Angkor Wat
The largest religious monument in the world, centrepiece of the ancient Khmer capital of Angkor.
Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century, between about 1113 and 1150, during the reign of the Khmer king Suryavarman II, within the capital of Yaśodharapura. Originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, it was gradually adapted for Buddhist worship from the late 13th century onwards and has remained an active religious site. It is the best-known monument of the Angkor Archaeological Park, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
The temple is laid out as a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Hindu cosmology. A moat about 190 metres wide and over five kilometres in perimeter encloses an outer wall measuring 1,024 by 802 metres. Within, three rising galleries lead to a central quincunx of lotus-bud towers, the tallest of which stands about 65 metres above the ground. The complex covers roughly 162 hectares and faces west.
Angkor Wat is noted for its extensive sandstone bas-reliefs, including long narrative panels in the outer gallery depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk and processions of Suryavarman II. More than 1,700 carved devatas adorn its walls. Conservation began with the École française d'Extrême-Orient in the early 20th century and continues today under the APSARA National Authority with international partners.
Highlights
- Five lotus-bud towers reflected in the ponds before the western entrance
- Outer gallery bas-relief of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk
- More than 1,700 carved devatas on the temple walls
- Steep stairs to the Bakan, the temple's highest level
- Sunrise views over the temple from the western causeway
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