One of the 21 Finalists
Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត or “Capital Temple”) is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, with the site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres). It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12th century. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s prime attraction for visitors.
Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means “Temple City” or “City of Temples” in Khmer; Angkor, meaning “city” or “capital city”, is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (Devanāgarī: नगर). Wat is the Khmer word for “temple grounds”, also derived from Sanskrit vāṭa (Devanāgarī: वाट), meaning “enclosure”.
Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, Khmer: Hekalu hilo lilijengwa kama hekalu la mungu Vishnu kwa ajili ya milki ya Khmer, lakini baadaye lilibadilishwa na kuwa hekalu la Kibuddha. Jumba hilo lilijengwa na Mfalme Suryavarman II wa Khmer katika karne ya 12 huko Yasodharapura (Khmer: Yasu-Gor-Bor, leo Angkor), mji mkuu wa Milki ya Khmer, kama hekalu lake la serikali na mausoleum yake ya mwisho. Kwa kuvunja utamaduni wa Shaiva wa wafalme wa zamani, Angkor Wat badala yake ilitolewa kwa Vishnu. Kwa kuwa hekalu hilo ndilo lililodumishwa vizuri zaidi katika eneo hilo, ndilo pekee ambalo limebaki kuwa kitovu muhimu cha kidini tangu kuanzishwa kwake. Hekalu hilo liko juu ya mtindo wa juu wa usanifu wa Khmer. Imewa ishara ya Cambodia, ikionekana kwenye bendera yake ya kitaifa, na ni kivutio kikuu cha nchi kwa wageni. Angkor Wat inachanganya mipango miwili ya msingi ya usanifu wa hekalu la Khmer: hekalu-mlima na hekalu la baadaye lenye matoleo. Mlima Meru, makao ya Devas katika hadithi za Kihindu, una mabwawa matatu ya mstatili, kila moja iliyoinuliwa juu ya nyingine. Katikati ya hekalu hilo kuna minara mitano. Tofauti na mahekalu mengi ya Angkor, Angkor Wat iko upande wa magharibi; wasomi wamegawanyika kuhusu umuhimu wa jambo hilo. Hekalu hilo linapendwa kwa sababu ya ukuu na upatano wa usanifu-ujenzi wake, michoro yake mikubwa, na devatas nyingi zinazopamba kuta zake. Jina la kisasa, Angkor Wat, linamaanisha "Jiji la Hekalu" au "Jiji la Hekalu" katika Khmer; Angkor, ikimaanisha "jiji" au "mji mkuu", ni aina ya lugha ya kawaida ya neno nokor (nqur), ambalo linatokana na neno la Kisanskrit nagara (Devanagari: नगर). Wat ni neno la Khmer kwa <unk>mahali pa hekalu<unk>, pia linatokana na Sanskrit vāṭa (Devanāgarī: वाट), ikimaanisha <unk> enclosure<unk>.