Angkor Wat: the astonishing architectural marvel of the Khmer Empire

The Khmer Empire controlled much of mainland Southeast Asia for several centuries, and it developed into one of the greatest powers of the medieval period.

Jayavarman II founded the state in the early ninth century, formally declaring himself chakravartin on Phnom Kulen in 802 CE, and it expanded to rule much of modern Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

The empire owed much of its success to a developed irrigation system that supported intensive rice cultivation.

The resulting agricultural surplus enabled rulers to mobilise large numbers of labourers and resources for military campaigns and large building projects.

Khmer kings regarded themselves as universal monarchs with divine authority, and they constructed massive temples to display their power and secure their legitimacy. 

Suryavarman II became king around 1113, after a period of succession struggles that weakened royal authority.

He defeated rival claimants, strengthened central control, and extended Khmer power through successful military campaigns against neighbouring states, including the Cham in present-day Vietnam and the Đại Việt.

Suryavarman developed the image of a warrior king who upheld cosmic order, and specifically he connected his reign with the Hindu god Vishnu. 

Just like those before him, the king used temple construction to demonstrate both power and devotion, but he chose Vishnu as the central deity for his biggest project.

Earlier rulers had dedicated temples to Shiva, but Suryavarman broke from tradition to associate himself with a god linked to protection and the preservation of the world.

This led to the creation of Angkor Wat, which became the greatest achievement of his reign.

He ruled for more than three decades until his death in 1150, during which his court maintained a detailed administrative system that could coordinate such large efforts. 

Angkor became the political and cultural centre of the empire by the tenth century, and it grew into one of the largest cities of its time.

Its population may have reached between 700,000 and 900,000, sustained by reservoirs and canals that provided water for crops and domestic use.

The design of Angkor Wat used the traditions of earlier Khmer temples and Indian religious architecture.

The concept of the temple mountain represented Mount Meru, the centre of the Hindu universe, where the gods were believed to live.

Also, reliefs and inscriptions reveal that Suryavarman II intended Angkor Wat to be his funerary temple.

The orientation of the complex to the west connected it to death and the setting sun, which was associated with the afterlife.

The decision to build such a monumental structure showed the king’s desire for eternal association with the gods. 

Construction began in the early twelfth century and continued for several decades.

Sandstone was quarried from the Kulen Hills about 50 kilometres away and transported along canals to the site.

Craftsmen carved the blocks and assembled them without mortar. The layout included a series of concentric galleries that rose to a central tower 65 metres high, surrounded by four smaller towers to create a symbolic representation of Mount Meru.

Long causeways, moats, and courtyards created a processional route that heightened the sense of holiness and awe as visitors approached the sanctuary. 

The Khmer state organised thousands of labourers, artisans, and engineers to work on the project, and it relied on corvée labour that required peasants to spend part of the year on royal service.

Inscriptions record the officials who supervised the workforce and coordinated the transport of supplies and materials.

The bas-reliefs alone cover over 1,200 square metres, and depicted scenes from Hindu mythology, historical battles, and ceremonial processions.

One of the most celebrated panels, the “Churning of the Ocean of Milk,” stretches for about 49 metres.

By the time Suryavarman II died in 1150, much of the temple had been completed, although some sections may have remained unfinished. 

Suryavarman II’s death left the empire unstable, and power struggles weakened Khmer control over its territories.

Theravada Buddhism spread through Southeast Asia in the thirteenth century, and it gradually replaced Hinduism as the dominant religion.

By the late thirteenth century, Angkor Wat had become a Buddhist shrine, and images of the Buddha appeared throughout the complex.

The temple avoided the destruction that befell many Hindu sites, because it continued to be an active place of worship. 

Portuguese missionaries wrote of Angkor Wat in the sixteenth century, but their accounts brought limited attention outside the region.

The city of Angkor had long been abandoned, and much of the complex became overgrown.

Local communities continued to worship there, yet the temple’s scale and historical importance faded from wider knowledge. 

Then, Henri Mouhot, a French naturalist, visited the site in 1858 and 1859 and published vivid descriptions after his death in 1863.

His writings compared Angkor Wat to the monuments of ancient Greece and Rome, and they encouraged further exploration and research.

Scholars began to uncover the vast scale of the former Khmer capital. Studies revealed the advanced hydraulic systems that supported the city and the large temple architecture, which confirmed that the Khmer Empire had created one of the most advanced societies of the medieval period. 

As a result, French colonial authorities promoted the study and restoration of Angkor Wat during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Ecole francaise d'Extreme-Orient carried out surveys, mapped the ruins, and undertook major conservation work.

Vegetation was cleared, structures were stabilised, and inscriptions were analysed to reconstruct the history of the site.

The school documented over a thousand inscriptions, which provided rare evidence for the chronology of Khmer rulers.

Unfortunately, conflict in Cambodia during the later twentieth century placed the monument at risk.

Looting and damage occurred under the Khmer Rouge, but the temple survived the worst of the violence.

After peace returned, Cambodia worked with international organisations to protect and restore the complex.

UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1992, and tourism expanded rapidly in the decades that followed.

Angkor Wat now appears on Cambodia’s national flag, and millions of visitors travel there each year to witness the ambition and achievement of the Khmer Empire.