Angkor City in Cambodia | 27 Feb 2019

    • A study has suggested that the Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire, appears to have suffered a gradual decline rather than a catastrophic collapse.
    • Previously many archaeologists and historians have said that the abandonment of Angkor in 15th-century, was due to 1431 invasion by the Thai Kingdom from Ayutthaya.
    • The city of Angkor is also home to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor Vat.
    • Angkor Archeological Park
      • Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia.
      • Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century.
      • They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations.

Angkor Vat Temple

  • Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious monuments in the world.
  • It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.
  • It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in YaÅ›odharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.