Angkor Wat is the magnificent temple city Angkor, Cambodia, built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century.
The temple, a significant religious centre—first Hindu, then Buddhist, is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture, now known as the Angkor Wat style. It combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temples.
Within a moat and an outer wall 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. The temple is admired for its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The complex showcases the Khmer architects skill and confidence in the use of sandstone as the main building material. The elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks are thought to be natural resins or slaked lime. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. Statuary is conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work.
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