Angkor Wat is one of the most fascinating, beautiful and majestic temples of Cambodia. This temple is situated at the centre surrounded by at least 40 palaces and temple ruins spread over 200 km. Built in the early 12th century by Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat symbolically represents the Hindu Cosmology and has Vishnu, the Hindu God as the main deity.

This huge temple symbolizes the mystic mount Meru. The cosmic ocean and the chains of the mountains are represented by the moats and rectangular walls numbering five that are inter-nested. Observers are given three day spring equinox anticipation by the skilful construction with deliberately diverted east-west axis and the perfectly aligned north-south axis of the temple.

The bas relief sculpture features some of the most intricate carvings telling us ancient stories of the Khmer civilization. Towering over the jungle, Angkor Wat temple was declared a heritage site by UNESCO in the year 1992 and has been preserved with care since then.

This man made wonder is one of the greatest in South East Asia and visitors throng to this fascinating temple through the year. Siem Reap is the base town close to Angkor which provides tourists good infrastructure to stay and enjoy the temples and temple ruins in Angkor.

Angkor Wat architecture is unique with its attention to detail, symmetry and scale and has often been compared to the Taj Mahal and Egyptian Pyramids. This interesting Hindu temple is considered to be a skilful replica of the universe. Surrounded by a moat and accessible through a long causeway, you can find intricate bas relief carvings of God’s deeds and asparas, the female divinities.

Episodes from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana are carved on the outer gallery’s inner walls. The Battle of Kurukshetra from the Mahabharata and scenes from the Battle of Lanka where Rama defeated Ravana are depicted on the Western gallery anti-clockwise from the north-west corner. The southern gallery features a historical scene of King Suryavarman II’s procession along with Hindu mythology’s 37 heavens and 32 hells.

Intricate carvings depicting 88 devas and 92 asuras churning the sea of milk with serpent Vasuki can be found on the eastern gallery of the temple. Scenes of Krishna’s victory over Bana and a battle between the asuras and Hindu gods can be found on the northern gallery.

The structure of Angkor Wat, though based on the Indian model of that period sports a unique Khmer architectural style. The specialty of Khmer construction was moving huge and heavy smoothly polished stones to the temple site and assembling them without any mortar. This combined with the fantastic decorations and intricate carvings stands today as Angkor Wat, one of the largest temples of the world.

Today, Angkor Wat is one of the famous and popular tourist destinations in the world. The temple is protected from damage due to the large tourist influx. Floors and bas reliefs are protected with the help of wooden steps and ropes. Protection and restoration work at this temple is carried out both by foreign government sponsored groups and the Cambodian government.

 

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