Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat 
By: Colleen O’Malley 

Prasat Angkor Wat is located in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by a king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. The modern name, Angkor Wat means “Temple City. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian Architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometers long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the center of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. The towers symbolize the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. Angkor Wat is made of stones, as smooth as polished marble, without mortar with very tight joints. The blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints. Enormous amounts of sandstone are found in the monument, transported 25 miles to the site. All surfaces, columns, lintels, and roofs are carved.

There are many features of Angkor Wat which includes the outer enclosure, the central structure, and construction techniques. The outer wall is 1024 by 802 m and 4.5 m high, surrounded by a 30 m apron of open ground. Entrance to the temple is by either the earth bank on the east or a sandstone causeway on the west. There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points which both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper. Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu. The central structure contains a temple that stands on a terrace raised higher than the city. It consists of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, each level higher than the last. The galleries are interpreted as being dedicated to the king, Brahma, the moon, and Vishnu.

Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. It is led many to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls. The inner walls of the outer gallery of Angkor Wat bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The eastern gallery has one of the most celebrated scenes, the Churning of the Sea of Milk.

The temple has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The Cambodian government has been encouraged to protect the site. The building continues to be repaired to prevent any further collapse. I personally believe that the temple is architecturally stunning and all the hand carved decoration is unbelievable. I find the layout of the site very interesting and complex.