Important Note:
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| [Angkor Wat at Sunrise] [Picture Credits: "Cambodia-2638B - Angkor Wat" by Dennis Jarvis, Flickr is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0] |
Angkor Wat was
originally constructed as a Hindu temple and a capital city dedicated to the
God Vishnu by Khymer King Suryavarman in the first half of 12th century.
But
by the end of the 12th century, it was considered a Buddhist site. Theravada Buddhism gained popularity by that time,
and maybe the reason for the change. Angkor Wat is the most popular tourist and
heritage spot in Cambodia located in the Siem Reap region in Northern Cambodia,
around 5-6 km away from the temple complex.
There are other temples in the
vicinity which I will cover later, one of them being the location for the
iconic film 'Tomb Raider' shoot. This sprawling temple complex is
considered a 7th wonder in the world due to the remote location and massive
area, which is around 400 acres. In ancient times, it was a prosperous and
fertile city having a population of around 1 million people. It also achieved
the sobriquet as the 'City of temples' due to numerous temples
in and around the vicinity of Angkor Wat. It was also called 'Praha Vishnuloka' in
ancient times and regarded as a sacred dwelling of Lord Vishnu. At times it was
thought to be a 'Jetavana' garden of Buddha, similar to the one in
Magadha, Bihar, India.
There was a deep cultural connection between India & Cambodia right from 1 Century BCE. This is reflected in Sanskrit inscriptions found on the temple walls, resident brahmin priests, pottery findings, the discovery of Brahmi script, similar astronomical calculations, Gupta style architecture, and worshipping of deities Hanuman and Shiva.
