Context

Addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam on the subject 'contribution of temples in society and nation building' External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia is being restored by India because our civilisation is not limited to India, but is spread across countries.

About

About Angkor Wat

• Angkor Wat, templecomplex at Angkor, Cambodia, is a vast religious complex comprising more than a thousand buildings.
• Built by: King Suryavarman II(reigned 1113–c. 1150) in the 12th century
• Type: Buddhist temple complex 
  • It was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu before becoming a Buddhist temple by the end of the 12th century.
• Architecture: Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious structure, covering some 400 acres (160 hectares), and marks the high point of Khmerarchitecture.
  • Stylistic elements: the ogival, lotus bud-shaped towers, half-galleries, axial galleries, connecting enclosures and cruciform terraces.

• In 1992 the temple complex was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Representation: Angkor Wat is said to represent Mount Meru, the home of the gods, according to both Hindu and Buddhist faiths
• The city of Angkor, home to Angkor Wat, was the capital of the Khmer Empire and thrived between the 9th and 15th centuries.
  • Other famous temple: Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple and Ta Prohm