WHAT IS ANGKOR WAT?

Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu, later-turned, Buddhist temple complex from the Khmer Empire, 802 AD to 1432, located in Cambodia. Hinduism came to Cambodia through India. Angkor Wat (Angkor meaning temple) is surrounded by several other temples from the ancient Khmer Empire over a surface area the size of Los Angeles.

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire founded by Jayavarman II who claimed himself to be god-king, or devaraja. The Khmer Empire was successful in their development of complex water systems. At their highest peak the Empire sustained a population of 1 million people, many of them fisherman, and probably many of them working with the creation of the 70+ massive temples. Why did the Khmer Empire collapse? It seems that the complexity of their water systems (which are best understood when looking from an aerial perspective) got the best of them. A period of drought is said to have taken place and lead to the collapse of the Empire.

Angkors located between two massive barays, or reservoirs