ANGKOR
WAT COMPLEX - ART & CULTURE
News: At Angkor Wat, ‘you have one of the
world’s wonders to yourself’
What's
in the news?
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In the years before the pandemic, the
Angkor complex — a stunning collection of Hindu and Buddhist temple complexes
in various stages of ruin and restoration — was one of the most popular
destinations in Southeast Asia and a major source of foreign revenue for the
country.
Key
takeaways:
●
Since Cambodia’s reopening, the number of
overseas tourists has been gradually increasing.
Angkor
Wat Temple:
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It is the largest religious monument in the world.
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It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century.
Features:
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Sandstone
blocks were used to build the structure.
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It is protected by a 15-foot-high wall and a wide moat.
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It covers an area of 200 acres.
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The temple has five major towers symbolising the peaks of Mount Meru, believed to be the abode
of the gods in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
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Thousands of bas-reliefs depicting important deities and figures in Hindu and
Buddhist religions, as well as key events in their narrative traditions,
adorn the temple walls.
Uniqueness:
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It features murals from the Ramayana and was originally a temple dedicated to
Vishnu, before a Buddhist temple by the end of the 12th century.
Ramayana
and Angkor Wat:
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The Ramayana has been popular in India for
millennia, as text in Sanskrit and
many other languages, as folk theatre,
as puppet shows, and as countless kathas or oral retellings organised in
villages and small towns.
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However, the epic’s appeal extends well
beyond Indian borders, and its dissemination demonstrates how Indians roamed
the world – as rich traders, preachers, and bonded labourers.
Go
back to basics:
Angkor:
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Angkor was once the seat of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of
Southeast Asia between the 9th and the 15th centuries.
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At its height, Angkor is believed to have
had a population of nearly 1 million, making it one of the world’s largest
cities at the time.