Destination: Archaeological Park The Complete Temple Guide

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The Temples of Angkor

Ak Yom

The earliest elements of this small brick and sandstone temple date from the pre-Angkorian 8th century. Scholars believe that the inscriptions indicate that the temple is dedicated to the Hindu 'god of the depths'. This is the earliest known example of the architectural design of the 'temple-mountain', which was to become the primary design for many of the Angkorian period temples including . The temple is in a very poor condition.

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ("Great City") was the last and most enduring capital city of the . It was established in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. The walled and moated royal city covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the , with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north.

Angkor Thom was established as the capital of Jayavarman VII's empire, and was the centre of his massive building programme. One inscription found in the city refers to Jayavarman as the groom and the city as his bride.

Angkor Thom is accessible through 5 gates, one for each cardinal point, and the victory gate leading to the Royal Palace area.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat ("City of Temples"), the largest religious monument in the world, is a masterpiece of ancient architecture. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to . As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of , appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent , home of the devas in : within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometers long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. The three-tiered pyramid is crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. Unlike

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most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture and its extensive bas- reliefs.

Bakong

The temple is located in (today Rolous Group), the first Angkorian capital. The site measures 900 x 700 metres, and consists of three concentric enclosures separated by two moats, the main axis going from east to west. The outer enclosure has neither a wall nor gopuras and its boundary is the outer moat, today only partially visible. The temple is the first grand scale temple-mountain of sandstone constructed and it served as the official state temple of King .

Baksei Chamkrong

The name means "The Bird Who Shelters Under Its Wings" and comes from a legend. In it, the king tried to flee Angkor during a siege and then a huge bird landed and sheltered him under its wings. The temple is a towering 12-meter tall brick and step-pyramid. The small is dedicated to Lord and used to hold a golden image of him. The temple can be seen on the left side when entering Angkor Thom at the southern gate. It was dedicated to Yasovarman by his son, King Harshavarman I.

Banteay Kdei

Banteay Kdei meaning "A Citadel of Chambers", is a Buddhist temple and functioned as a Buddhist monastery. Built in the mid-12th to early 13th centuries AD during the reign of Jayavarman VII, it is in the Bayon architectural style, similar in plan to and , but less complex and smaller.

Banteay Prei

Banteay Prei Temple is a small, hardly visited temple located a little further down the path from Prasat Prei. In architectural style, it is similar with and some of the carvings are in good condition. In size, it has a lot in common with , with oddly small windows and doors. The temple sees hardly any tourists which makes it a very calm resting place.

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Banteay Samre

Banteay Samre, named after the Samré, an ancient tribe of Indochina, was build under Suryavarman II and Yasovarman II in the early 12th century. It is a Hindu temple and was constructed around the same time as Angkor Wat. Recently the temple underwent an extensive restoration by archeologists and many of the carvings are in excellent condition.

Banteay Srey

Banteay Srey, the "citadel of the women" is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located 38 km north of , the temple was relatively late discovered by French archeologists in 1914. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as a "precious gem", or the "jewel of Khmer art".

Baphuon

Baphuon is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three- tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is the archetype of the Baphuon style. The temple adjoins the southern enclosure of the royal palace and measures 120 metres east-west by 100 metres north-south at its base and stands 34 meters tall without its tower, which would have made it roughly 50 meters tall. In the late 15th century, the Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple. A 9 meter tall by 70 meter long statue of a reclining Buddha was built on the west side's second level, which probably required the demolition of the 8 meter tower above, thus explaining its current absence. The temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense size the site was unstable throughout its history. By the 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed, and restoration efforts have since proven problematic: a first effort begun in 1960 was interrupted by the coming to power of the Khmer Rouge, and records of the positions of the stones were lost. A second attempt started in 1995 by a team of French-led archeologists. In April 2011, after 51 years, the archaeologists finished the restoration of the temple. King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia and Prime Minister Francois Fillon of France were among those who first toured the renovated temple during the inauguration ceremony on July 3, 2011.

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Barays

A is a man-made water reservoir and a common element of the architectural style of the Khmer Empire. The largest are the and in the Angkor area, each rectangular in shape, oriented east-west and measuring up to 8 km by 2 km. Historians are divided on the meaning and functions of barays. Some believe that they were primarily spiritual in purpose, symbolizing the seas surrounding Mount Meru, font of the Hindu cosmos. Others have theorized that they held water for irrigation of fields.

