Angkor Wat Architecture – Classical Style 12th Century
Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II, as
his state temple in the capital city of Angkor. It was dedicated to the
Hindu God, Vishnu. The temple took 37 years to be built and had turned
the people of the kingdom into slaves who worked hard to raise the
temple. Though, initially a Hindu temple, it became an important
Buddhist religious center, under the rule of Srindravarman who adopted Buddhism as the state religion.
Spread over an area of more than 200 hectares, the Angkor Wat was built using the two fundamental plans of Khmer architecture: the Temple Mountain and the Galleried Temple. According to the Temple Mountain plan, the temple is depicted as Mount Meru,
the abode of Hindu Gods. The wall and moat enclosing the temple,
represent mountains and oceans respectively. The temple’s conformity
with the Khmer architecture, can be best understood if we divided the
temple into an outer structure and inner structure.
Structure of Angkor Wat
Outer Structure: The temple complex is
enclosed within a 190 m wide moat. A stretch of 30 m wide open ground
separates the moat from the 4.5 m high outer wall that surrounds the
temple on all four sides. Entry to the temple complex is guarded by an
impressive architectural structure, which is on each side of the outer
wall, is known as thegopura. Inside the walls lies an area of
820,000 square meters that not only has the temple, but also housed the
entire city and the royal palace.
Inner Structure: The inner structure contains the temple,
that stands on a raised terrace made of three rectangular galleries,
rising to a central tower. The three galleries are believed by some to
represent Brahma – the creator according to Hindu mythology, the moon, and Vishnu
the Hindu god who is supposed to be the preserver of all forms of life.
The central tower forms a quincunx with the other towers on the gallery
to represent mount Meru, surrounded by other peaks.
By the 12th century the Khmer craftsmen had become skilled workers of
sandstone. The temple is made of sandstone, and is intricately
decorated with scenes from Hindu epics (like the Ramayana and
Mahabharata) in bas relief. The temple preserves the style of the Khmer
period, in the form of towers that are shaped like lotus buds, cruciform
terraces and axial galleries that connect enclosures.
Although the temple follows the basic principles of Khmer
architecture, unlike other temples built around the same time, the
Angkor Wat faces the west. Some believe that this deviation from the
usual orientation of Khmer temples towards the east, is because it is
dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is associated with the west direction.
However, some other scholars believe that orientation towards the west
direction reflects Suryavarman II’s desire to use the temple for
personal funerary purpose.
Angkor Wat is the largest temple in the world that has been compared
to the architecture of Rome and Ancient Greece. It has been a part of
the Angkor World Heritage Site since 1992 and is a symbol of pride for
the people of Cambodia.
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