Meaning of “Angkor Wat”

According to “Angkor Wat” the name itself, “Angkor” derives from a Sanskrit word meaning “holy city”.”Wat” of course, in Khmer means “temple”. There is a single temple complex called “Angkor Wat” located near Siem Reap in northeast Cambodia, but it has come to represent a whole complex of wonderful temples and stonemasonry and artwork throughout the area.

It is the single largest religious structure in the world, and surely one of the world’s wonders of art and architecture. In fact, within an area of 120 sq. miles, the ruins contain some of the most imposing monuments in the world, including about a thousand temples, mainly Hindu and some Buddhist; the ancient city, however, had an extent some three times that size, and was home to perhaps 750,000 people.