Angkor Wat [site] (Angkor Wat, Cambodia) : Suryavarman II

Published/Created:

Angkor Wat, Siĕm Réab, Cambodia
Siem Reap (near); located about one mile south of Angkor (deserted settlement)
ca. 1113-1177

Physical Description:

4.5 m (height, outer wall) x 802 m (width, outer wall) x 1024 m (length, outer wall)

Date Depicted:

2/21/2011

Materials:

sandstone; brick; laterite

Notes:

Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and part of his capital city. (The Angkorian period dates 802-1432). 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. 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. 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. The lower gallery of the temple precinct, barely 5 m wide, is bordered on the outside by a double row of columns. On the inside, however, is a stone wall on which the reliefs are carved running round the entire temple complex. They are about 2 m high and more than 500 m long and cover an area of well over 1000 sq. m. The relief is so shallow that they have been described as "frescoes in stone", and originally they may indeed have been partly painted. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Variant Titles:

Prasat Angkor Wat

Topics:

Architecture -- Cambodia -- 12th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Angkorean
Suryavarman II

Culture:

Cambodian

Accession Number:

1A2-CB-AW-F18

Coordinates:

+13.4125+103.866667

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
complexes: religious complexes (AAT)
religious buildings: temples (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

buildings; religious buildings; temples; complexes; sites (locations); historic sites architecture; deities; rulers and leaders; Hindu; Buddhist; Khmer; Khmers

Source Creator:

Donais, Andre

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Seven

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
2/21/2011 12:00:00 AM

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4349

OID:

10470780

PID:

digcoll:1816211