Johnette Williams

Period 4

March 7, 2019

Angkor Essay

Angkor, the temple of Angkor Wat, and the city of Angkor Thom were created between

800-1400 C.E. and is located in Cambodia. The temple is 400 kilometers large, making it the

largest religious monument in the world. The area is full of temples, monuments, communication

routes and hydraulic structures such as basins, reservoirs, and canals. Everything is built entirely

out of stone and almost all of the surfaces are covered with high relief ornaments and bas relief

images. The villages throughout the site are still inhabited today and Buddhist monks and nuns

still worship there.

Ancient Sanskrit and Khmer texts stated that cities should be designed and organized to

be in harmony with the universe. This means that the site had to be planned according to the

rising of the sun and moon and include symbols of the repetition of time throughout the year.

The central axis should be aligned with the planets so that the city becomes the center for

political, spiritual, astronomical, and geo-physical events. They follow the pattern of a mandala

or a diagram of the universe. There is an expansive enclosure wall that separates the temple

grounds from the moat which surrounds the whole complex. The temple contains three

passageways running around the temple, also known as galleries, and a central sanctuary marked

by 5 stone towers. The 5 stone towers mimic Meru, the mythical home of the gods in both

Hinduism and Buddhism. Meru is considered an axis connecting heaven and Earth. The stacked

nature of the temple is supposed to literally represent mountains to invite the gods. Galleries
create empty spaces that represent the mountain ranges and oceans surrounding the mountain.

The building contained 1200 square meters of carved bas relief that represent 8 different Hindu

stories. The more prominent one is Churning of Ocean of Milk that shows the beginning of time

and the creation of the universe, which links the king to gods in a direct line since the creation of

the world. In the piece, devas (gods) are fighting asura (demons) to reclaim order and power, and

in order to save the Earth, the amrita (the elixir of life) has to be released from the Earth. The

work depicts the moment when the gods and demons are churning the sea of milk by playing tug

of war with Naga (the snake). Once the elixir is released, the king of all gods Indra can be seen

descending down from the heavens to collect it and save the world.

Khmer kings would build temples to legitimize their rule and gain protection and power

from the gods. Since Hindu temples are not a place for religious ceremonies, they are instead

used as a home to the gods. The ruler needed to prove that the gods did not support his

predecessor in order to assert their rule. To show that their temple was where the gods would

choose to live on Earth, the rulers had to create extravagant, lavish temples that were better than

the previous ones. Some believe that not only was the temple dedicated to Vishnu, but it was also

made to be a mausoleum for the king when he died.

The name Angkor Wat means "City Temple" in Khmer, the national language of

Cambodia, although this is likely not the original name. People are still uncertain of the city’s

true name because no texts mention the city by name. The city was built by King Suryavarman

II, who ruled from 1113-1145 C.E. and whose name translates to "protector of the sun". The

project probably used around 300,000 workers, including architects, construction workers, stone

masons, sculptors, and servants to help bring the structure to life. Construction on the site began

three years after he took the throne and finished shortly after his death in 1150. These dates are
based on the inscriptions found throughout the piece and also the style of architecture. Today, the

temple has become the Cambodian national symbol and is actually on the national flag of

Cambodia.