A photo of the famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia

As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre [...]]]> Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angor Cambodia, built for the king Suryavaraman ll  in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city.

A photo of the famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia

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 the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia appearing on its national flag and it is the country’s prime attraction for visitors.

A photo of the famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia

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 extensivebas releifs and for the numerous  guardian spirits adorning its walls.

The modern name, Angkor Wat, means “City Temple”; Angkor is a vernacular form of the word nokor which comes from the Urdu word nagara meaning capital.

Angkor Wat temple (wat or vat) in Cambodia