- Author
- Not stated (Wikipedia contributors)
- Published
- Last edited 7 November 2026
- Kind
- Encyclopedia article, collaboratively written
- Original
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat
- Subject
- History and places
- Themes
- What lasts, Belief at work
What it is
A long reference article about a temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It has sections on history, architecture, decoration, myths and tourism.
What it says
- Angkor Wat was built between 1113 and 1150 CE under Suryavarman II. It began as a Hindu temple to Vishnu.
- From the late 13th century it became a Theravada Buddhist site. It has stayed in religious use.
- The design is read as a model of Mount Meru. A central quincunx of towers marks the peaks.
- The west orientation led some scholars to call it a funerary temple. Others tie it to Vishnu.
- Eleanor Mannikka's astronomical reading of the dimensions got mixed interest and scepticism.
- Visitors grew from 7,650 in 1993 to 2.6 million in 2018. Tourism brought damage and development concerns.
What evidence it gives
The article draws on archaeological studies, restoration reports and historical accounts. It gives measurements, dates and visitor figures with citations. It names the scholars behind each disputed interpretation.
Interests and limits
This is a general encyclopedia summary, and parts of the markup were garbled in extraction. The article dates the Buddhist shift to both the late 12th and late 13th century. The reference list was not checked against the cited works. The text is the version edited on 7 November 2026.