Bat Chum

Bat Chum is a small temple built by Kavindrarimathana, a learned Buddhist minister of khmer king Rajendravarman, at the middle of the 10th century. It consists of three inline brick towers standing on the same platform, surrounded by an enclosure and a moat. On the door jambs there are Buddhist inscriptions that mention Kavindrarimathana, the "architect" who built , and maybe planned the temple-mountain of . In every tower there is a different inscription signed by three different persons. The last verse of all three names equally the elephants as "dyke breakers", like an ancient 'keep off the grass' sign to the local elephant handlers.

Bayon

Bayon was built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, and is stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces, oriented toward the cardinal points, on the 37 towers. Recent computer models of the faces indicate that they represent a combination of Buddha and Jayavarman VII. The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas- reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes.

Beng Mealea

Beng Mealea, meaning "lotus pond" is located 40 km east of the main group of Angkor, at the crossroads of the ancient royal highways to Preah Khan Kompong Svay and Peah Vihear. It was built as a Hindu temple, but there are some carvings depicting buddhist motifs. Its primary material is sandstone and it is largely unrestored, with trees and thick brush thriving amidst its towers and courtyards and many of its stones lying in great heaps. The history of the temple is unknown and it can be dated only by its architectural style, identical to Angkor Wat, so scholars assumed it was built during the reign of king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as a prototype for Angkor Wat.

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Chapel of the Hospital

The chapel was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. An inscription found in the area confirms the identity of this site as one of the chapels of the 102 hospitals built by the King. The hospital itself was build of perishable materials such as wood and bamboo, which completely vanished, leaving just the sandstone chapel as a reminder of the glory times of Angkor.

Chau Say Tevoda

Built in the mid-12th century, it is a Hindu temple in the Angkor Wat style. From 2000 to 2009 the temple was under restoration in a project initiated by the People's Republic of . It displays some well preserved carvings, most are Hindu themed but also some Buddha themed reliefs are at the temple present.

Chau Srei Vibol

Much of Chau Srei Vibol temple remains a mystery to scholars and archeologists. The leading theory describes the temple as a war temple, the only one of it's kind. The temple complex is hidden on a small hill top and is hardly visited by tourists.

East Mebon

The East Mebon was built during the reign of King Rajendravarman in the 10th Century, it stands on what was an artificial island at the center of the now dry East Baray reservoir. The East Mebon was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and honors the parents of the king. The temple was built on a north- south axis with Rajendravarman’s state temple, Pre Rup, located about 1,200 meters to the south just outside the baray. Four landing stages at the base give reminder that the temple was once reached by boat.

Kbal Spean

Kbal Spean ("Bridge Head") is an Angkorian era archaeological site on the southwest slopes of the Kulen Hills to the northeast of Angkor. The site consists of a series of stone carvings in sandstone formations carved in the river bed and banks. It is commonly known as the "The River of a Thousand Lingas". The motifs for stone carvings are mainly myriads of (phallic symbol of Hindu god Shiva), depicted as neatly arranged bumps that cover the surface of a sandstone bed rock, and - designs. There are also various Hindu mythological motifs, including depictions of the gods Shiva, Vishnu, , , , and .

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Kleangs (North and South)

The Kleangs are two buildings of unknown purpose on the east side of the Royal Square in Angkor Thom. Kleang means 'storeroom' but archaeologists doubt that this was its actual function. They are oriented along the north-south axis. The two were not built at the same time, the northern building (North Kleang) was built under King Jayavaraman and the southern (South Kleang) under his successor .

Krol Ko

Krol Ko is a Buddhist temple built at the end of the 12th century under the rule of Jayavarman VII. The main items of interest at Krol Ko are the pediments on the ground. One is a strongly modeled scene of lifting Mount Govardhana to shelter the shepherds.

Kutisvara

Kutisvara Temple is a small, rather difficult to find brick temple in Angkor. Kutisvara consists of three very dilapidated towers, arranged from north to south. They are half buried, making them quite difficult to find. It is a historically significant temple, which was mentioned in an inscription in connection with the 9th century during the reign of Jayavarman II, the founder of the Angkor Empire. This is one of the earliest reference to an Angkor area temple. The temple displays 2 architecture styles, the central tower displays style and the outer towers are in Pre Rup style.

