Angkor Wat
Location : Angkor , siem Reap , Cambodia
Coordinates : 13° 24′ 45″ N, 103° 52′ 0″ E
Angkor wat which was know as "temple city" is the largest religious monument in the world,which was built between A.D. 1113 and 1150,and encompassing an area of about 500 acres. it was built by "khmer king suryavarman II" . Angkor,The city where the temple was built is located in modern-day Cambodia and was once the capital of the Khmer Empire . it was Originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god "Vishnu" ,but it was later converted into a Buddhist temple in the 14th century, by adding Buddha statues . The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture . It has become a symbol of Cambodia,appearing on its national flag.The original name of the temple was Vrah Viṣṇuloka or Parama Viṣṇuloka (Sanskrit ), which means the sacred dwelling of Vishnu.
History :
Their was a belief that , the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to serve as a palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea . According to the 13th-century Chinese traveller Zhou Daguan , some believed that the temple was constructed in a single night by a divine architect.
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) , who came to power in his teenage years by killing his great uncle, Dharanindravarman I.Angkor wat was built as King's state temple and capital city Dedicating to Vishnu . though its original name is unknown,some believed that it may have been known as "Varah Vishnu-lok" . After the death of suryavarman II Work seems to have ended shortly, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished. In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, 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 a few kilometres to the north.
Towards the end of the 12th century, Angkor Wat gradually transformed from a Hindu center of worship to Buddhism , which continues to the present day.
Architecture and Style :
Angkor wat is a representation of Mount Meru , the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolizes the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat symbolize the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean .
Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This has led many to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple.Freeman and Jacques, however, note that several other temples of Angkor depart from the typical eastern orientation, and suggest that Angkor Wat's alignment to west was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with the west.
Angkor wat was later describes as the work of power, unity and style. It is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture(the Angkor Wat style) , to which it has given its name. By the 12th century Khmer architects had become skilled and confident in the use of Sandstone rather than brick or laterite .sandstone has become the primary building materia of angkor wat l. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks not yet identified .
Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the Ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half galleriesto broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Typical decorative elements are devatas, bas-relief, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes
one of the causes for Angkor wat's fame is Angkor Wat's extensive decoration, which predominantly takes the form of bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahadharatham .From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka and the Battle of Kurukshetra. On the southern gallery follow the only historical scene, a procession ofSuryavarman , then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hinduism.
Restoration and conservation :
Like the most other ancient temples in Cambodia, Angkor Wat has faced extensive damage by a combination of plant overgrowth, fungi, ground movements, war damage and theft. Thought the war damage of Angkor wat is limited compared to other temples , and it has also received the most attentive restoration.
The restoration of Angkor Wat in the modern era began with the establishment of the Conservation d'Angkor (Angkor Conservancy) by the EFEO in 1908; before that date, activities at the site were primarily concerned with exploration
However, work on Angkor was abandoned during the Khmer Rouge era and the Conservation d'Angkor was disbanded in 1975. Between 1986 and 1992, the Archaeological survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple, as France did not recognise the Cambodian government at the time.
Angkor Wat was listed in UNESCO's World heritage in danger and World heritage site together with an appeal by UNESCO to the international community to save Angkor, and a law to protect Cambodian heritage was passed in 1996.
A number of countries such as France, Japan and China are currently involved in various Angkor Wat conservation projects.
Tourism :
Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 1993, there were only 8000 visitors to the site; by 2004, government figures show that 561,000 foreign visitors had arrived in Siem Reap province that year, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia.The number reached over a million in 2007, and over two million by 2012. Most visited Angkor Wat, which received over two million foreign tourists in 2013.Angor wat was one of the most beautiful hindu temple which should be seen atleast once in a life time.
Map :
Beautiful
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