Angkor Wat

aerial view

      Angkor Wat is a temple located in northern Cambodia  in the province of Siem Reap, and slightly north of the town, Angkor. The word “wat” in Khmer, the language of Cambodia, means school or place of learning. Many temples have the title “wat” affixed because educational texts are stored at the temple and monks study there. The temple at Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world, located on a 203 acre (820,000 square meter) complex, most of which has been taken over by jungle.

inside the wat

passage way in the wat

apsaras carvings on the wall

       Angkor Wat is considered a stunning example of Khmer architecture, covered in ornate and nearly 2000 apsaras (mythological celestial nymphs) carvings adorn the walls. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall measuring 1300 meters x 1500 meters. The temple itself is 1 km square and consists of three levels surmounted by a central tower.

the stunning architechture

     Angkor Wat was initially built as a temple to Vishnu in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II. In addition to the temple of Angkor Wat, the complex also included the royal palace and a city. In the 14th century, Angkor Wat became a Theravada Buddhist temple. 

Did you know...?

The five towers of Angkor Wat represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the home of Vishnu, a Hindu God!

the five towers

       It was mentioned earlier that Angkor Wat was initially built as a temple for Vishnu before it became a Buddhist temple in the 14th century. Moats, called barays, surround Angkor Wat and symbolize the primodial waters at the base of Mount Meru. Even the number of windows, pillars, and steps in various parts of the complex may be representative of the number of days in the solar and lunar calendars. Perhaps the most striking piece of symbolism is the fact that the complex faces west: in the direction of the afterlife in Hinduism, unlike most of the other Angkorian temples that face east.