Angkor Wat: The Jungle Temple That Never Truly Vanished
Wikimedia CommonsBuddhist monks outside the Angkor complex.
Built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat stands as the world’s largest religious structure, covering some 400 acres.
The city of Angkor served as the royal center from which a dynasty of Khmer kings ruled one of the largest, most prosperous, and most sophisticated kingdoms in the history of Southeast Asia. At its peak from the 9th to 13th centuries, this magnificent complex of over a thousand buildings represented the zenith of Khmer architecture and power.
Originally conceived as a vast funerary temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, Angkor Wat’s five central towers symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru, the dwelling place of the gods in Hindu mythology.
After the Cham people sacked Angkor in 1177, the site was transformed into a Buddhist shrine under King Jayavarman VII, completely redefining the site’s purpose as a religious site and changing its future forever.
Wikimedia CommonsVisitors at Angkor Wat.
Unlike many “lost” cities, Angkor Wat was never completely abandoned — Theravada Buddhist monks maintained the temple, which remained an important pilgrimage site and continued to attract European visitors. However, after the early 15th century when Angkor was abandoned as a capital, the site fell into relative obscurity until French explorer Henri Mouhot “rediscovered” it after the French colonial regime was established in 1863.
The 20th century brought both threats and salvation. Restoration efforts were suspended amid the political unrest that engulfed Cambodia in the 1970s, leaving the complex vulnerable to decay and looting. In 1992, UNESCO designated the Angkor complex as a World Heritage site and immediately added it to the list of World Heritage in Danger.
Thanks to increased restoration efforts, however, Angkor was removed from the danger list in 2004.
