ANGKOR WAT HISTORY
The people of
Angkor
Cambodia’s
Angkor period is outlined by
the six-century rule of the Khmer Empire. The dawn of the Khmer civilization is the subject
of associate degree ongoing historical debate, but many students consider the
reign of King Jayavarman II to be the impetus for a unified Khmer people. His rank began sometime within
the late 8th or
early ninth Century when a
Brahman priest named Jayavarman II the Chakravartin, or universal monarch over
Cambodia. Despite the celebrity of Jayavarman II in
Cambodian history, the
details of
his rule are rooted deeper
within the sand of legend and lore than within the firm
soil of historical reality.
Following
the obscure rank of
Jayavarman II, the great Indravarman usurped the
Khmer throne. Indravarman’s rule is characterized by the design and
construction of a complex irrigation
system, remnants of which still
exist today. under Indravarman’s rule, the young Khmer
Empire began conceiving the trademark Angkor architectural
style, identified by
its sturdy devotion
to Hindu and Buddhist religious ideas. Ingeniously, the Khmer irrigation system was
used to embellish
the Khmer temples within
the variety
of gargantuan reflection
aqueducts and water storage ponds. more
than 1,000 years after the
rule of Indravarman, we still
use water to replicate our
buildings, homes, temples, and monuments.
Indravarman’s
son, Yasovarman, continued the
work of his father, constructing some
of the
foremost important temple complexes of the common
era. Yasovarman is identified as
the inaugurator
of the Phnom Bakheng and
the Lolei Temples. under his
rule, the capital of the Khmer Empire was established in Angkor.
Building the Angkor Wat
Temple complex
From the
rule of Yasovarman to the 12th century design and
construction of the Angkor Wat temple complex, the Khmer people blossomed
into the foremost significant religious, military, and social civilization in geographic area. Their authority blanketed all of modern-day Cambodia, reaching into Vietnam, China, and across the Bay
of bengal.
King
Suryavarman II is responsible
for the
construction of the Angkor Wat temple complex. He dedicated the temple to Hindu deity, the Supreme God of Vaishnavite Hinduism, which remained
its patron deity until the
Cambodian people consecrated
Angkor Wat to the ravada
buddhism within the 14th or 15th Century. Under Suryavarman II, the temple complex also served as the capital
of the Khmer Empire and a strategic military
post. Curiously, the
original name of the temple remains unknown. Historians have not been ready to locate any
artifacts or inscriptions that refer
to the
temple complex by
name.
The
enormity of Angkor Wat was conceived and constructed with level of precision and
intention that continues to evade the
modern mind.
Some students believe
that the temple complex was built to
take advantage
of Angkor’s water-rich agricultural potential. other students attribute the construction of
Angkor Wat to the Khmer belief in earth-star harmonization. The temple’s ground plan replicates
the position of the stars within
the Draco
constellation.
Large portions of
the Angkor Wat temple complex remain unfinished.
Historical theory suggests that construction all
over when Suryavarman
II died. regardless of why
construction ceased, the temple’s unfinished status adds
to Angkor Wat’s mysterious appeal.
Angkor Wat after the
Khmer Empire
Since the autumn of
the Khmer Empire within the 15th Century
C.E., Angkor Wat has remained one
of the
foremost significant religious structures within the world.
Even after the
Thais pillaged the
city in
1431, people from all across Asia continued to
take religious pilgrimages
to the ruined city, attributing its enormity and wonder to the gods of Hinduism and Buddhism.
The
history of the Khmer Empire exists within
the stone
of Angkor Wat alone. Written inscriptions of the temple’s history, if they ever
existed, have escaped modern examination. after the
Thai takeover, Buddhist monks continued to preserve and uphold the sacred status of
Ankgor Wat, but they overturned the
original dedication of the temple to hindu deity Hindu
deity. In Vishnu’s stead, the gods and
concepts of Buddhism became the ruling principles of
Angkor Wat.
In1860,the French led associate
degree expedition
into the heart of Cambodia attempting, inspired by the european hunger
for exploration and discovery. Since the mid-1800s Europe and the West have been spellbound by the
ancient city of
Angkor Wat. The French pioneered associate
degree Angkor
Wat restoration project in 1908 that continues to this day.