The Ruins of Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Angkor is a name conventionally applied to the region of Cambodia serving as seat of the Khmer empire in the 9th century to 15th century A.D. The ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmland to the north of the Great Lake and south of the Kulen Hills. The temples in Angkor number over a thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble which are scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat which is the world’s largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture.
In 2007 an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest preindustrial city in the world with an urban sprawl of 400 square miles. The area of Angkor has many significant archaeological sites, including the following: Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Baksei Chamkrong, Banteay Kdei, Banteay Samré, Banteay Srei, Baphuon, the Bayon, Chau Say Tevoda, East Baray, East Mebon, Kbal Spean, the Khleangs, Krol Ko, Lolei, Neak Pean, Phimeanakas, Phnom Bakheng, Phnom Krom, Prasat Ak Yum, Prasat Kravan, Preah Khan, Preah Ko, Preah Palilay, Preah Pithu, Pre Rup, Spean Thma, Srah Srang, Ta Nei, Ta Prohm, Ta Som, Ta Keo, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Thommanon, West Baray and West Mebon.
Angkor Wat or Angkor Vat is one of the temples in Angkor. The temple was built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation-first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s prime attraction for visitors.
Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology.It has a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometers long which are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas (guardian spirits) adorning its walls.
Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII and covers an area of 9 cubic kilometers. Within Angkor Thom are several monuments from early eara as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman’s state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. Angkor Thom was established as the capital of Jayavarman VII’s empire, and was the centre of his massive building programme. One inscription found in the city refers to Jayavarman as the groom and the city as his bride. The last temple known to have been constructed in Angkor Thom was Mangalartha, which was dedicated in 1295.
Angkor Thom is in the Dom style with large scale construction, wide use of laterite, back towers at each of the entrances and in the naga-carrying giant monsters which accompany each tower. The south gate of Angkor Thom is only 1.7 kilometers north of the entrance to Angkor Wat. The walls are flanked by a moat and made of laterite buttressed by earth with a parapet at the top. There are gates at each of the cardinal points from which roads leads to the Bayon’s Mount Meru. The faces on the 23 meter high towers at the city gates take after those of the Bayon. A causeway spans the moat in front of each tower: these have a row of devas on the left and asuras on the right, each row holding a naga in the attitude of a tug-of-war.