Lolei

Lolei is the northernmost temple of the group of three late 9th century Hindu temples at Angkor, the others members of which are Preah Ko and the Bakong. Lolei was the last of the three temples to be built as part of the city of Hariharalaya that once flourished at Roluos, and in 893 the Khmer King dedicated it to Shiva and to members of the royal family. The name "Lolei" is thought to be a modern corruption of the ancient name "Hariharalaya," which means "the city of Harihara." Once an island temple, Lolei was located on an island slightly north of centre in the now dry Indratataka baray, construction of which had nearly been completed under Yasovarman's father and predecessor Indravarman I. Scholars believe that placing the temple on an island in the middle of a body of water served to identify it symbolically with Mount Meru, home of the gods, which in Hindu mythology is surrounded by the world oceans.

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Neak Pean

Neak Pean is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Preah Khan Baray built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. The name is derived from the sculptures of snakes (Nāga) running around the base of the temple structure. Neak Pean was originally designed for medical purposes, as it is one of the many hospitals that Jayavarman VII built.

Phimeanakas

Phimeanakas ('celestial temple') is a Hindu temple in the Kleang style, built at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman (from 941-968), then rebuilt by Suryavarman II in the shape of a three tier pyramid as a Hindu temple. On top of the pyramid there was a tower, while on the edge of top platform there are galleries. Phimeanakas is located inside the walled enclosure of the Royal Palace of Angkor Thom north of Baphuon. The tower must originally have been crowned with a golden pinnacle, as described it in his report. According to legend, the king spent the first watch of every night with a woman thought to represent a Nāga in the tower, during that time, not even the queen was permitted to intrude. Only in the second watch the king returned to his palace with the queen. If the naga who was the supreme land owner of Khmer land did not show up for a night, the king's day would be numbered, if the king did not show up, calamity would strike his land.

Phnom Bakheng

Constructed more than two centuries before Angkor Wat, was in its day the principal temple of the Angkor region, historians believe. It was the architectural centerpiece of a new capital, , that Yasovarman built when he moved the court from the capital Hariharalaya in the Roluos area located to the southeast.

Phnom Bok

Phnom Bok is a hill in the northeast of Eastern Baray, with a temple of the same name built on it. It is one of the "trilogies of mountains", each of which has a temple with similar layout. The creation of the temple is credited to the reign of Yasovarman I between 9th and 10th centuries. The two other sister temples, named after the contiguous hills, are the Phnom Bakheng and . The site of the three hills was chosen by Yashovarman I along with the Eastern Baray. In the 10th century, these shrines had high religious value during the Angkorian rule. The temples called as part of an "architectural triad" brought about an element of experimentation in architectural style in the Angkorian period.

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Phnom Krom

Local legend has it that the rocks of Phnom Krom were exposed by the monkey general Hanuman during a hunt for medicine in the epic. The area beyond the temple’s west gate affords a spectacular view of the lake. On top of the hill is a temple dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The temple in was built at the end of the 9th century, during the reign of King Yasovarman. Phnom Krom is the southernmost of three hilltop temples built in the Angkor region during the reign of Yasovarman. The other two are Phnom Bakheng and Phnom Bok

Phnom Kulen

Phnom Kulen is considered a holy mountain in Cambodia, of special religious significance to and Buddhists who come to the mountain in pilgrimage. It also has a major symbolic importance for Cambodians as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire, for it was at Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarma II proclaimed independence from in 804 CE. The site is known for its carvings representing fertility and its waters which hold special significance to Hindus. Just 5 cm under the water's surface over 1000 small carvings are etched into the sandstone riverbed. The waters are regarded as holy, given that Jayavarman II chose to bathe in the river, and had the river diverted so that the stone bed could be carved. Carvings include a stone representation of the Hindu god Vishnu lying on his serpent Ananta, with his wife Lakshmi at his feet. A lotus flower protrudes from his navel bearing the god Brahma. Near the ancient site is Preah Ang Thom, a 16th-century Buddhist monastery notable for the giant reclining Buddha, the country's largest.

Prasat Bei

The Prasat Bei is an early 10th century Hindu temple built by King Yasovarman I. The temple was designed with three brick towers standing as a row on a single sandstone platform. Those three towers symbolized the three main Hindu gods, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

Prasat Kravan

Prasat Kravan is a small 10th-century temple consisting of five reddish brick towers on a common terrace. Its original name is unknown. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu in 921, according to an inscription on door jambs. Prasat Kravan was originally constructed by nobleman rather than a king and has a twin sister in Takeo Province south of , Prasat Neang Khmau.

