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Angkor Wat

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Architecture

   Aerial view of Angkor Wat
   Enlarge
   Aerial view of Angkor Wat
   The main entrance to the temple proper, seen from the eastern end of
   the Naga causeway
   Enlarge
   The main entrance to the temple proper, seen from the eastern end of
   the Naga causeway

   Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built for
   king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and
   capital city. The largest and best-preserved temple at the site, it is
   the only one to have remained a significant religious centre—first
   Hindu, then Buddhist—since its foundation. The temple is the epitome of
   the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol
   of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's
   prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of
   Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried
   temples. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the gods in
   Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 km (2.2 miles)
   long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At
   the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most
   Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are
   divided as to the significance of this. As well as for the grandeur and
   harmony of the architecture, the temple is admired for its extensive
   bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

   According to Guinness World Records, it is the largest religious
   structure in the world.

History

   Angkor Wat is the southernmost temple of Angkor's main group of sites.
   Angkor Wat is the southernmost temple of Angkor's main group of sites.

   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). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's
   state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any
   contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its
   original name is unknown. It is located 5.5 km north of the modern town
   of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the
   previous capital, which was centred on the Baphuon. Work seems to have
   come to an end on the king's death, with some of the bas-reliefs
   unfinished. In 1177 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 ( Angkor
   Thom and the Bayon respectively) which lie a few kilometres to the
   north.
   An 1866 photograph of Angkor Wat by Emile Gsell.
   Enlarge
   An 1866 photograph of Angkor Wat by Emile Gsell.

   In the 14th or 15th century the temple was converted to Theravada
   Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual
   among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected
   after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned. Its moat also
   provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle. Around this
   time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title
   of Suryavarman. The modern name, in use by the 16th century, means
   "City Temple": Angkor is a vernacular form of the word nokor which
   comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (capital), while wat is the Khmer
   word for temple.

   One of the first Western visitors to the temple was Antonio da
   Magdalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is
   of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe
   it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the
   world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the
   human genius can conceive of". However, the temple was popularised in
   the West only in the mid-19th century on the publication of Henri
   Mouhot's travel notes. The French explorer wrote of it:

     One of these temples—a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some
     ancient Michelangelo—might take an honourable place beside our most
     beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by
     Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of
     barbarism in which the nation is now plunged.

   The Cambodian flag includes a depiction of Angkor Wat.
   Enlarge
   The Cambodian flag includes a depiction of Angkor Wat.

   Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, was unable to believe that
   the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to
   around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced
   together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during
   the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the
   whole Angkor site.

   Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century,
   mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Work was
   interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country
   during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done
   during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly
   post-Angkorian statues.

   The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great
   pride for the country's people. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a
   part of every Cambodian national flag since the introduction of the
   first version circa 1863—the only building to appear on any national
   flag. In January 2003 riots erupted in Phnom Penh when a false rumour
   circulated that a Thai soap opera actress had claimed that Angkor Wat
   belonged to Thailand.

Style

   Devatas are characteristic of the Angkor Wat style.
   Enlarge
   Devatas are characteristic of the Angkor Wat style.

   Angkor Wat 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 more skilled and confident
   than before in the use of sandstone (rather than brick or laterite) as
   the main building material. The Angkor Wat style was followed by that
   of the Bayon period, in which quality was often sacrificed to quantity.
   Other temples in the style are Banteay Samré, Thommanon, Chao Say
   Tevoda and the early temples of Preah Pithu at Angkor; outside Angkor,
   Beng Mealea and parts of Phanom Rung and Phimai.

   Angkor Wat has drawn praise above all for the harmony of its design,
   which has been compared to the architecture of ancient Greece or Rome.
   According to Maurice Glaize, a mid-20th-century conservator of Angkor,
   the temple "attains a classic perfection by the restrained
   monumentality of its finely balanced elements and the precise
   arrangement of its proportions. It is a work of power, unity and
   style."

   Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the
   ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half- galleries to
   broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the
   cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. 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 is yet to be identified, although natural
   resins or slaked lime have been suggested. Other elements of the design
   have been destroyed by looting and the passage of time, including
   gilded stucco on the towers, gilding on some figures on the
   bas-reliefs, and wooden ceiling panels and doors. Typical decorative
   elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments
   extensive garlands and narrative scenes. Statuary is conservative,
   being more static and less graceful than earlier work.

The site

   A plan of Angkor Wat
   Enlarge
   A plan of Angkor Wat

   Angkor Wat, located at 13°24′40″N, 103°52′9″E, is a unique combination
   of the temple mountain and the later Chola of Tamil Nadu India.
   Particularly the model of the temple and the architecture was that of
   the Cholas, especially after Raja Raja Chola and his son Rajendra
   Cholan, The work perhaps started from the early period of 12 th
   Century.]], the standard design for the empire's state temples, and the
   later plan of concentric galleries. The temple is a representation of
   Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers
   symbolises the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the
   surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. Access to the upper areas of the
   temple was progressively more exclusive, with the laity being admitted
   only to the lowest level.

   Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather
   than the east. This has led many (including Glaize and George Coedès)
   to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary
   temple. Further evidence for this view is provided by the bas-reliefs,
   which proceed in an anti-clockwise direction— prasavya in Hindu
   terminology—as this is the reverse of the normal order. Rituals take
   place in reverse order during Brahminic funeral services. The
   archaeologist Charles Higham also describes a container which may have
   been a funerary jar which was recovered from the central tower. Freeman
   and Jacques, however, note that several other temples of Angkor depart
   from the typical eastern orientation, and suggest that Angkor Wat's
   alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with
   the west.

   A further interpretation of Angkor Wat has been proposed by Eleanor
   Mannikka. Drawing on the temple's alignment and dimensions, and on the
   content and arrangement of the bas-reliefs, she argues that these
   indicate a claimed new era of peace under king Suryavarman II: "as the
   measurements of solar and lunar time cycles were built into the sacred
   space of Angkor Wat, this divine mandate to rule was anchored to
   consecrated chambers and corridors meant to perpetuate the king's power
   and to honour and placate the deities manifest in the heavens above."
   Mannikka's suggestions have been received with a mixture of interest
   and scepticism in academic circles. She distances herself from the
   speculations of others, such as Graham Hancock, that Angkor Wat is part
   of a representation of the constellation Draco.

Outer enclosure

   A model of Angkor Wat prior to its ruin shows the half-galleries of the
   lower level and intact towers at the corners of the second-level
   galleries.
   Enlarge
   A model of Angkor Wat prior to its ruin shows the half-galleries of the
   lower level and intact towers at the corners of the second-level
   galleries.

   The outer wall, 1025 by 802 m and 4.5 m high, is surrounded by a 30 m
   apron of open ground and a moat 190 m wide. Access to the temple is by
   an earth bank to the east and a sandstone causeway to the west; the
   latter, the main entrance, is a later addition, possibly replacing a
   wooden bridge. There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points; the
   western is much the largest and has three ruined towers. Glaize notes
   that this gopura both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper.
   Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu, known as Ta Reach,
   which may originally have occupied the temple's central shrine.
   Galleries run between the towers and as far as two further entrances on
   either side of the gopura often referred to as "elephant gates", as
   they are large enough to admit those animals. These galleries have
   square pillars on the outer (west) side and a closed wall on the inner
   (east) side. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus
   rosettes; the west face of the wall with dancing figures; and the east
   face of the wall with balustered windows, dancing male figures on
   prancing animals, and devatas, including (south of the entrance) the
   only one in the temple to be showing her teeth.

   The outer wall encloses a space of 820,000 square metres (203 acres),
   which besides the temple proper was originally occupied by the city
   and, to the north of the temple, the royal palace. Like all secular
   buildings of Angkor, these were built of perishable materials rather
   than of stone, so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some
   of the streets. Most of the area is now covered by forest. A 350 m
   causeway connects the western gopura to the temple proper, with naga
   balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either
   side. Each side also features a library with entrances at each cardinal
   point, in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance, and a
   pond between the library and the temple itself. The ponds are later
   additions to the design, as is the cruciform terrace guarded by lions
   connecting the causeway to the central structure.
   A view along the main axis of a model of Angkor Wat: in the foreground
   is the cruciform terrace which lies in front of the central structure.
   Enlarge
   A view along the main axis of a model of Angkor Wat: in the foreground
   is the cruciform terrace which lies in front of the central structure.

Central structure

   The temple proper stands on a terrace raised above the level of the
   city. It consists essentially of three rectangular galleries rising to
   a central tower; with each level higher than the last. Mannikka
   interprets these galleries as being dedicated to the king, Brahma and
   the moon, and Vishnu, respectively. Each gallery has a gopura at each
   of the cardinal points, and the two inner galleries each have towers at
   their corners, forming a quincunx with the central tower. Because of
   the temple's westward orientation, the features are all set back
   towards the east, leaving more space to be filled in each enclosure and
   gallery on the west side; for the same reason the west-facing steps are
   shallower than those on the other sides.

