Angkor Wat Temple Siem Reap Cambodia History and Interesting Facts

Angkor Wat Temple Quick Facts

Angkor Wat Temple Overview

Angkor Wat Temple, located in Siem Reap city of Cambodia, on the banks of the Mekong River, is one of the largest Hindu temples in the world. This magnificent temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu of Hindus. In this temple, samples of very wonderful artwork and creative depiction of a special type of style are seen.

Angkor Wat Temple History

The Temple was built during the reign of Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. This temple is located in the ancient capital of Angkor State. Its original name is unknown as neither inscriptions have been found regarding its establishment context nor is there any mention of it in contemporary inscriptions. But it is known as the presiding deity and "Varaha Vishnu-lok".

About 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was destroyed by the Khmer's traditional enemy Chams, after which the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII. Angkor Wat gradually changed from Hinduism to Buddhism towards the end of the 12th century.

Angkor Wat Temple Interesting Facts

1. This Magnificent temple was built by the rulers of Khmer civilization between 1112 and 53 AD.
2. It was constructed at a height of about 65 meters. At the center of this temple lies a 65 m high tower which is surrounded by a series of four smaller towers and enclosure walls.
3. This Temple is covered over an area of ​​about 208 hectares, around which a water girdle was also constructed.
4. The construction of this temple took the help of more than 300,000 laborers and more than 1,000 elephants.
5. This Temple is the largest religious monument in the world, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.
6. The biggest feature of this temple is that it is the largest Vishnu temple in the world.
7. The imprint of India on the history of Cambodia can be clearly seen as there were about 27 Indian rulers ruled there, some of whom were Hindu and some Buddhism.
8. Giant sculptures related to both Hinduism and Buddhism can be seen in this temple.
9. This Temple Angkor Wat best exemplifies the classical style of Khmer architecture.
10. Ramayana is mentioned in many places in Indian history, but it was very famous not only in India but also in Cambodia, its evidence is found from the stories of scriptures like Ramayana and Mahabharata, built on the walls of the temple there.
11. Since 1983, this temple has also been featured in the national flag of Cambodia as a symbol of respect for the nation.