Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat in Cambodia is the most important archaeological site in Cambogia: it is a Khmer temple which is located in the archaeological site of Angkor, five kilometres from the city of Siem Reap and rises inside a forest. It is a complex of buildings of inestimable value, one of a kind and for this reason, it is an inevitable stop during a trip to Cambodia.
Some curiosities about Angkor Wat
- King Suryavarman II built the complex in the 12th century. It took 30 years to complete it.
- The explorer Henri Mouhot discovered it first in 1860 and said it was “grander than anything the Greeks and Romans left us“.
- The decorative elements are the apsaras, enchanting female divinities similar to nymphs, which according to legend could lead men to madness while in bas-reliefs we recognize different scenes taken from the Ramayana or Mahabharata, Hindu epics.
- There are two theories as to why Angkor Wat in Cambodia was erected: according to the first it must have been the mausoleum of King Suryavarman II, according to the second it should have been a temple in honour of the god Vishnu and later converted to Buddhism Theravada.
- The archaeological site is in the UNESCO world heritage.
- The complex is so gigantic that it takes 5 days to visit it in-depth.
Angkor Wat and volunteering
These volunteer programs below might offer you the chance to visit one of the most important wonders of the world:
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