Angkor Wat (
Khmer:
អង្គរវត្ត) is the largest Khmer temple complex in the world. The temple was built by King
Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in
Yasodharapura (
Khmer:
យសោធរបុរៈ, present-day
Angkor), the capital of the
Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the
Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to
Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god
Vishnu, then
Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of
Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia,
[1] appearing on
its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
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Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the
temple mountain and the later
galleried temple, based on early
South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the
Jagati. It is designed to represent
Mount Meru, home of the
devas in
Hindu mythology: within a
moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a
quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive
bas-reliefs, and for the numerous
devatas adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "City Temple" in
Khmer;
Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word
nokor (
នគរ), which comes from the
Sanskrit word
nagar (
नगर).
[2] Wat is the
Khmer word for "temple grounds", derived from the
Pali word "vatta" (वत्त).
[3] Prior to this time the temple was known as
Preah Pisnulok (Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit), after the posthumous title of its founder
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