Angkor Wat (Khmer) is the largest Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (Khmer, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top 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 temple, based on
early Dravidian Architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is
designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within
a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) 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. The temple is
admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive
bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City"
or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or
"capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor, which comes
from the Sanskrit word nagara . Wat is the Khmer word for "temple
grounds", derived from the Pali word "vatta". Prior to this time
the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok (Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit), after the
posthumous title of its founder.
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