Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is a glorious symbol of the national soul of our Cambodian people. Flags in previous regimes, as well as national flags of our present regime, have all Angkor Wat temples. Angkor Wat is one of the rare wonders of mankind as a top artificial work of man. Some foreigners do not know the name of Cambodia, but tell them that Angkor is known. So knowing the Angkor Wat is essential for us to own Angkor. Since the former regime until now, many foreign language books have written about Angkor Wat, but on the contrary It is rare to see the text of this temple in our own language. In this regard, we will mention below some of the features of this great architecture.

"Angkor" is a term that refers to the name of the former Khmer capital, which was initially built by Yasovarman (889-900 AC). The city of Angkor (or Yasotharabura) built that generation was surrounded by a wall (nowadays some remains in the south and west), and there is the Phnom Bakheng (about 60 meters high) in the center (in the inscription called Mountain Center) for the Placement of the erection of the erection (893 AC). This Angkor is a Sanskrit word for: Angkor = king + country = city (later the word kingdom is equivalent to The word country) is the city where the king lives (the capital). The king later ruled on a nearby temple or palace and called it Angkor. But if it is said that the Angkor period is not counted since the reign of Yasovarman, but since the reign King Jayavarman II (802-850 Era) returned. At the end of Angkor, some historians are limited to the reign of Jayavarman Tikmei Mev (1327-?). The last king, who is a Hindu, still has a temple or inscription. Other historians determine the end of Angkor during the reign of King Baramrachea Ponheayat (1393-1463), especially Identifies 1431, the year that the king decides to leave Angkor City to be located in Phnom Penh.

Therefore, the Angkorian setting agreed to adopt the same early date, but at the end of some modern times, half-century 14 to 1431 (the 15th century).

For temples in the Angkor area, the most famous temples are the Angkor Wat (common words Angkor Touch) and Angkor Thom (in the vicinity of Angkor Thom still has many temples). But in this article, we only have Angkor Wat present.

Why is the word "pagoda" behind the word "Angkor"? According to historical documents, after the abandonment of Angkor, the king reigned later, to build temples in the temples. This (in the 16th century there are two pagodas built in this temple complex). In the 17th and 18th centuries, the king's officials built a statue of Buddha from the stone to the place of the temple until the straight line The place of the Buddha statue in the temple is also "Thousand." That is why the word "pagoda" comes to engage "Angkor" from behind to "Angkor Wat" to this day.

Angkor Wat is located in the south of the Angkor area. The temple was built during the first half of the twelfth century during the reign of Suryavarman II (1113). -1150) on an area of ​​nearly 200 hectares (including the surrounding area around the temple).

Europeans who first visited the temple were Portuguese. They also recorded a history of events related to the temple. Like Dioro Gudocto, he recorded the discovery of the temple and temples in the Angkor area in 1550 Or 1551 by King Ang Chan 1 (1516-1566) when he was hunting for wildlife in the forest. Jodhpur Tothotas records the way to Angkor by the order of King Satthra 1 (1576-1594), and this king came to Angkor for a period. Later, many Portuguese and Spanish missionaries traveled to Angkor. Recorded in the description of Angkor City and Angkor Wat.

At the beginning of the 18th century, a Japanese arrived in Cambodia and designed the Angkor temples in 1715. Later French Catholic priest Severus, who came to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat, wrote an article in 1768, citing The renowned prosperity of Angkor Wat.