Bella P.

Essay #23 – “Angkor Wat”

This structure was very important to the people of Cambodia in the city of Angkor Thom.

It was constructed in c. 800-1400 C.E. as a stone masonry, and finished with sandstone. It

was a very sacred temple that functioned to stand as a religious monument for the entirety

of the world. It was a very large temple standing to be 400 kilometers in length. This city

in general doesn’t just contain this temple, but monuments, hydraulic structures and many

communication routes. Thus structure was built of stone and finished with detailed

decoration of high relief ornaments. Monks today still visit this sacred place to worship.

This special temple was dedicated to the protector of reserve, which is known by the

name of Vishnu.

This temple has a very unique form of structural composition. It begins with the

ancient prophecy of being planned in accordance to the sun and moon, following the

calendar of the year if speaking in detail. The central axis of the structure was to be

aligned to the planets. This temple consists of multiple passageways, which are marked

by 5 stone towers, in which symbolize the mythical homes of the gods in both Hinduism

and Buddhism. The invitation to the gods is found in the stacked nature of the temple,

and Meru over all is considered to be what connects the heaven and the earth. This

temple was very important to Vishnu, showing the creation of the universe and the

specific quality of depicting the moment when the gods and demons clashed. Many forms

of symbolism are present within the gods and the demons: playing tug of war, churning

the sea of milk, fighting asura to reclaim power and order, and simply portraying the

event in which the elixir of life had to be released in order to save the earth.
 This temple is a very prominent Cambodian symbol that stands to be represented

on the national flag. Its name in general means the “city temple” in Khmer, which is the

prevalent Cambodian language. The protector of the sun built this temple, and many

scholars initially believed that this temple was built not just for Vishnu, but also to serve

mausoleum after the King’s death. In tact, this temple today stands as a place to worship

that remembers the events and moments in the history of the ancient Cambodian people,

gods, and demons.