Angkor, Cambodia-the largest sacred temple complex

Angkor, Cambodia is the largest sacred temple complex in the world. Beautiful and ornate temples extend 40 miles (64 km) around the Cambodian village of Siem Reap.The site is located between the valleys of the Stung Ruluos and Stung Puok, and, part of the construction of the site included excavation of a four meter long canal, the first piece of what was to become an extensive water control system.


The most famous temple in Angkor is Angkor Wat, a huge pyramid temple built by Suryavarman II between 1113 and 1150. It is also the name of one of the medieval Khmer capital cities, containing some of the most spectacular temples in the world, such as Angkor Wat.
The ancestors of the Angkor civilization are thought to have migrated into Cambodia along the Mekong River during the 3rd millennium BC. Their original center, established by 1000 BC, was located on the shore of large lake called Tonle Sap, but a truly sophisticated (and enormous) irrigation system allowed the spread of the civilization into the country side away from the lake.

The Khmer society was a cosmopolitan blend of Pali and Sanskrit rituals resulting from a combined Hindu and High Buddhist belief system, probably the effects of Cambodia's role in the extensive trade system connecting Rome, India and China during the last few centuries BC.
The Khmer society was led by an extensive court system with both religious and secular nobles, artisans, fishermen and rice farmers, soldiers, and the elephant keepers; Ankgor was protected by an army using elephants.


The end of Angkor came in the mid-14th century, and brought about by a change in religious belief in the region, from Hinduism and High Buddhism to more democratic Buddhist practices.


Also Known As: Yasodharapura (the Holy City)