What is Angkor Wat famous for?

Though just one of hundreds of surviving temples and structures, the massive Angkor Wat is the most famed of all Cambodia’s temples—it appears on the nation’s flag—and it is revered for good reason. The 12th century “temple-mountain” was built as a spiritual home for the Hindu god Vishnu.

Why is Angkor Wat in danger?

The legendary city of Angkor, a jewel of UNESCO’s world heritage, is seriously threatened by extreme climate episodes and the overuse of water resources.

What does Angkor Wat mean in Khmer?

The modern name, Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត; alternative name: នគរវត្ត), means “Temple City” or “City of Temples” in Khmer. Angkor (អង្គរ) meaning “city” or “capital city”, is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit /Pali word nagara (Devanāgarī: नगर).

What is north of the gate at Angkor Wat?

North of the gate is a Khmer inscription recording the erection of a nearby stupa in the 18th century. Anyone who has visited Angkor Wat has daydreamed about this moment when the crowds finally melt away and you have a global icon to yourself.

Did the Khmer use satellite imagery to discover Angkor Wat?

However, Etsuo Uchida and Ichita Shimoda of Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan have discovered in 2011 a shorter 35-kilometre (22 mi) canal connecting Mount Kulen and Angkor Wat using satellite imagery. The two believe that the Khmer used this route instead. Virtually all of its surfaces, columns, lintels, and even roofs are carved.

What happened to Angkor Wat?

Unfortunately, although Angkor Wat remained in use until fairly recently—into the 1800s—the site has sustained significant damage, from forest overgrowth to earthquakes to war. The French, who ruled what is now known as Cambodia for much of the 20th century, established a commission to restore the site for tourism purposes in the early 1900s.