Wikijunior:World Heritage Sites/Angkor

Angkor Wat is part of Cambodia and was the capital of the Khmer Empire between the 19th and 15th centuries CE. The area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

How Angkor Wat was built

Angkor Wat was ordered to be built by King Suryvarman II. It was completed by King Jayavarman VII.

To start making Angkor Wat the Khmer people began by making the foundations for the temple. Even though it is very old the engineering techniques they used were amazing. To stop the temples from sinking the soil under Angkor Wat was removed up to 2 meters. Then they filled it up with layers of sand, a layer of stone, clay and another layer of sand. This distributed the weight evenly and stopped if from sinking. Then they built big moats around the temple to control how the water was moved around the city and temple.

Angkor Wat is actually only one temple in a much larger city complex. The whole city is called Angkor Thom. The complex is near Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world. Angkor Wat is 213 feet tall (65 meters). The central tower is surrounded by four smaller towers and a series of walls; a layout that recreates the image of Mount Meru, (a legendary mountain from Hindu stories). Angkor Wat was built to face the west, the direction of the Hindu god Vishnu. Other temples in the Angkor complex face east.

It is mostly made out of sandstone blocks but laterite (another type of rock) was used to make some of the outside walls. It was made out of 5 million to 10 million sandstone blocks. Historians believe that the sandstone was brought by boats from the many rivers that were around the Angkor Thom region.

It feels strong and rough and hard. It looks very old. You can tell this because the rocks are dark. There are pieces missing and the trees have grown all over it.

Carved into the walls of Angkor Wat you will find lots of different pictures. The pictures are of different Hindu Gods. The Khmer people believed that this would help them get into heaven. Angkor Wat was first built as a shrine to the Hindu God Vishnu.

What it was used for

After King Suravarman II killed his uncle to become King he needed to prove that he was worthy to by the King of the Khmer Empire. He did this by building Angkor Wat. He needed to complete the building in his lifetime. He believed that this would give him access to heaven. The ashes of the King were placed under the very centre of Angkor Wat to be preserved. The temple was built to honour the Hindu god Vishnu.

Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu temple. In the end of the 13th century when Cambodia converted from Hindu to Buddhist faith the temple was also converted to a Buddhist temple.

Angkor Wat was used as a temple until the 1400s when the Siamese from Thailand attacked the Khmer. After this the people who lived around Angkor Wat slowly moved away. The reason they moved away is not completely clear. It could have been because of war or because of a lack on water for people to use.

How Angkor Wat has Changed Over Time References and Resources

This Contribution was Written by Grade 2 Students at the International School of Phnom Penh in 2018.