Angkor Wat is a gigantic complex of Hindu temples located in the ancient capital of the Khmer state. Once its area occupied about three thousand square kilometers. And in the capital lived more than half a million inhabitants - an unheard of number for the Middle Ages. Now this complex of buildings is included in the UNESCO list as a monument to the world heritage of mankind and is the pride of Cambodia in whose territory it is located. In this article we will tell you where Angkor Wat is depicted and how it looks. You will also learn how deeply the image of this temple complex penetrated the mass consciousness and how it is used in culture.
What is Angkor Wat?
This temple complex is the largest of all religious buildings ever erected. But that is not all. Angkor is the capital of the ancient Khmers. The city is spread over a vast space, and only a part of it was occupied by the sacred buildings combined into a complex. We know that Angkor Wat is dedicated to the god Vishnu, but we do not know the real name of the city. The first temples were built in the VI century, but the giant complex itself, which we partially see today, arose under the ruler of the ancient Khmers Suryavarman II (1113-1150). The capsule hidden during the laying of the first brick was not found, as well as any entries in the documents of that era. Therefore, we can only assume that the temple complex was called Vara Vishnu-lok (Location of St. Vishnu). And since people lived here from time immemorial, in the local language it began to be called Angkor Wat. Where is this complex, every resident of Cambodia knows, because it is a national treasure of the country. It is located six kilometers north of the city of Siem Reap, which is the capital of the province of the same name.
Angkor Wat and its history
The ruler of the ancient Khmer Suryavarman II ordered the construction of the capital of his kingdom here. But he died when the main complex dedicated to Vishnu was not yet completed. The following rulers moved their throne to other cities. Therefore, some bas-reliefs remained unfinished. The city gradually lost its significance and the capital's gloss, "shrunk" in size. The population has also declined. And although this place was never abandoned by people, the temple has remained abandoned since the XV century. However, the huge defensive moat surrounding the ancient Angkor Wat complex served as an effective defense against the attack of the jungle. Most of the temples survived. Therefore, in 1992, the complex of the ancient capital was taken by UNESCO under its patronage. Now it is the main tourist attraction of Cambodia.
"Discovery" Ankhor-Vata
It is difficult to determine which of the Europeans was the first to discover the ruins of a huge city lost in the outback. Maybe it was the Portuguese Diogo do Couto. His travel notes, which depict Angkor Wat as a complex of “wonderful buildings that are difficult to describe with a pen,” were released in the middle of the 16th century. Or maybe it was another Portuguese, the monk Antonio da Madalena, who wrote that "there are all the skillful subtleties that a human genius could only create." Whatever it was, but the general public Ankgor-Wat became known thanks to two French: missionary Charles-Emil Buyevo and traveler Henri Muo. This happened in the sixties of the XIX century. We can say that they discovered Angkor for the Cambodians themselves. Only the Pol Pot soldiers in the 70s of the last century dared to commit acts of vandalism in relation to ancient buildings.
What does Angkor Wat look like?
The entire temple complex is united by the idea of the mythical Mount Meru. According to the beliefs of Hinduism, the gods live there. The main sacred building is built in a unique style, testifying to the peak of maturity of Khmer architecture. It consists of three rectangular buildings of different heights, converging in the center. There are five towers in the shape of a blossoming lotus. The central one (with a total height of 65 meters) rises above the rest of the buildings by 42 meters. The entire complex is surrounded by a wall and a moat 190 meters wide. It surrounds not only the platform where the historical temple of Angkor Wat is located, but also the outer courtyard. A road leads to the main building, along the sides of which are sculptural images of seven-headed snakes. Three buildings are connected by roundabout galleries.
Interior design
The national emblem of Cambodia, which depicts Angkor Wat, gives only a general idea of the incomparable beauty that a person who visits the complex sees. However, it should be borne in mind that the Khmer temples were not intended for the meetings of believers, like Christian churches. They had the right to enter only the highest religious ranks. And in the walls of the temple the Khmer kings found their last solace. The interior design and the overall architecture of the complex are an organic whole. On the first tier of the bypass galleries there are eight large panels with a total area of 1200 m². They depict scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as fragments of Khmer history. On the second floor of the galleries, the walls are decorated with figures of two thousand apsaras, celestial maidens.
Scheme of the temple complex
If we consider the image of Angkor Wat in accordance with the cardinal points, then it can be seen that each of them has its own gate tower - the group. The largest of them is the western one. It was the main entrance to the "sacred mountain." Gorup consisted of three towers, now destroyed. The galleries connecting them were so large that they could miss the elephants. The western facade of the surrounding wall is decorated with figures of dancing people, and the eastern - cut through the windows of the balustrade. The technology by which the temple complex was built is very interesting. The masonry stones were so smoothly polished that it seemed like marble. The seams between the blocks are almost impossible to notice. No bonding solution was used during masonry.
National treasure
Where is Angkor Wat still depicted besides the state Cambodian coat of arms? On the flag of this country. Moreover, he appeared there in 1863, a couple of years after the time when the legendary complex was glorified in the world by two Frenchmen, Emil Buyevo and Henri Muo. His image was taken from the point where all five towers are visible. If you are in the complex, walk along the western path, go down the steps of the terrace. So you can see a wonderful sight. "Mountain" looks like the abode of the gods. No wonder it is included in the List of new wonders of the world. Angkor Wat makes a lasting impression. The artistic expressiveness of this complex is comparable only with the Indian Taj Mahal. In addition, this ancient shrine miraculously preserved in the middle of the merciless jungle.
Where Angkor Wat is depicted: "Choose", Civilization and other games
The Cambodian temple complex has firmly entered the mass consciousness. And then he began to be used in culture. So, in the cult movie about the tomb raider, the heroine Lara Croft (played by Angelina Jolie) goes in search of treasures to the Cambodian temple. And the Russian-language online game, which depicts Angkor Wat, is “Choose”. Users are prompted to choose one of the two photographs and guess which one represents Vishnu Temple. The Internet games Civilization IV and Rise of Nations offer to build Angkor Wat as one of the wonders of the world. In Nokia mobile phones, the temple complex is captured in the standard Diamond Rush game. Angkor Wat is one of the locations of the Atlantic Online game.