Seated at the heart of Angkor, Cambodia (specifically in the Siem Reap provine) is the Khmer architecture of the World’s City Temple --- the Angkor Wat. Since 2004 and 2005, the Angkor Wat is now a major tourist destination by all avid travelers in the world. The estimate figures went up from 561,000 to 677,000 visitors and still counting for more.
A Brief History
The construction of Angkor Wat began in early 12th century during the rule of Suryavarman. That time, the Angkor Wat was known as the king’s state of temple in the capital city. As many historians believe, the Angkor Wat was owned by the traditional enemies of Khmer after the death of Suryavarman.
Since then, the temple was abandoned but thanks to the Western visitors as they decided to restore the real beauty of the temple in 1586. Yet, the restoration was stopped due to civil war and caused destruction to various Angkorian statues.
Angkor Wat: The Reconstruction
Years passed by and the construction of Angkor Wat continues. Even its conservator by the name of Maurice Glaize pointed out that Angkor Wat should be preserved due to its balanced elements and its proportional arrangements of the towers.
When the construction in placed led by Archeological Survey of India in 1886, the Angkor Wat is now a classic style of galleries that extends from the entrance to the west and east side of the pillar. The outer wall was 1024 x 802 m and 4.5 high below the ground.
The central structure of the Angkor Wat is made up of three rectangular galleries dedicated to Brahma, the moon and Vishnu. The gallery is structured with columns that connect the second encoluse to the west side part of the temple. The second and inner galleries are internally connected with each other following three sets of steps on each side leading to the corner towers and into the innermost gallery of gods known as Bakan.
Decorations inside the Angkor Wat are extensively adorned with scenes from the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. The western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka while the eastern part of the gallery shows Churning of the Sea of Milk. On the northern part of the gallery lies the scene of Krishna’s victory over Bana.
All in all, the whole mood of Angkor Wat is truly an ornate and complex architecture but still one of those important religious centers in the world.
Visiting Angkor Wat
One can visit Angkor Wat anytime of the day. Midday is the part of the day where there is less crowd times at the temple. In fact, touring the vast land of Angkor Wat takes four to five days and be sure not to ignore the highlights of this attraction. The highlights are Angkor Thom, Banteay Srei, Phnom Bakheng Hill and the Tonle Sap Lake.
Hotel bookings and affordable packages are offered online to get the best experience one can have while in the perimeters of Angkor Wat.
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