Highlights and Features of Angkor Wat

Highlights and Features of Angkor Wat

• The temple itself is approx. 1 km square and consists of three levels.
• The inside and outside walls of the temple are adorned with bas-reliefs and carvings. The bas-relief carving on the exterior walls of the lower level are especially exceptional.
• There are carvings of almost 2,000 Apsaras (celestial dancers) and are some of the best examples of Angkorian carving.
• Just about every surface in the maze of chambers and courtyards is decorated with carved bas-relief scenes of, wars, everyday life, and Hindu legends.
• Angkor was the spiritual centre of the Khmer Kingdom until it was abandoned after being sacked by Siam in 1431.
• The exterior wall surrounding Angkor Wat measures 1300 meters x 1500 meters.
• The surviving stone structures seen today are only a part of what used to exist at Angkor. There was also an enormous, thriving city of wooden houses, markets, shops, palaces, and public buildings. Unfortunately, the city has long since disappeared through the ravages of time and war.
• It was the French who established the Angkor Conservancy in 1908, and they were first to restore the temples of Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm.
• Although Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu temple, it has been a Buddhist temple since the 14th century when Buddhism became the dominant religion.
• On the south wall are scenes of heaven and hell, and depictions of the Hindu ‘Churning of the Ocean Milk’ are on the east wall.
• The interior of the temple is not as heavily carved as the first level exterior, but it still contains a great many excellent carvings of Apsaras and scenes from Hindu mythology.
• The main tower on the third level is the top-most part of the tour of the temple, and this tower contains four Buddha statues with each statue facing a different point on the compass.
• It is believed by some that it will bring good luck to pay respect to the four Buddha images before leaving the temple.