Quick Facts:
Located about six kilometers from the town center of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is the most famous relic in the great complex of ancient temples Angkor in Cambodia as well as the largest religious monument in the world.
Angkor Wat was constructed in the early years of the 12th century by Suryavaram II with sandstone as the major materials to worship the Hindu god Vishnu. Moreover, another purpose of this complex is keeping The King's ashes after he passed away. So it is also known by the name "Funeral temple”. However, according to the Cambodia legend, the son of Hindu god Indra, Khmer King Preh Katomialia was really the one building Angkor Wat. After he visited the perfect palace in heaven of his father, he was attracted by the barn where dedicated to the sacred animals, do he decided make its replica on Earth and named it Angkor Wat. Nowadays, its mightiness and splendor has been affirmed in World Wonder List. Even this magnificence and luxury is still a mysterious question for historians and archaeologists about the brilliant civilization of Cambodia at that time. It is hard to believe that the temple with large scale and sophisticated sculpting details like this had been completed for 30 years only by manual power with rudimentary hand tools.
The architectural masterpiece Angkor Wat is dubbed as the brightest jewel in the Angkor complex with the almost absolutely perfection in composition, balance, proportions and sculptures. Visitors will surely be overwhelmed by its scale and grandeur. The temple looks like a large labyrinth of walkways, courtyards, in which the most prominent are five stupas with the central 65 meters high tower and four small towers at four corners, which symbolize five tops of the sacred Mount Meru. Surrounding them is a moat with 200 meters in width and 5.5 kilometers in length representing world oceans. Viewed from above, the overall structure of tower complex is similar to a huge lotus bud. The sculptures and exquisite decorative patterns on the wall are typical of the conventional Khmer architecture style. Coming to Angkor Wat, travelers not only admire an artistic masterpiece, a magnificent wonders of the world but also learn more about the history as well as the culture, religion of the mighty and glorious Angkor Empire in the past.
Visiting Angkor Wat will be one of your most memorable experiences. Let’s come and discover by yourself!
