Visit of Angkor Wat temples

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valpard
July 06, 2006

1999 Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. The largest and best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre—first Hindu, then Buddhist—since its foundation. 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 temples. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long 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; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. As well as for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, the temple is admired for its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113--c. 1150). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown. It is located 5.5 km north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred on the Baphuon. Work seems to have come to an end on the king's death, with some of the bas-reliefs unfinished. [1] In 1177 Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) which lie a few kilometres to the north.

In the 14th or 15th century the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned. Its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.[2] Around this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of Suryavarman. The modern name, in use by the 16th century,[3] means "City Temple": Angkor is a vernacular form of the word nokor which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (capital), while wat is the Khmer word for temple.
One of the first Western visitors to the temple was Antonio da Magdalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of".[4] However, the temple was popularised in the West only in the mid-19th century on the publication of Henri Mouhot's travel notes. The French explorer wrote of it:
One of these temples—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo—might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged.[5]

Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, was unable to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site.
Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century, mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation.[6] Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues.[7]
The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great pride for the country's people. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of every Cambodian national flag since the introduction of the first version circa 1863[8]—the only building to appear on any national flag.[9] In January 2003 riots erupted in Phnom Penh when a false rumour circulated that a Thai soap opera actress had claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand (wikipedia)
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BNALION (1 week ago) Show Hide

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Thank for the great video post. I am planning a trip for the first quarter of 2010. I'll shoot a video and post it too. What a wonderful world we live in.

anuwater (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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a lot of beggar

gaatutube (7 months ago) Show Hide

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Thaat's a lot of tourists !! Hope it will be quieter when I get there.

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YummyAlienCakes (7 months ago) Show Hide

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LOL u used the Tomb Raider theme music

Sreyizzle (1 year ago) Show Hide

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Yo OMG!! i wanna go, but I can't because can't get a passport. That is jus retarded. But then my mom won't take me cause when I can get my passport, She be too old and tired to walk, and I have to venture by myself, having no one to say OMG!! THAT"S SO KOOL!!! to -_- looking lonely unless I go wit my bong boun chadoungs but I dont know them at all. y life gotta be so shiesty

idom74 (1 year ago) Show Hide

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i'd been there at the end of october, and it was fantastic
if you'd like to go there, i would recommend a very good local guide
for more infos, vist his site smiles-of-angkor com

SoksabaiDotCom (1 year ago) Show Hide

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I am ashamed to say, I have never visited Cambodia and will make that a priority!

SoksabaiDotCom (1 year ago) Show Hide

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Also, the music is so perfect for this videos. Gives a sense of wonder and mystique to the place.

soul0luos (1 year ago) Show Hide

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The murals (quite amazing) seem to depict battle scene[s]; does anyone know the historical significance of them? Thanks! Happiness and peace to all..

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Visit of Angkor Wat temples

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