to be identified , although natural resins or slaked lime have been suggested . [ 25 ] Angkor Wat has drawn praise above all for the harmony of its design , which has been compared to the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome . According to Maurice Glaize , a mid - 20 th - century conservator of Angkor , the temple " attains a classic perfection by the restrained monumentality of its finely balanced elements and the precise arrangement of its proportions . It is a work of power , unity and style . "[ 26 ] Architecturally , the elements characteristic of the style include : the ogival , redented towers shaped like lotus buds ; half - galleries to broaden passageways ; axial galleries connecting enclosures ; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple . Typical decorative elements are devatas ( or apsaras ) , bas - reliefs , and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes . The statuary of Angkor Wat is considered conservative , being more static and less graceful than earlier work . [ 27 ] Other elements of the design have been destroyed by looting and the passage of time , including gilded stucco on the towers , gilding on some figures on the bas - reliefs , and wooden ceiling panels and doors . [ 28 ] The Angkor Wat style was followed by that of the Bayon period , in which quality was often sacrificed to quantity . [ 29 ] Other temples in the style are Banteay Samré , Thommanon , Chao Say Tevoda and the early temples of Preah Pithu at Angkor ; outside Angkor , Beng Mealea and parts of Phanom Rung and Phimai . [ edit ] FeaturesAerial view of Angkor Wat [ edit ] Outer enclosureThe outer wall , 1024 by 802 m and 4 . 5 m high , is surrounded by a 30 m apron of open ground and a moat 190 m wide . Access to the temple is by an earth bank to the east and a sandstone causeway to the west ; the latter , the main entrance , is a later addition , possibly replacing a wooden bridge . [ 30 ] There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points ; the western is by far the largest and has three ruined towers . Glaize notes that this gopura both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper . [ 31 ] Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu , known as Ta Reach , which may originally have occupied the temple ' s central shrine . [ 30 ] Galleries run between the towers and as far as two further entrances on either side of the gopura often referred to as " elephant gates ", as they are large enough to admit those animals . These galleries have square pillars on the outer ( west ) side and a closed wall on the inner ( east ) side . The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus rosettes ; the west face of the wall with dancing figures ; and the east face of the wall with balustered windows , dancing male figures on prancing animals , and devatas , including ( south of the entrance ) the only one in the temple to be showing her teeth . The outer wall encloses a space of 820 , 000 square metres ( 203 acres ) , which besides the temple proper was originally occupied by the city and , to the north of the temple , the royal palace . Like all secular buildings of Angkor , these were built of perishable materials rather than of stone , so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some of the streets . [ 32 ] Most of the area is now covered by forest . A 350 m causeway connects the western gopura to the temple proper , with naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side . Each side also features a library with entrances at each cardinal point , in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance , and a pond between the library and the temple itself . The ponds are later additions to the design , as is the cruciform terrace guarded by lions connecting the causeway to the central structure . [ 32 ] [ edit ] Central structureMiniature model of the central structure of Angkor Wat . In the foreground the cruciform terrace which lies in front of the central structure . The temple stands on a terrace raised higher than the city . It is made of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower , each level higher than the last . Mannikka interprets these galleries as being dedicated to the king , Brahma , the moon , and Vishnu . [ 5 ] Each gallery has a gopura at each of the points , and the two inner galleries each have towers at their corners , forming a quincunx with the central tower . Because the temple faces west , the features are all set back towards the east , leaving more space to be filled in each enclosure and gallery on the west side ; for the same reason the west - facing steps are shallower than those on the other sides . The outer gallery measures 187 by 215 m , with pavilions rather than towers at the corners . The gallery is open to the outside of the temple , with columned half - galleries extending and buttressing the structure . Connecting the outer gallery to the second enclosure on the west side is a cruciform cloister called Preah Poan ( the " Hall of a Thousand Gods "). Buddha images were left in the cloister by pilgrims over the centuries , although most have now been removed . This area has many inscriptions relating the good deeds of pilgrims , most written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese . The four small courtyards marked out by the cloister may originally have been filled with water . [ 33 ] North and south of the cloister are libraries . Beyond , the second and inner galleries are connected to each other and to two flanking libraries by another cruciform terrace , again a later addition . From the second level upwards , devatas abound on the walls , singly or in groups of up to four . The second - level enclosure is 100 by 115 m , and may originally have been flooded to represent the ocean around Mount Meru . [ 34 ] Three sets of steps on each side lead up to the corner towers and gopuras of the inner gallery . The very steep stairways represent the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the gods . [ 35 ] This inner gallery , called the Bakan , is a 60 m square with axial galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine , and subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers . The roofings of the galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in the heads of lions or garudas . Carved lintels and pediments decorate the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines . The tower above the central shrine rises 43 m to a height of 65 m above the ground ; unlike those of previous temple mountains , the central tower is raised above the surrounding four . [ 36 ] The shrine itself , originally occupied by a statue of Vishnu and open on each side , was walled in when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism , the new walls featuring standing Buddhas . In 1934 , the conservator George Trouvé excavated the pit beneath the central shrine : filled with sand and water it had already been robbed of its treasure , but he did find a sacred foundation deposit of gold leaf two metres above ground level . [ 37 ] [ edit ] DecorationDevatas are characteristic of the Angkor Wat style . The bas - relief of the Churning of the Sea of Milk shows Vishnu in the centre , his turtle Avatar Kurma below , asuras and devas to left and right , and apsaras and Indra above . Integrated with the architecture of the building , and one of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat ' s extensive decoration , which predominantly takes the form of bas - relief friezes . The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large - scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata . Higham has called these , " the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving ".[ 38 ] From the north - west corner anti - clockwise , the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka ( from the Ramayana , in which Rama defeats Ravana ) and the Battle of Kurukshetra ( from the Mahabharata , showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans ) . on the southern gallery follow the only historical scene , a procession of Suryavarman II , then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hindu mythology . On the eastern gallery is one of the most celebrated scenes , the Churning of the Sea of Milk , showing 92 [ 39 ] asuras and 88 devas using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu ' s direction ( Mannikka counts only 91 asuras , and explains the asymmetrical numbers as representing the number of days from the winter solstice to the spring equinox , and from the equinox to the summer solstice ) . [ 40 ] It is followed by Vishnu defeating asuras ( a 16 th - century addition ) . The northern gallery shows Krishna ' s victory over Bana ( where according to Glaize , " The workmanship is at its worst "[ 41 ] ) and a battle between the Hindu gods and asuras . The north - west and south - west corner pavilions both feature much smaller - scale scenes , some unidentified but most from the Ramayana or the life of Krishna . [ edit ] Construction techniquesThe stones , as smooth as polished marble , were laid without mortar with very tight joints that were sometimes hard to find . The blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints in some cases , while in others they used dovetails and gravity . The blocks were presumably put in place by a combination of elephants , coir ropes , pulleys and bamboo scaffolding . Henri Mouhot noted that most of the blocks had holes 2 . 5 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep , with more holes on the larger blocks . Some scholars have suggested that these were used to join them together with iron rods , but others claim they were used to hold temporary pegs to help manoeuvre them into place . The monument was made out of enormous amounts of sandstone , as much as Khafre ' s pyramid in Egypt ( over 5 million tons ) . This sandstone had to be transported from Mount Kulen , a quarry approximately 25 miles ( 40 km ) to the northeast . The stone was presumably transported by raft along the Siem Reap river . This would have to have been done with care to avoid overturning the rafts with such a large amount of weight . one modern engineer estimated it would take 300 years to complete Angkor Wat today . [ 42 ] Yet the monument was begun soon after Suryavarman came to the throne and was finished shortly after his death , no more than 40 years . Virtually all of its surfaces , columns , lintels even roofs are carved . There are miles of reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns , griffins , winged dragons pulling chariots as well as warriors following an elephant - mounted leader and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hair styles . The gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1 , 000 square metres of bas reliefs . Holes on some of the Angkor walls indicate that they may have been decorated with bronze sheets . These were highly prized in ancient times and were a prime target for robbers . While excavating Khajuraho , Alex Evans , a stonemason and sculptor , recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet ( 1 . 