Angkor Wat

Suryavarman II began construction around 1113 CE. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu preserver god, an unusual choice in a dynasty that had primarily worshipped Shiva. The central tower rises 65 meters above the ground, representing Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain at the center of the Hindu universe. The moat represents the cosmic ocean. The entire complex is a model of the cosmos rendered in sandstone.

The Scale

Angkor Wat covers 162 hectares. The moat is 190 meters wide and 5.5 kilometers in circumference. An estimated 300,000 workers and 6,000 elephants were involved in its construction. The sandstone blocks were quarried at Phnom Kulen, 50 kilometers away, and transported by river and canal. The total volume of stone is comparable to that of the Great Pyramid at Giza.

The Carvings

The outer gallery walls carry 800 meters of continuous bas-relief, the longest in the world. Scenes include the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, the Battle of Lanka from the Ramayana, and the army of Suryavarman II on the march. Over 3,000 individual apsara figures, celestial dancers, are carved into the walls, each with a distinct face, hairstyle, and jewelry.

The Jungle and the Return

The Khmer Empire declined after the fifteenth century. The population dispersed. The jungle advanced. Angkor Wat was never fully abandoned (Buddhist monks maintained a presence), but the surrounding city of Angkor, once home to over a million people, disappeared under vegetation. French naturalist Henri Mouhot brought the site to European attention in 1860. Restoration has continued since. Over 2.5 million tourists visit annually.