Angkor Wat: A Journey to Discover the “Heart” of Cambodia

1 Introduction to Angkor Wat

1.1 Overview of Angkor Wat

- Address: Angkor Wat Temple, Siem Reap Town, Cambodia

Angkor Wat is one of the wonders of the world and is a symbol of the cultural and architectural sublimation of the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia. Located in Siem Reap Town, Angkor Wat is a complex of many massive Buddhist temples and has become a famous tourist destination worldwide.

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Angkor Wat is one of the architectural wonders of the world, where many mysteries are still waiting for us to discover. Photo: Paul Szewczyk

The architecture and carvings of Angkor Wat are a combination of Hinduism and Buddhism. This partly reflects the religious and cultural diversity of the land of Cambodia.

The Angkor Wat area is vast and includes many temples and towers, including the iconic temples of Angkor Wat, Sras Srang, Pre Rup and Phnom Bakheng. Exploring Angkor Wat means immersing yourself in the history and art of a country rich in tradition and creativity. This is not only a tourist destination but also a unique spiritual and cultural experience not to be missed.
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The entire Angkor Wat complex is hidden in a vast primeval forest. Photo: @hydromet2
1.2 History of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century under the reign of King Suryavarman II. The temple was built as a temple to worship Hindu gods. However, in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, Angkor Wat changed from a Hindu worship center to a place of Buddhist activities under the reign of King Ang Chan. The Hindu statues were thus replaced by Buddha statues.

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One of the entrances to the Angkor Wat complex shows the beauty of ancient Khmer architecture. Photo: Paul Szewczyk

In the following period, Cambodia experienced collapse and invasion from neighboring countries. Over time, the vast and massive Angkor Wat temple complex was gradually abandoned and it was not until the 20th century that Angkor Wat was discovered by French explorers and researchers.

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Although there are many abandoned areas like this, it still cannot overshadow the unique beauty of Angkor Wat. Photo: Jeromestubbs

In 1992, Angkor Wat and other temples in Angkor were recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site to honor the grandeur and majesty of the Angkor Wat temple complex, helping to preserve its important historical and cultural status.

To this day, Angkor Wat has become a famous tourist destination and attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.

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Today, Angkor Wat has the appearance of a magnificent Buddhist temple that was once the place of residence and worship of many monks. Photo: Norbert Braun
1.3 The architectural beauty of Angkor Wat

Located 6 km north of Siem Reap town, the Angkor Wat relic complex stretches over an area of ​​up to 400 km2. Surrounding the relic is a wide and deep moat.
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The temples in the entire complex are connected by long corridors, next to which are very unique stone reliefs. Photo: schinnawong

The entire Angkor Wat complex has more than 1,000 temples of countless sizes and shapes with typical ancient Khmer architecture. Among them, the typical temples of the relic complex that are well known to many people are Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bayon.

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The soft and delicate carvings on the stone of dancers spread throughout the Angkor Wat complex. Photo: Norbert Braun

Each temple bears its own mark of ancient Khmer art, with stone decorations depicting the life, epics and religions of this land. All the large stone blocks are stacked on top of each other without adhesives, demonstrating the sophistication and pinnacle of construction techniques of the Khmer people.
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Another carving shows the skillful craftsmanship of ancient Khmer artisans. Photo: kathathep

In particular, the images of Buddha, warriors, lotus flowers, and dances illustrating the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are all carved in a sophisticated and vivid manner. It can be said that Angkor Wat is an extremely impressive and beautiful architectural masterpiece.