Angkor Wat
- Date
- c. 1113-1150 · confidence medium
- Place
- Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Credited to
- Suryavarman II and Khmer architects
- Field
- Tools
What it is
A sandstone temple dedicated to Vishnu, laid out as a temple-mountain with five towers, three concentric galleries and kilometres of bas-reliefs. It is the largest religious monument in the world and the culmination of classical Khmer architecture.
The architect's name and exact start and end dates are not given in inscriptions; the figures correspond to the reign of Suryavarman II (1113-c. 1150).
What it led to
- a model for later Khmer architecture (Bayon, Ta Prohm)
- the complex's conversion into a Theravada Buddhist temple from the 14th century
- a national symbol of Cambodia and a driver of tourism