Angkor, near Siem Reap, is a huge temple district in the Cambodian jungle, that contains a number of individual temples. The largest and most famous is undoubtedly Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat was built as a Hindu temple in the golden age of the Khmer empire by king Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113 to 1150. The construction period was 37 years and ended abruptly with his death. Some reliefs remained unfinished.
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More InformationSuryavarman II presumably died in a campaign against Campa, the empire of the Cham in today’s Central Vietnam. Angkor was the largest city in Southeast Asia with approximately one million of inhabitants at that time. The eastern and western Baray (water reservoirs) were already built, so that Angkor had a sophisticated irrigation and canal system.
The temple symbolizes the universe and was presumably dedicated to the God Vishnu. The moat around the temple represent the primordial ocean. The 190 m wide moat of Angkor Wat surrounds an area of 1.3 by 1.5 km.
When you have crossed the moat, you have to pass the outer wall. From here, a 350 m long path leads past the two libraries to the actual temple.
The outer galleries span an area of 40,000 m². Here you see the precious bas-reliefs, with a total length of 800 m. They were in color once, as some color residues still prove. Through different atria we reach the inner galleries, that span a surface of 3600 m², and lie one level up.
The inner sanctum rises on this area. A 70 ° steep staircase leads to the third level. In front of it, the tourist masses pile up, because every quarter of an hour, only a limited number of persons can go upstairs. A waiting time up to one hour can be expected.
Once at the top, you can enjoy the beautiful view over the roof of the jungle and the temple.
Four inner courtyards are grouped around the central tower, which is 64 m high. The central tower (Prasat) has small prayer niches with God figures, in all four directions.
At least now you are amazed, how the Khmer could set up such buildings, already around 900 years ago. The stone blocks were transported from the northern highlands with fins on the channels.
In the jungle, the buildings have partly taken heavy damage. After its rediscovery, the French have tried to carry out some restorations with mortar and concrete. This allowed the rainwater to penetrate into the sandstone and further damage the buildings. Today, one tries to expose the natural water channels again, which had already been installed by the Khmer, in order to reach an unhindered water drain. Afterwards the damaged sand stones are restored.
In 1992, Angkor Wat was nominated as UNESCO World Heritage.
The Angkor Archaeology Park is operated by the largest mineral oil enterprise in Cambodia, Sokimex, together with the government agency Apsara. Meanwhile, both have developed into a considerable industry conglomeration and are under nationwide criticism, because of the use of the entrance-fees. in 2016, the business shall be returned to a state-owned enterprise. It remains to be seen.
Please read on Sunrise in Angkor Wat
-> Ta Prohm – the temple in the Cambodian jungle
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Angkor was the largest city in the world prior to the Industrial Revolution.