Angkor Wat
(Image from planetquest.org)
Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple building in the world, located in Angkor,
Cambodia. The Ruin is the best-preserved temple in the world because it has been
in the jungle.
(Image from asia-adventures.com)
The ruin’s name, Angkor Wat, means
"City Temple"; Angkor is a vernacular form of
the word nokor, which
comes from the Sanskrit word nagar. Wat is the Khmer form of
the Pali word
"vatthu", meaning "temple grounds". The temple was known as
“Preah
Pisnulok”, after the posthumous title of its founder.
(Image from activetravelcambodia.com)
Angkor Wat consists of two basic plans of
Khmer temple architecture. First one is
the temple mountain and second one is the
later galleried temple. It is designed to
represent Mount Meru, home of the Devas
in Hindu mythology.
(Image from http://www.photodharma.net)
The
outer wall is 3.6 km, and it has three rectangular galleries. Unlike most
Angkorian
temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as
to the significant
of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony
of the architecture, its
extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous Devatas
adorning its walls.
(Image from antoniomeetsvietnam.blogspot.com)
The first design and construction of the temple took place in the 12th century, during
the reign of Suryavarman II (1113 – 1150). In the late 13th century, use of Angkor Wat
was changed from Hindu toTheravada Buddhist use, which still remains in the present
day. Finally, Angkor Wat is totally neglected its existence after the 16th century, and it
hide in the jungle.
(Image from Wikipedia)
In the mid-19th Century, the French explorer found the ruins, and Henri Mouhot
popularised the temple in the west. Today, the ruins is one of the most popular
tourist attraction in the world.
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