ANGKOR

Cambodia: Angkor Wat ruin

ANGKOR, capital city of Cambodia from the 9th to the 15th century. Its ruins are one of the worlds great architectural monuments. Located near Siemreab in northwestern Cambodia, Angkor was founded early in the 9th century and became the countrys capital under King Yasovarman I (r. 889900), who called it Yasodharapura. The original city was built around the Phnom Bakeng, a temple on a hill symbolizing the mountain that stands in the center of the world according to Hindu cosmology. Successive kings enlarged the city, building other temples devoted to various Hindu deities and large reservoirs used for irrigation, which also symbolized the ocean Cambodia: Angkor Wat ruin surrounding the holy central mountain. The greatest of the Angkor temple complexes is Angkor Wat, constructed under King Suryavarman II (r. 111350) to celebrate the king as the incarnation of the god Vishnu. An immense rectangle, measuring about 850 by 1000 m (about 2800 by 3300 ft), Angkor Wat contains concentric walled courtyards surrounding a central structure with five graceful lotus-shaped towers. Its galleries are decorated with sculptures depicting legends of Vishnu. King Jayavarman VII (c. 11301219) built the Angkor Thom complex, which contains the Bayon, a Buddhist temple embellished with huge stone heads of the king. In the 13th century Angkor covered about 100 sq km (about 39 sq mi) and was one of the largest cities in the world. Shortly thereafter, it began to decline. Threatened by attacks from the neighboring Thais, the Cambodians left Angkor about 1430, moving their capital south for greater security. Angkor Wat survived for a time as a Buddhist pilgrimage center, but the rest of the city was covered by the jungle until French archaeologists began to excavate it in the 1860s. A six-toeight-year restoration project was begun in 1987.

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