   The outer gallery measures 187 by 215 m, with pavilions rather than
   towers at the corners. The gallery is open to the outside of the
   temple, with columned half-galleries extending and buttressing the
   structure. The inner walls bear a series of bas-reliefs, depicting
   large-scale scenes mainly from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Higham
   has called these, "the greatest known linear arrangement of stone
   carving". From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western
   gallery shows the Battle of Lanka (from the Ramayana, in which Rama
   defeats Ravana) and the Battle of Kurukshetra (from the Mahabharata,
   showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans). On
   the southern gallery follow the only historical scene, a procession of
   Suryavarman II, then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hindu mythology.
   Glaize writes of;
   The bas-relief of the Churning of the Sea of Milk shows Vishnu in the
   centre, his turtle avatar Kurma below, asuras and devas to left and
   right, and apsaras and Indra above.
   Enlarge
   The bas-relief of the Churning of the Sea of Milk shows Vishnu in the
   centre, his turtle avatar Kurma below, asuras and devas to left and
   right, and apsaras and Indra above.

     those unfortunate souls who are to be thrown down to hell to suffer
     a refined cruelty which, at times, seems to be a little
     disproportionate to the severity of the crimes committed. So it is
     that people who have damaged others' property have their bones
     broken, that the glutton is cleaved in two, that rice thieves are
     afflicted with enormous bellies of hot iron, that those who picked
     the flowers in the garden of Shiva have their heads pierced with
     nails, and thieves are exposed to cold discomfort.

   On the eastern gallery is one of the most celebrated scenes, the
   Churning of the Sea of Milk, showing 92 asuras and 88 devas using the
   serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu's direction (Mannikka
   counts only 91 asuras, and explains the asymmetrical numbers as
   representing the number of days from the winter solstice to the spring
   equinox, and from the equinox to the summer solstice). It is followed
   by Vishnu defeating asuras (a 16th-century addition). The northern
   gallery shows Krishna's victory over Bana (where according to Glaize,
   "The workmanship is at its worst") and a battle between the Hindu gods
   and asuras. The north-west and south-west corner pavilions both feature
   much smaller-scale scenes, some unidentified but most from the Ramayana
   or the life of Krishna.

   Connecting the outer gallery to the second enclosure on the west side
   is a cruciform cloister, known by the modern name of Preah Poan (the
   "Hall of a Thousand Buddhas"). Buddha images were left in the cloister
   by pilgrims over the centuries, although most have now been removed.
   This area has many inscriptions relating the good deeds of pilgrims,
   most written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese. The four
   small courtyards marked out by the cloister may originally have been
   filled with water. North and south of the cloister are libraries.
   The north-west tower of the inner gallery at sunset.
   Enlarge
   The north-west tower of the inner gallery at sunset.

   Beyond, the second and inner galleries are connected to each other and
   to two flanking libraries by another cruciform terrace, again a later
   addition. From the second level upwards, devatas abound on the walls,
   singly or in groups of up to four. The second-level enclosure is 100 by
   115 m, and may originally have been flooded to represent the ocean
   around Mount Meru. Three sets of steps on each side lead up to the
   corner towers and gopuras of the inner gallery. The very steep
   stairways represent the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the
   gods. This inner gallery, called the Bakan, is a 60 m square with axial
   galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine, and
   subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers. The roofings of the
   galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in
   the heads of lions or garudas. Carved lintels and pediments decorate
   the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines. The tower above the
   central shrine rises 43 m to a height of 65 m above the ground; unlike
   those of previous temple mountains, the central tower is raised above
   the surrounding four. The shrine itself, originally occupied by a
   statue of Vishnu and open on each side, was walled in when the temple
   was converted to Theravada Buddhism, the new walls featuring standing
   Buddhas. In 1934 the conservator George Trouvé excavated the pit
   beneath the central shrine: filled with sand and water it had already
   been robbed of its treasure, but he did find a sacred foundation
   deposit of gold leaf two metres above ground level.

Angkor Wat today

   The Temple viewed from inside the NW corner of the outer wall
   Enlarge
   The Temple viewed from inside the NW corner of the outer wall

   Since the 1990s Angkor Wat has seen a resumption of conservation
   efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The temple is part of the
   Angkor World Heritage Site, established in 1992, which has provided
   some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to protect the
   site. The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to
   protect the devatas and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple
   from damage. The organisation's survey found that around 20% of the
   devatas were in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion
   and deterioration of the stone but in part also due to earlier
   restoration efforts. Other work involves the repair of collapsed
   sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapse: the west
   facade of the upper level, for example, has been buttressed by
   scaffolding since 2002, while a Japanese team completed restoration of
   the north library of the outer enclosure in 2005.

   Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination: attendance figures
   for the temple are not published, but in 2004 the country received just
   over a million international arrivals, of whom according to the
   Ministry of Tourism 57% planned to visit the temple. The influx of
   tourists has so far caused relatively little damage, other than some
   graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the
   bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has also provided some
   additional funds for maintenance—approximately 28% of ticket revenues
   across the whole Angkor site is spent on the temples—although most work
   is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the
   Cambodian authorities.

   Angkor Wat is a finalist for the New Seven Wonders of the World, along
   with 20 other would-be wonders.

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