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Khmer Temples * * Mysteries of the past in Southeast Asia
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Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world !
Suryavarman I (1002-1050 A.D.) expanded the Angkorean Empire into Thailand and Laos, and added a vast irrigation system. He built a great reservoir five miles long and one mile wide at Angkor, which held over 150 million gallons of water. This manmade body of water is the largest Khmer reservoir that still survives. Angkor Wat measures more than half a mile long on each side, and is the largest religious building in the world. Interestingly, Angkor Wat is the only structure of the ancient Khmers that faces west rather than east. Possibly, Khmer astronomers used Angkor Wat as a sight for studying the movements of the planets and stars. Suryavarman I established Buddhism as the state religion, but still allowed the people to worship their Hindu gods.
The greatest and most notable achievement of the Khmers was the building of Angkor Wat, during the period known as Cambodia's "Golden Age." Angkor Wat ruins and temples within the Siemreap region cover an area of more than 60 square miles. The place name "Angkor" is derived from the Sanskrit word nagara (city). The Angkorian period lasted from 802 to 1431 A.D. The complex at Angkor is made up of 72 monuments, with lotus bud towers rising to the height of 215 feet above the jungle. One of the architectural wonders of the world, the building of Angkor Wat took 37 years in the first half of the twelfth century.
* Hidden in the deep jungles
of Southeast Asia, the once great kingdom
of Angkor remains somewhat of a mystery. The massive
stones, weighing many tons, were used to build the majestic temples
and palaces, which some people have called one of the greatest wonders
of the world! But what happened to the people who built such great
buildings deep in the tropical jungles of Champa?
Why was Angkor abandoned? These questions still baffle people who
have studied the history of the Khmers.
* Around the time of Chaucer, the kingdom of Angkor was being
built up, which would create the largest religious
monument in the entire world, the temple of Angkor
Wat. The Golden Age of Greece
had long since died out, but a new “Golden Age” was dawning for the Khmer people
of Southeast Asia!
References
1. Greenblatt, 1995
2. Reader's Digest Almanac, 1981
3. Pym, 1968
4. Huffman, 1988
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* * The Andrews Website last updated July 11, 1999 * *
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