The temple ruins of Angkor are the remnants of the Angkorian capitols and represent the pinnacle of the ancient Khmer architecture, art and civilization from the 9th to 12th centures AD. Angkor means "capitol city" or "holy city", the Khmer kings constructed grand temples, vast waterworks and built vast armies that held dominance over the areas of modern Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. There are hundreds of temples at Angkor, covering 200 square km (77 sq mi) as each king strove to better their ancestors in size, scale, and symmetry, culminating in the world's largest religious building Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat was built in the early-mid 12th century by King Suryavarman II with an estimated construction time of 30 years. It is the largest monument in the site and is an architectural masterpiece of composition, balance, proportions, symmetry, and artistry. The temple itself is 1km square and consists of 3 levels connected by interlinked galleries that enclose a square and the central tower. There are a total of 5 towers but the plan only allows for them to all be viewed from certain angles and viewpoints.
King Suryavarman II constructed the temple in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu and to also serve as his mausoleum.
It was eventually taken over by Buddhist monks and has served as a Buddhist temple since the 14th century (and it is because the monks have used it continually that it is so well preserved because it has never been abandoned to the elements.
The walls of the temple are covered inside and out with bas-reliefs and carvings. Angkor Wat is also famous for the nearly 2000 distinctly rendered apsara (heavenly nymphs) carvings that adorn the walls throughout the temple.
The inside passageways are lined with statues, carvings and Buddhas. (I call this the headless hallway- poor Buddhas!)
The exterior walls of the lower level display extraordinary bas-reliefs depicting stories and characters from Hindu mythology and the historical wars of Suryavarman II.
I was really lucky with how few people were at the temple when I visited. When my tuk-tuk driver Vannack picked me up at my B&B it was raining (12 noon) and suggested that he didn't think Angkor Wat would be too crowded then. He made such a great call- it was so quiet and I was able to wander the grounds and halls, take pictures unobstucted by tour groups, sit quietly and read my guidebook, and spend time looking at the bas-reliefs in hallways that I had entirely to myself.
As I rounded the corner between the last bas-relief corrider to the 1st one-wham- sea of people! Rain stopped, lunch was over, and the bus tours returned in force!
At that point I knew to go with whatever he suggested so when he mentioned another site that wouldn't be crowded in the afternoon that's where I went. So next stop- Angkor Thom.
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