Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is a 162.6-hectare temple complex in Cambodia. It is considered by Guinness World Records to be the largest religious building in the world, originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu by King Suryavarman II of the Khmer Empire in the 12th century, but gradually converted into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century, it is therefore also known as the 'Hindu Buddhist' temple. From the 1990s, Angkor Wat became a major tourist destination. The city of Angkor was the royal center from which the Khmer dynasty of kings ruled one of the largest, most prosperous and advanced kingdoms in the history of Southeast Asia. From the late 9th to the early 13th century, a number of constructions were carried out, the most important of which was Angkor Wat. It was built by Suryavarman II as a huge funerary temple in which his earthly remains would be enshrined. Construction is thought to have taken around three decades. The five central towers of Angkor Wat symbolise the peaks of Mount Meru, the abode of the gods according to Hindu mythology. The mountain is said to be surrounded by an ocean, and the huge moat of the complex refers to the oceans at the edge of the world. A 188-metre bridge provides access to the site. The temple is reached via three galleries, separated by a paved walkway. The walls of the temple are covered with very high-quality bas-relief sculptures depicting Hindu gods and ancient Khmer scenes, along with scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana.