#1| Angkor Wat is the
largest religious monument on the planet.
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| Gordy Adsit / Flickr An iconic image of Agkor Wat |
Angkor Wat spread in
more than 400 hectares / 1.6 km², and said to be the largest religious monument
in the world. It was registered as the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992,
which encouraged international efforts to save the complex.
#2 | Angkor Wat is
featured on a Cambodian flag.
Since around 1850,
Angkor Wat has been featured at the Cambodia National Flag Center, as if to
show their extraordinary pride in ancient monuments. Their pride is also
reflected by placing images from Angkor Wat on many denominations of Riel
(Cambodian currency).
#3 | Angkor Wat means
“City of Temples” in Khmer.
In Khmer, Cambodian,
Angkor means “city” or “capital”, and Wat means “temple grounds”. So Angkor Wat
means “Temple City” or “City of Temple”. Its real name is Vrah Vishnuloka or
Parama Vishnuloka, which means the Holy Residential Vishnu in Sanskrit.
#4 | Angkor Wat was
shared by two religions.
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| BH.Amir MOMENTS / Flickr Monks can be often encountered in Angkor Wat |
Initially it was
built as a Hindu temple dedicated to God Vishnu, violating the tradition of
previous kings about Shiva worshipers. Gradually turned into a Buddhist temple
towards the end of the 12th century and is still used for worship
today.
#5 | Angkor Wat was built
as a symbolic representation of Mount Meru.
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| Claude Matteau / Flickr Angkor Wat in thick jungle |
Mount Meru, in Hindu
mythology, is the pestified mountain that is sacred standing in the center of
the universe. It is said that the three of the Hindu heads - Brahma (the
Creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer), and Hindu Devi-God
(Devas) are at the top of this mountain.
#6 | Usually, the Angkor
Wat is oriented to the west, a direction typically relate to death in Hinduism.
Unlike most Angkoria
temples are generally directed to the east, Angkor Wat is oriented to the West,
directions related to death in Hindu culture. So, many archaeologists and
scholars have concluded that Suryavarman is intended to use it as a burial
temple.
Also, the direction means facing the sunset, which adds to its beauty and attracts many visitors today.
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| Nico Niospe / Flickr Amazing sunset view of Angkow Wat |
#7 | The bas-reliefs in
Angkor Wat read counterclockwise, which is the reverse of normal order, and it
is believed to be another indication that the temple is associated with funeral
rituals.
#8 | Five million tons of
sandstone were used to buid Angkor Wat.
The sandstone blocks used were trailed from the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen to more than 50 kilometers / 31 miles from the site. Each block weighs up to 1,500 kilograms / 3300 pounds, so the logistics of moving this sandstone is mind blowing and must have been extremely consuming workforce. The workers had to become creative, so we think that the sandstone was transported to the Siem Reap River using canals, and then floated in the river on rafts.
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| Peter Kauffner/ Flickr A magnificent building in Angkor Wat |
#9 | The construction of
Angkor Wat is thought to have taken 35 years, 300,000 laborers and 6,000
elephants, according to inscriptions.
Angkor Wat was
originally designed and built in the first half of the 12th century, during the
reign of the Suryavarman II (ruled 1113 - c. 1150), as the temple of the King
and Capital City of country. It was built without any machine help, because no
machine was available at that time.
#10 | The temple walls are
decorated with thousands of storytelling bas-reliefs.
Bas-reliefs are
divinities and important figures in Hindu and Buddhist religions and key events
in their narrative tradition.
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| Guilhem DE COOMAN The storytelling bas-reliefs on the wall |
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