Angkor Wat was originally dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu preserver god.
King Suryavarman II commissioned the temple in the early twelfth century in the Khmer Empire’s capital region. Unlike many Khmer temples oriented toward the east, Angkor Wat faces west, a feature often connected with its funerary associations and Vishnu worship. The complex was built as a state temple and likely served as the king’s mausoleum.
Its five central towers represent Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Long galleries contain extensive bas-reliefs, including scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, along with episodes connected to the reign of Suryavarman II. Moats and concentric walls reinforce the temple’s symbolic geography.
Over time, Angkor Wat became an important Buddhist sanctuary, and Buddhist imagery was added or adapted. It remained in religious use even as the wider Angkor urban center declined. The temple appears on Cambodia’s national flag and forms part of the Angkor UNESCO World Heritage property, inscribed in 1992.