Angkor, the temple of Angkor Wat, and the city of Angkor Thom



Angkor, the temple of Angkor Wat, and the city of Angkor Thom, Cambodia. Hindu, Angkor Dynasty. c. 800–1400 C.E. Stone masonry, sandstone.

  • Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world. greatest religious construction project in Southeast Asia.
  • Angkor Wat is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu who is one of the three principal gods in the Hindu pantheon
  • Among them he is known as the “Protector.” The major patron of Angkor Wat was King Suryavarman II
  • Many scholars believe that Angkor Wat was not only a temple dedicated to Vishnu but that it was also intended to serve as the king’s mausoleum in death.
  • The construction of Angkor Wat likely began in the year 1116 C.E.—three years after King Suryavarman II came to the throne—with construction ending in 1150, shortly after the king’s death
  • The building of temples by Khmer kings was a means of legitimizing their claim to political office and also to lay claim to the protection and powers of the gods. Hindu temples are not a place for religious congregation; instead; they are homes of the god.
  • The building of Angkor Wat is likely to have necessitated some 300,000 workers, which included architects, construction workers, masons, sculptors and the servants to feed these workers. Construction of the site took over 30 years and was never completely finished.
  • The site is built entirely out of stone, which is incredible as close examination of the temple demonstrates that almost every surface is treated and carved with narrative or decorative details.
  • There are 1,200 square meters of carved bas reliefs at Angkor Wat, representing eight different Hindu stories.
  • the temple is made up of an expansive enclosure wall, which separates the sacred temple grounds from the protective moat that surrounds the entire complex
  • the temple should be planned according to the rising sun and moon; harmony in the universe. The central axis of these temples should also be aligned with the planets, thus connecting the structure to the cosmos so that temples become spiritual, political, cosmological, astronomical and geo-physical centers. 
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