World Heritage Sites:

ANGKOR WAT
Worksheets
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 Angkor Wat Facts

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world,

measuring 162.6 hectares. It is the heart and soul of Cambodia and a
source of fierce national pride. As it is the best-preserved temple at
the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious
center since its creation.

Historical Background
★ Angkor Wat, built by Khmer King Suryavarman II in
Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer
Empire, was his state temple and eventual mausoleum. It was
originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god
Vishnu for the Khmer Empire and gradually transformed into a
Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.
 Angkor Wat Facts
★ The temple became known to
the Western world after one of
the first Western visitors,
Portugal's António da
Madalena, visited Angkor Wat
in 1586.

★ Madalena’s description of
Angkor Wat inspired the awe
of many Europeans. He
explained that the temple’s
extraordinary construction
could not be described by a
pen and that it was a
monument of unparalleled
beauty. Henri Mouhot
★ Another visit by a European also encouraged a wave of
expeditions to Cambodia. French naturalist Henri Mouhot wrote
extensive descriptions of the temple that were published after his
death.
★ Mouhot, who visited Angkor Wat in the middle of the 19th century,
described the monument as grander than any architectural legacy
of the Greeks or Romans.
★ Since that time, Angkor Wat has been the subject of significant
research. Expeditions from various countries have attempted to
discover the secrets of the temple complex, and millions of
tourists have flocked to Cambodia from all corners of the globe.
Thus, Angkor Wat continues to fascinate and inspire awe up to
the present day.
 Angkor Wat Facts
★ It was built in the first half of the 12th century (113-5 B.C.). The
temple has been estimated to have taken 30 years to construct.
While Suryavarman II may have planned Angkor Wat as his
funerary temple, or mausoleum, he was never buried there as he
died in battle during a failed expedition to subdue the Dai Viet
(Vietnamese). The work appeared to have ended shortly after the
king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decorations unfinished.

★ The sandstone blocks

from which Angkor Wat
is built were quarried
from the holy mountain
of Phnom Kulen, more
than 50km away, and
floated down the Siem
Reap River on rafts,
requiring the labor of
thousands. According
to inscriptions, the
construction of Angkor
Wat involved 300,000
workers and 6,000
elephants, yet it
remains uncompleted.
 Angkor Wat Facts
Legends of Angkor Wat

★ Several legends are

associated with the building
of the monument, and
towards the 12th century,
Angkor Wat became a center
of Buddhist worship.

★ According to legend, the

construction of Angkor Wat
was ordered by Indra to
serve as a palace for his son,
Precha Ket Mealea.

★ According to the 13th-century Chinese traveler, Zhou Daguan, some

believed that the temple was constructed in a single night by a
divine architect.
 Angkor Wat Facts
★ From a distance,
Angkor Wat appears to
be a colossal mass of
stone on one level with
a long causeway
leading to the center,
but close up it is a
series of elevated
towers, covered
galleries, chambers,
porches and
courtyards on different
levels linked by
stairways.

★ The height of Angkor Wat from the ground to the top of the central
tower is greater than it might appear: 213 meters (699 feet)
achieved by three rectangular or square levels (1-3). Each one is
progressively smaller and higher than the one below, starting from
the outer limits of the temple.
★ Covered galleries with columns define the boundaries of the first
and second levels. The third level supports five towers – four in the
corners and one in the middle – and these are the most prominent
architectural feature of Angkor Wat.
★ The central tower rises from the center of the monument
symbolizing the mythical mountain, Meru, situated at the center of
the universe. Its five towers correspond to the peaks of Meru. The
outer wall corresponds to the mountains at the edge of the world,
and the surrounding moat, the oceans beyond.
★ While pictures of the temple are beautiful and show it’s grandeur, it
must be seen to be fully understood and appreciated.
 Angkor Wat Facts
★ The Angkor Wat Gallery of
bas-reliefs, surrounding the first
level of Angkor Wat, contains 1,200
square meters (12,917 square feet)
of sandstone carvings. The reliefs
cover most of the inner wall of all
four sides of the gallery and extend
two meters (seven feet) high from
top to bottom.

★ The reliefs are meant to be seen in

a counter-clockwise direction. Each
section of the bas-relief depicts a
story and most of them are about
battles between gods and demons.

Angkor Wat bas-relief map.

Order of viewing.
Angkor Wat Facts
Temple Etiquette

★ Angkor Wat is a UNESCO

World Heritage Site.

★ As the temples of Angkor

represent a sacred
religious site to the Khmer
people, visitors are asked
to dress modestly. It is not
permissible to visit the
highest level of Angkor
Wat without the upper
arms and knees covered.

★ Local authorities have

recently released visitor
'code of conduct'
guidelines and a video to
encourage appropriate
dress, as well as reminding
tourists not to touch or sit
on the ancient structures,
to pay attention to
restricted areas, and to be
respectful of monks.
 Angkor Wat Fun Facts

★ Angkor Wat has become

a symbol of Cambodia,
appearing on its national
flag, and it is the
country's prime
attraction for visitors.

★ Angkor Wat means "City

of Temples" or simply
"City Temple".

★ Khmer or Cambodian is the language of the Khmer people and the

official language of Cambodia.

★ Wat is the Khmer name for temple, which was probably added to
"Angkor" when it became a Theravada Buddhist monument, most
likely in the sixteenth century.

★ The temple is mostly constructed of sandstone as the main building

material. The binding agent used to join the blocks is yet to be
identified, although natural resins or slaked lime has been
suggested.

★ The temple contains more than 1,800 carved apsara and hundreds
of meters of bas-reliefs.

★ It is the only Khmerian temple that has been in continuous use

since its construction.
Name: ________________

Thumbs Up or Down?

Identify whether the statement is TRUE or

FALSE. Put a thumbs up if the statement
is TRUE and a if its FALSE.

The ancient city of Angkor used

to be a capital of the ancient
Khmer Empire in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat is a UNESCO World

Heritage Site.

The temple was converted for

Buddhist use in the late 12th
century.

Frenchman Henri Mouhot

discovered this enigmatic temple
complex in the 16th century.
Thumbs Up or Down?
Answer Key

The ancient city of Angkor used

to be a capital of the ancient
Khmer Empire in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat is a UNESCO World

Heritage Site.

The temple was converted for

Buddhist use in the late 12th
century.

Frenchman Henri Mouhot

discovered this enigmatic temple
complex in the 16th century.
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