2 m ) , this took about 60 days to carve . [ 43 ] Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone . [ 44 ] The labour force to quarry , transport , carve and install so much sandstone must have run into the thousands including many highly skilled artisans . The skills required to carve these sculptures were developed hundreds of years earlier , as demonstrated by some artifacts that have been dated to the seventh century , before the Khmer came to power . [ 21 ] [ 42 ] . .. Angkor Wat viewed from across the moat [ edit ] Angkor Wat todayWorld Monuments Fund video on conservation of Angkor WatThe Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992 . [ 45 ] Since the 1990 s , Angkor Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism . The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site , established in 1992 , which has provided some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to protect the site . [ 46 ] The German Apsara Conservation Project ( GACP ) is working to protect the devatas and other bas - reliefs which decorate the temple from damage . The organisation ' s survey found that around 20 % of the devatas were in very poor condition , mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone but in part also due to earlier restoration efforts . [ 47 ] Other work involves the repair of collapsed sections of the structure , and prevention of further collapse : the west facade of the upper level , for example , has been buttressed by scaffolding since 2002 , [ 48 ] while a Japanese team completed restoration of the north library of the outer enclosure in 2005 . [ 49 ] World Monuments Fund began conservation work on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery in 2008 after several years of conditions studies . The project restored the traditional Khmer roofing system and removed cement used in earlier restoration attempts that had resulted in salts entering the structure behind the bas - relief , discoloring and damaging the sculpted surfaces . The main phase of work ended in 2012 , and the final component will be the installation of finials on the roof of the gallery in 2013 . Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination . In 2004 and 2005 , government figures suggest that , respectively , 561 , 000 and 677 , 000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province , approximately 50 % of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years . [ 50 ] The site has been managed by the private SOKIMEX group since 1990 , which rented it from the Cambodian government . The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively little damage , other than some graffiti ; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas - reliefs and floors , respectively . Tourism has also provided some additional funds for maintenance — as of 2000 approximately 28 % of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples — although most work is carried out by foreign government - sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities . [ 51 ] Since Angkor Wat has seen significant growth in tourism throughout the years UNESCO and its International Co - ordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor ( ICC ) , in association with representatives from the Royal Government and APSARA , organized seminars to discuss the concept of " cultural tourism ".[ 52 ] Wanting to avoid commercial and mass tourism , the seminars emphasized the importance of providing high quality accommodation and services in order for the Cambodian government to benefit economically , while also incorporating the richness of Cambodian culture . [ 52 ] In 2001 , this incentive resulted in the concept of the " Angkor Tourist City " which would be developed with regard to traditional Khmer architecture , contain leisure and tourist facilities , and provide luxurious hotels capable of accommodating large amounts of tourists . [ 52 ] The prospect of developing such large tourist accommodations has encountered concerns from both APSARA and the ICC , claiming that previous tourism developments in the area have neglected construction regulations and more of these projects have the potential to damage landscape features . [ 52 ] Also , the large scale of these projects have begun to threaten the quality of the nearby town ' s water , sewage , and electricity systems . [ 52 ] It has been noted that such high frequency of tourism and growing demand for quality accommodations in the area , such as the development of a large highway , has had a direct effect on the underground water table , subsequently straining the structural stability of the temples at Angkor Wat . [ 52 ] Locals of Siem Reap have also voiced concern over the charming nature and atmosphere of their town being compromised in order to entertain tourism . [ 52 ] Since this charming local atmosphere is the key component to projects like Angkor Tourist City , local officials continue to discuss how to successfully incorporate future tourism without sacrificing local values and culture . [ 52 ] At the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012 , both parties have agreed Borobudur and Angkor Wat to become sister sites and the provinces will become sister provinces . Two Indonesian airlines are considering the opportunity to open a direct flight from Yogyakarta , Indonesia to Siem Reap . [ 53 ] http : / / www . lottetour . com / wcommon / template / goods / map / map _ day _ frm . asp ? v _ eSeq = A 130314631 & v _ url =/ wcommon / template / goods / map / map _ day _ svc . asp & v _ day = 2