BEAUTY OF ANGKOR TEMPLE

Beauty of Angkor Temple

Located 317 kilometers north of Phnom Penh, Angkor Temple was built of stone from the twelfth century. It became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1991, comparable with the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India, and the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

 

Everything Carved from Stone

Angkor Temple is a complex consisting of more than 100 architectural stone temples built by kings who ruled the ancient Khmer kingdom. The place was constructed near Siem Reap between the ninth and fifteenth century. The temples, sculptures and vast corridors are made of large boulders, stacked to convey a natural look. All decorative stones appear lively as they depict Buddha, dancers, warriors and the lotus. They all illustrate the epic Ramayana and Mahabharata. Perhaps the most notable are the 1,700 Apsara dancers since they have completely different features including gorgeous bodies, faces, postures, etc.

Angkor Wat - "the capital of the temples" over 5.6 kilometers in circumference, with five massive towers. The 65-meter high main tower is the tallest and also regarded as the world’s largest. The road to Angkor Wat is a long stone bridge surrounded by smaller temples. Angkor Wat is rectangular when viewed from up above - 1,500m long and 190m wide. It was built under the reign of King Suryavarman II and with the help of legendary sculptor god Visnu. To feel the mystical power and glamor of Angkor Wat, tourists are advised to visit at sunset. The golden sunlight and the stone tower temples here emerge as bright yellow blocks, hidden under the jaggery of massive trees.