Angkor Wat: The Temple, Its History and How to Visit It

Where It Stands and How Big It Is

Angkor Wat stands about 6 km north of Siem Reap, roughly 20 minutes by car or motorbike according to Wikivoyage. The site covers 162.6 hectares, a figure given both by Wikipedia and the official Angkor Enterprise explore page. A moat 190 m wide and more than 5 km around surrounds the whole enclosure, crossed on the west by a causeway 350 m long.

The temple faces west, unlike most Khmer temples, which face east. Scholars link this to Vishnu's association with the west or to a funerary purpose. Seen from the western causeway, the sun rises over the central tower at both equinoxes. The five towers form a quincunx, and the central one rises 43 m above the central shrine and 65 m above the ground.

• Distance from Siem Reap: about 6 km
• Site area: 162.6 hectares
• Moat: 190 m wide, more than 5 km around
• Central tower: 65 m above the ground

Who Built It and When

Angkor Wat was built under King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113 to about 1150. Construction began around 1122 and finished in 1150. The temple was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and is generally regarded as Suryavarman II's state temple and mausoleum. Suryavarman II was enthroned in 1113, formally crowned in 1119 and died in 1150.

The original name may have been Vrah Vishnuloka or Parama Vishnuloka, the sacred dwelling of Vishnu, but no contemporary inscription confirms it. The modern name is simpler: Angkor comes from nokor, meaning city or capital, and wat means temple, so the name reads as Temple City. From the late 12th century the temple turned Buddhist, and it has been predominantly Theravada Buddhist since the late 13th century. In that conversion the central shrine was walled in and fitted with standing Buddhas.

The Largest Religious Structure

Britannica calls Angkor Wat the world's largest religious structure and puts the complex at about 400 acres. The site measures 162.6 hectares, a figure given both by Wikipedia and by the official Angkor Enterprise explore page. Britannica counts more than a thousand buildings in the complex.

One measurement divides the guidebooks: Britannica describes a 617 ft (188 m) bridge across the moat, while Wikipedia gives a 350 m western causeway. See the plan section below for the full set of measurements.

The 1177 Sack and Jayavarman VII

Suryavarman II dedicated Angkor Wat to Vishnu and probably used it as his state temple and mausoleum. In 1177 the Cham of modern Vietnam sacked Angkor. Jayavarman VII, who took the throne in 1181, drew a conclusion from the defeat: the Hindu gods had failed him.

He turned to Buddhism, built a new capital at Angkor Thom and moved the state temple to the Bayon at its center. Angkor Wat became a Buddhist shrine, and many Hindu carvings were replaced with Buddhist art. If the Bayon is on your list, the Bayon temple guide covers the successor temple in detail.

Theravada Monks and Continuous Worship

Angkor Wat has been predominantly Theravada Buddhist since the late 13th century. The central shrine was walled in and fitted with standing Buddhas. What makes the temple unusual is that worship never stopped.

When the Angkor capital faded in the early 15th century, Theravada monks kept Angkor Wat as a pilgrimage site. In 1632 the Japanese pilgrim Ukondayu Kazufusa celebrated Khmer New Year there. The temple was neglected at times, but never abandoned.

An image of Angkor Wat has appeared on the Cambodian national flag since the first version in 1863. A guided day such as the Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset gives Angkor Wat 2.5 hours with a guide.

The Measurements

The table gives the main measurements as Wikipedia records them. Three rectangular galleries rise one above the other toward the central tower. Inside, the cruciform cloister called Preah Poan, also known as the Thousand Buddhas gallery, links the outer gallery to the second enclosure.

Mount Meru in Stone

The plan is a map of the Hindu cosmos. The central quincunx of five towers represents the peaks of Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The outer wall stands for the mountain range around Meru and the moat for the cosmic ocean. The 5 to 10 million sandstone blocks used in the building were quarried at Mount Kulen, about 40 km to the north-east.

You cross from the outside world to the cosmic mountain on the 350 m western causeway over the moat, which carries you to the western entry gate. Because the temple faces west, the main entrance is on the side most temples keep at the back.

The Four Galleries

The reliefs cover almost 1,000 square metres and run counter-clockwise, the reverse of the normal order, which scholars match to Brahminic funeral rituals. The table lists each gallery as Wikipedia describes it. The Churning of the Sea of Milk, the best known panel, is 49 m long.

The Devatas and Apsaras

The walls carry carved female figures on a scale found nowhere else. More than 1,796 devata figures have been documented at the temple, and Sappho Marchal's 1927 study catalogued their hairstyles, headdresses and jewellery. The Suryavarman II article credits the temple with over 1,860 carved apsaras. The German Apsara Conservation Project found about 20% of the reliefs in very poor condition.

Give the galleries time. Most guided days, such as the Private Angkor Temple Highlights Tour at $31 per person, walk the outer gallery with a guide who can read the panels. The pass is not in that price.

Getting Up

The Bakan inner gallery is the 60 m square upper level under the central quincunx of towers. It is reached by steep stairways, three sets per side, which may represent the difficulty of reaching the realm of the gods. Today only the wooden steps with a handrail on the eastern side lead to the third tier, and Wikivoyage reports that the other stairways to it are closed.