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Prasat Prei

Perched on a small hillock, Prasat Prei or the temple of the forest, dates from the same period as its neighbor Banteay Prei. It is difficult to evaluate the relations which necessarily exist between these two small temples, very with calms and slightly with the shelter of the glances.

Prasat Suor Prat

Prasat Suor Prat is a series of twelve towers spanned north to south lining the eastern side of royal square in Angkor Thom. The towers are made from rugged laterite and sandstone. The towers are located right in front of and Terrace of the Leper King, flanking the start of the road leading east to the Victory Gate, on either side of which they are symmetrically arranged. Their function remains unknown. Zhou Daguan describes in his records that the towers are used to settle disputes among Angkorian people, what was called 'divine judgement'.

Prasat Top - East

East Prasat Top is one of the small Angkor temples, also known as "Mangalartha" (named after the Brahmin monk Jayamangalartha to whom the temple was dedicated) or "Monument 487" (the reference number in the French inventory of monuments). It is the last Hindu temple to be built at Angkor, although architecturally not very impressive this small tower is historically very important and it is worth including it in a visit to the Angkor Thom.

Prasat Top - West

Prasat Top West are small, ruined towers standing in a quiet section of Angkor Thom. Inscriptions indicate that the site was used as early as the 9th century, but the present structure is post Angkorian. The materials from the 10th and 11th were reused for the current structure which was probably assembled in the late 13th century. The few carving that still exist are Buddhist some dating as late as the 17th century.

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Pre Rup

Pre Rup was built as the state temple of Khmer King Rajendravarman II. The temple’s name is a comparatively modern one meaning "turn the body". This reflects the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the service progressed. After East Mebon, it was the second temple built after the Khmer capital was returned to Angkor from . The temple-mountain displays beautiful carved false doors and has an excellent view of the surrounding countryside.

Preah Khan

Preah Khan ("Royal Sword") was built in the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII after the victory over the invading Chams in 1191. It was the centre of a substantial organisation, with almost 100,000 officials and servants. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples and numerous later additions. Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins.

Preah Ko

Preah Ko ("The Sacred Bull") was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of Hariharalaya (in the area that today is called Roluos). After the Khmer king Jayavarman II founded the Khmer empire in 802 A.D., he finally established his capital at Hariharalaya. Indravarman I was the nephew of Jayavarman II. When he ascended to the throne, he ordered the construction first of Preah Ko, which was dedicated in 879, and later of the temple-mountain known as the Bakong. A restoration of the six towers took place in early 1990s, financed by German government.

Preah Palilay

Built in Middle to last half of the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII, was dedicated to Buddhist and art style of Angkor Wat. The presence of Buddhist monks and nuns at this temple give it a feeling of an active place of worship. The carvings display many Buddhist scenes with Hindu divinities.

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Preah Pithu Group

This temple was built in the first half of the 12th century (parts of the 13th century) by Suryavarman II. It is dedicated to Shiva with the art style of Angkor Wat. The complex of has only recently been cleared and thus open to visitors. The proportions and decoration of the terraces are amongst the finest in Khmer art. Most of the structures are in poor condition, but their bases remain and, from the evidence, the buildings of Preah Pithu were of excellent quality in design, workmanship and decoration.

Spean Thma

Spean Thma ("bridge of stone") was built on the former path of the between Angkor Thom and the Eastern Baray and it was probably rebuilt after the Khmer period (around the 15th century), as it includes many reused sandstone blocks. Several other bridges on the same model are visible: in the Angkor site (Spean Memai) and at several locations of the former empire. On the road from Angkor to Beng Mealea, the Spean Praptos is one of the longest constructed bridges.

Srah Srang

Srah Srang is a baray opposite of Banteay Kdei. It was dug in the mid-10th century, by initiative of Kavindrarimathana, Buddhist minister of Rajendravarman II. It was later modified around the year 1200 by Jayavarman VII, who also added the laterite landing-stage at its western side, probably because the East Baray had been overwhelmed by sediment and had begun malfunctioning. French archeological expeditions have found a necropolis close to it. Srah Srang measures 700 by 350 m and is still partially flooded. As other barays, there was a temple standing on an artificial island in the middle of it. The landing-stage, opposite the entrance to Banteay Kdei, is a popular site for viewing the sunrise.

