ANKAR WAT TEMPLE-WORLDS LARGEST RELIGIOUS SITE

ANKAR WAT IS THE LARGEST HINDU BUDDIST TEMPLE COMPLEX AND LARGE RELIGIOUS COMPLEX IN THE WORLD! IT WAS BUILT BY A KING IN THE 12TH CENTURY AND ANKORWAS THE CAPITAL OF THE KHMER EMPIRE, AS HIS STATE TEMPLE AND EVENTUAL  MAUSALEUM.  ANGKAR WEST WAS DEDICATED TO VISHNU.  IT IS THE BEST PRESERVED TEMPLE OF THE SITE. IT IS THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE REMAINED A SIGNIFICANT RELIGIOUS XCENTER. SINCE ITS FOUNDATION  IT HAS BECOME A HIGH SYMBOL OF CAMBODIA, AND APPEARS ON THEIR FLAG. IT IS DESIGNED TO REPRESENT  MT. MERU, HOME OF THE DEVAS IN HINDU MYTHOLOGY.  THE TEMPLE HAS GALLERIES.  AT THE CENTER STANDS A QUINCUNX OR 5 PATTERNS OF TOWERS. ANKAR WAT IS ORIENTED TO THE WEST.  WHO KNOWS WHY?  THE TEMPLE IS ADMIRED FOR THE GRANDEUR AND HARMONY OF THE ARCHITECTURE AND ITS MANY BAS ELIEFS.  IT HAS NUMEROUS DEVELAS OR WALLS.  ITS MODERN NAME MEANS TEMPLE CITY.  VAT MEANS IN KHMER EMPLE GROUNDS.  THIS TEMPLE LIES 5.5 KM NORTH OF SIEM REAP.  HERE IS AN IMPORTANT GROUP OF ANCIENT STRUCTURES.  THE TEMPLE WAS DEDICATED TO VISHNU AND BUILT AS THE CAPITOL CITY.  IT IS A PLACE AND THE BAS REL;IEF DECORATION.

IN 1177, 27 YEARSAFTER THE DEATH OFTHEIR KING, ANKAR WAS INVADED BYTHE CHAMS.  THE EMPIRE WAS RESTORED BY AND NEW KING WHO ESTABLISHED A NEW CAPITAL.

BY THE LATE 13TH CENTURY ANKAR WAT MOVED FROM HINDU TO BUDDIST USE AND IT CONTINUES TODAY.  IT BECAME NEGLECTED  IN THE 16TH CENTURY AND WAS NEVER COMPLETELY ABANDONED  ONE OF THE FIRST WESTERN VISITORS WAS A PORTUGUESE  MONK WHO SAID IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL IT IS DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE.  BY 19TH CENTURY A FRENCH NATURALIST AND EXPLORER POPULARIZED THE SITE BY PUBLISHING SOME TRAVEL NOTES.  THIS TEMPLE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN BUILT BY SOME ANCIENT MICHAELANGELO.  ITS GRANDEUR IS MORE SPECTACULAR THAN ANY BUILDING IN GREECE OR ROME.  IN THE 18TH CENTURY IT PRESENTS AN OPPOSING STATE TO THE BARBARISM IN WHICH THEIR NATION WAS IN.  THE HISTORY OF THE SITE WAS PIECED TOGETHER BY USING EPIGRAPHIC EVIDENCE - READING AND RESEARCHING THESE INSCRIPTIONS.  THERE WERE NO REMAINS OF ORDINARY HOUSE , COOKING UTENSILS, OR WEAPONS FOUND HERE.  JUST THE REMAINS OF MONUMENTS.  DURING 1900'S LOTS OF RESTORATIONS OCCURED BY REMOVING VEGETATION AND EARTH.

THE TEMPLE IS A GREAT SOURCE OF NATIONAL PRIDE AND THEIR RULERS HERE HAVE FORMED RELATIONS WITH FRANCE, U. S. AND THAILAND.  THE TEMPLE BECAME A POLITICAO-CULTURAL  RELATION BETWEEN FRENCH HERITAGE.  THE TEMPLE WAS PRESENTED IN PARIS AND MARSILLE BETWEEN 1889 AND 1937.

FRANCE ADOPTED CAMBODIA AS A PROTECTORATE SITE IN 1863 INVADING SIAM TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITE.  CAMBODIA QUICKLY RETAINED LANDS IN THE SITE AND IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THAI CONTROL SINCE 1300'S  IN 1953 CAMBODIA GAINED INDEPENDENCE FROM FRANCE AND HAS SINCE CONTROLLED ANKAR WAT.

THIS TEMPLEBORROED DESIGNS FROM ODISHA AND INDIA.  IT IS THE HOME OF GODS AND THE 5 TOWERS SYMBOLIZE THE 5 PEAKS OF MT. MERU AND SURROUNDING OCEAN.  THIS TEMPLE IS BUILT FROM SANDSTONE. BLOCKS!  LATERITE WAS USED FOR THE OUTSIDE WALLS.  NO ONE KNOWS HOW THE BLOCKS WERE JOINED.  ITS GRANDEUR  HAS BEEN COMPARED TO ANCIENT ROME.  THE TEMPLE HAS SOME PERFECTION BY THE RESTRAINED MONUMENTS AND WELL BALANCED ELEMENTS(SEEMINGLY FENG SHUI)!  SOME ELEMENTS HABEEN LOOTED THROUGH TIME,  THE OTHER WALL IS 4.5 M HIGH  AND A 30 METER APRON OF OPEN GROUND.  A MOAT ABOUT 190 M WIDE WAS BUILT IN A SQUARE AROUND THE TEMPLE.  ACCESS IS BY AN EARTH BANK TO THE EAST.  NOTHING REMAINS OF THESECULAR BUILDINGS AS THEY WERE OF PERISHABLE MATERIALS, NOT STONE.  THERE ARE ONLY OUTLINES OF STREETS.  INSIDE THE TEMPLE ARE MANY INSCRIPTIONS RELATING TO GOOD DEEDS OF TRAVELERS - SOME ARE IN BURMESE AND JAPANESE.  THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIESTHEIR WALLS HAVE INSCIBED BUDDHAS.  THE TEMPLES FAME IS THROUGH ITS BAS RELIEF FRIEZES.  SOME ARE DEVATAS OR WOMEN GODS WITH LARGE METAL CROWNS.  SOME INSCRIPTIONS SHOW BATTLES AND OTHERS REPRESENT THE SUMMER  AND WINTER SOLSTICE.  SOME SCENES SHOW VICTORY AND HINDU GODS.

THE SANDSTONE USED TO BUILD THE TEMPLE WAS TRANSPORTED HERE 25 MILES AWAY.  ONE GALLERY ALONE HAS 1000 SQUARE METERS OF BAS RELIEF.  SOME MAY HAVE HAD BRONZE DECORATIONS  IT IS ESTIMATED THE SITE TOOK  40 YEARS TO COMPLETE.  THEY MUST HAVE HAD 1000'S OF SKILLED ARTISANS TO BUILD AND CARVE THESE SCULPTURES.

TODAY IT HAS MUCH TOURISM AND CONSERVATION EFFORTS WITH 600,00 VISITORS PER YEAR.

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