Angkor Wat, meaning the "city of temples" in Khmer, is the largest religious monument in the world, and lies three miles north of the modern town of Siem Reap. It takes at least two days to see the major temples and monuments.
Constructed in 1H 12th c, during the reign of Suryavarman II, and originally dedicated to Hindu God Vishnu, the king's state temple was also the capital city.
In 1177, approx 27 years after the King's death, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer.
Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital, Angkor Thom, and state temple, Bayon, a couple miles to the north.
Transforming to a Buddhist temple complex in the second half of the 12th century, the history is told through detailed sandstone carvings on the walls of the Angkor Wat structures.