Ta Keo

Ta Keo is a temple-mountain, the first to be built entirely of sandstone by Khmers. Ta Keo had to be the state temple of , son of Rajendravarman, who had built Pre Rup. Like Pre Rup, it has five sanctuary towers arranged in a quincunx, built on the uppermost level of five-tier pyramid consisting of overlapping terraces, surrounded by moat, as a symbolic depiction of Mount Meru. It is considered an example of the so-called Kleang style.

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Ta Nei

Ta Nei is a late 12th century stone temple, built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. Some scholars believe that the temple was constructed as a hospital. It is now in a fairly ruined state and approached only via a track through the forest.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is the modern name of the temple, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. The temple was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992. The temple of Ta Prohm was used as a location in the film Tomb Raider. Although the film took visual liberties with other Angkorian temples, its scenes of Ta Prohm were quite faithful to the temple's actual appearance.

Ta Prohm Kel

Built in the Bayon style in the late 12th century, Ta Prohm Kel was the vault of one of the 102 hospitals built by Jayavarman VII. Inscriptions show that it is related to the legend of the paralyzed beggar who was cured at this place and flew away by overlapping the horse of .

Ta Som

Ta Som was cunstructed at the end of the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII. The King dedicated the temple to his father Dharanindravarman II who was King of the Khmer Empire from 1150 to 1160. The temple consists of a single shrine located on one level and surrounded by enclosure laterite walls. Like the nearby Preah Khan and Ta Prohm the temple was left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins.

Tep Pranam

This temple was built at the end of the ninth century by king Yasovarman I and was originally a Buddhist shrine. It was expanded over the years with 12th century balustrades, 13th century lions and significant post-Angkorian modifications and additions. The Buddha statue at the western end is made from reused material.

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Terrace of the Elephants

The Terrace of the Elephants is part of the walled city of Angkor Thom. The terrace was used by Angkor's King Jayavarman VII as a platform from which to view his victorious returning army. It was attached to the palace of Phimeanakas, of which only a few ruins remain. Most of the original structure was made of organic material and has long since disappeared. The 350m-long Terrace of Elephants was used as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king's grand audience hall. It has five outworks extending towards the Central Square-three in the centre and one at each end. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with life size and lions; towards either end are the two parts of the famous parade of elephants complete with their Khmer mahouts.

Terrace of the Leper King

The Terrace of the Leper King was built in the Bayon style under Jayavarman VII, though its modern name derives from a 15th-century sculpture discovered at the site. The statue depicts the Hindu god Yama, the god of death. The statue was called the "Leper King" because discolouration and moss growing on it was reminiscent of a person with leprosy, and also because it fit in with a Cambodian legend of an Angkorian king Yasovarman I who had leprosy.

Thma Bay Kaek

Thma Bay Kaek Temple is a small, insignificant Angkor ruin related to the nearby Prasat Bei. Both were built when Phnom Bakheng was the capital of Angkor. The spare remains of a brick prasat, now disappeared, leaving only a doorframe, lintel and a bit of the terrace. A sacred relic of five gold leaves, one bearing the image of (Shiva’s bull), was discovered at this site.

Thommanon

Thommanon is one of a pair of Hindu temples built during the reign of Suryavarman II. This small and elegant temple is dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. Scholars studying the carvings of the in Thommanon have concluded that Thommanon was built around the time when work on Angkor Wat was begun. The Vaishnavite cult was adopted in Cambodia by Jayavarman II and his son Jayavarman III. Under these two rulers, the shaivite cult was subsumed with the Vaishnavite cult in the temples such as the Thommaman, Beng, Melea, Chausey, Tevoda, Bantay Samre, and Angkor Vat.

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Wat Athvea

Wat Althea is a 12th-century Hindu temple an active Buddhist temple and cemetery located adjacent to the walled ancient structure. The temple's design and the distinctive style of its (sacred female images) indicate that it was built during the reign of King Suryavarman II (circa 1115-1150 AD), who also built Angkor Wat.

West Mebon

The is located in the center of the West Baray, the largest reservoir of the Angkor area. The temple's date of construction is not known, but evidence suggests the 11th Century during the reign of King Suryavarman I or Udayadityavarman II. The carvings displayed on the single wall show some of the first examples of animals and non-mythological scenes. Khmer architects typically surrounded temples with moats that represent the Hindu sea of creation. The West Mebon, located amid waters so vast that they can seem like a real sea, takes this religious symbolism to the ultimate level.

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