The climb is steep even with the handrail, so take it slowly and hold the rail.

• Third tier access: the eastern wooden steps with a handrail only
• Other stairways to the upper level: closed

The Dress Rule Up There

The dress code matters most on the top tier. Since May 2019 the ban on bare shoulders has been strictly enforced on the uppermost level, and Wikivoyage is clear that a scarf over the shoulders is not accepted. Wear a shirt with sleeves and you will have no problem. Across the park generally, visitors are asked to wear long trousers or a skirt and covered shoulders, and too-short shorts or skirts can mean refused entry.

Check the signage on the day for any other rules on the upper level.

From the 16th Century to Mouhot

Angkor Wat was largely neglected in the 16th century but never abandoned, and in 1632 the Japanese pilgrim Ukondayu Kazufusa celebrated Khmer New Year there. Its Western fame began with the French naturalist Henri Mouhot, who visited in 1860. His travel notes were published posthumously in 1864 and carried the temple into European imagination.

An image of Angkor Wat has appeared on the Cambodian national flag since the first version in 1863.

War, Looting and Repair

The French EFEO set up Conservation d'Angkor in 1908 and led restoration until 1970. Conservation d'Angkor was disbanded in 1975, Khmer Rouge forces burned remaining wood for firewood, and a shoot-out with Vietnamese forces left bullet holes still visible in the bas-reliefs. Thieves removed many sculptures in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Archaeological Survey of India restored the temple from 1986 to 1992, work critics fault for its use of chemicals and cement.

Angkor was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992, reference 668, and stayed on the Danger list until 2004. Restoration partners at Angkor today include France through the EFEO, Japan through JASA, India through the ASI, Germany through GACP, the United States through the World Monuments Fund, South Korea, China and Italy. Visitors followed the peace: Angkor Wat drew 7,650 visitors in 1993, over 1 million in 2007, over 2 million in 2012 and 2013, and 2.6 million in 2018. Figures dropped to about 280,000 in 2022 and passed 400,000 by late July 2023.

The Pass and the Hours

Every visit needs the Angkor Pass, which is never in a tour price. The official Angkor Enterprise site sells the 1-day pass for US$37, the 3-day pass for US$62 and the 7-day pass for US$72. The 3-day pass expires in 7 days and the 7-day pass in 30 days, so your visit days must fall inside those windows.

The pass covers access to 50+ temples in the Angkor Temples Park. Official park entry runs from 5:00 AM to 6:30 PM on all three passes, and Wikivoyage reports that pass sales end at 17:30, with a pass bought after 17:00 counting from the next day. Children under 12 enter free with their passport.

Buying online in advance is covered step by step in the Angkor Wat tickets guide.

How Long and What Light

Wikivoyage suggests around 13:00-14:00 for the best light on a first visit, when the sun is high and the western facade is lit. Sunrise is also popular, and sunset is best seen from the top tier or from outside the main structure. Entry begins at 05:00 and temples open at sunrise, so a sunrise visit starts early and ends before the heat builds.

For a visit length, no official figure is published. The tour durations give a working range. A short private run covers Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom in 4 to 5 hours, while the Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour runs 8 to 9 hours for $15 per person and the Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset runs 9 hours for $14 per person and ends with sunset at Phnom Bakheng. The longest days at the temple come on multi-day routes: the Angkor Wat 2-Day Tour at $34 per person returns for a second day across the big circuit. None of these prices includes the pass, so budget the US$37 one-day ticket on top.

The Small Circuit and the Grand Circuit

The Small Circuit, called the Little Circuit by Wikivoyage, covers Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the temples to the east of it, including Ta Prohm. Wikivoyage notes that on the Little Circuit most stops are within about 15 minutes of each other by bike. The Grand Circuit adds the sites north and east, such as Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som and Pre Rup, about 30 minutes apart by bike.

The Angkor Wat 2-Day Tour splits the two circuits across two days, with the sunrise on day one and the big circuit ending at Phnom Bakheng on day two.

The Three Windows

Wikivoyage calls November to February the peak season: dry, coolest at 25-30 C and busiest. March to May reaches up to 40 C, so go at the 05:00 park opening and finish by early afternoon. June to October is the rainy season and the temples are quietest, with the wettest months around September.

The figures below come from the Siem Reap climate record on Wikipedia.

Choosing Your Pass for the Season

Crowds follow the seasons, so a peak-season sunrise needs an early start and patience at the reflecting pool. Whatever the month, the Angkor Pass costs $37 (US$37) for 1 day, $62 (US$62) for 3 days and $72 (US$72) for 7 days on the official site. Hot-season visitors do best with a full-day itinerary that starts at opening, like the Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour.

For a slower pace, the Angkor Wat 3-Day Tour spreads the Small Circuit, the Grand Circuit with Banteay Srei, and Beng Mealea over three days. More season detail sits in the Angkor Wat tours overview on Angkor Wat Tours.