Angkor

In 1601, wandering in the jungle near Lake Tonle Sap in the northwest of Cambodia, the Spanish missionary Marcelo Ribandeiro unexpectedly came across the ruins of a huge ancient temple. So Angkor was opened - a grandiose structure that for several centuries was hidden from human eyes by an impenetrable jungle wall, the complex of which includes 200 temples located on an area of about 260 sq. km. The history of the temple complex begins in the 8th century with the construction of the temple of Ak-Yum and ends in the 14th century with the erection of the temple of Mangalart.

But who built Angkor, because the Khmer tradition did not allow building stone buildings?

But who built Angkor, because the Khmer tradition did not allow building stone buildings? Local residents knew about the cyclopean buildings in the depths of the jungle, but they could not explain their origin. According to some, Angkor was built by the Romans or Alexander the Great.

Two and a half centuries later, January 22, 1861, Henri Muo, wandering the jungle, opened Angkor Wat - the world's largest temple, which later was named the whole era in the history of Cambodia - the era of the Angkor Empire, whose founder and the ancestor of the dynasty of Angkor kings was the king Chenla Jayavarman II, who founded his capital, Amarendrapur, about 850 years ago near Lake Tonle Sap. His successor, King Suryavarman II (1113-1150) erected a huge temple of Angkor Wat. The date of the completion of the construction of the temple is called 1150 year. Angkor Wat surrounded a ditch 200 meters wide. Preserved, but heavily overgrown, during the rainy season, this ditch is filled with water.

The main feature of Khmer architecture is its cosmological nature. Each temple is a Universe in miniature, is her magic symbol. This applies most to the famous temple of Angkor Wat, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and serves both as the sanctuary and tomb of King Suryavarman II. In the Angkor Kingdom there was a cult of Vishnuraja, in which the king himself became the object of worship: the ancient Khmer considered him the earthly incarnation of Vishnu. And the Angkor Wat temple was a symbol of the heavenly palace, in which the spirit of the rulers of the country abides.

The huge three-tier temple of Angkor Wat with pointed towers is a miracle of symmetry. The impression of the temple is such that it simply captures the spirit. One can only wonder how successfully with such rigor of geometric forms, construction materials and space are arranged here!

The sanctuaries were placed in the temple towers; they were very small in size. Even one of the largest temple sanctuaries in Angkor Wat had dimensions of only 4,60x4,70 m. The galleries with their endless staircases and steep steps were completely unsuitable for processions or gatherings.

The outer wall of the temple surrounds the territory in 1,95 square km. The visitor enters the territory of Angkor Wat through the main portal of this wall and immediately embraces the whole structure, which rises on three terraces facing each other. In this case, the first terrace is lifted above the ground by 3,5 m, the second - by 7, and the third by 13 m. Thus, the "growth effect" is achieved - the temple visibly grows in the eyes of the approaching spectator.

Each of the terraces along the perimeter is surrounded by galleries, covered with gable roofs. The lower terrace is a square with sides 180x180 m, middle one - 100x115 m, upper one - 75x75 m. On this upper terrace there are five towering towers - four in the corners and one in the center. But since the facade of the structure is facing strictly to the west, and the roads to the temple lead from the east, west and south, the traveler, from whatever side approaches the Angkor, always sees only three towers. The height of the main, central, tower is 65 m.

The walls, covered with the most complicated reliefs, reach a length of hundreds of meters, revealing the images of the "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata". Heroes hit monsters, gods and goddesses with luxurious forms merged in erotic embraces. A skillful ornament, composed of a weave of leaves and lotus flowers, covers the galleries and transitions of the temple. One of the most famous and most frequently encountered figures here is the apsara, the heavenly goddess-dancer.

Released from the jungle captivity, Angkor Wat is today the object of admiration for thousands of tourists and the subject of the closest study by experts from all over the world.

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