Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century and took about 30 years to complete. It is the largest religious monument in the world and the best preserved temple in the Angkor Archaeological Park. First the Temple was Hindu, then Buddhist (in the 13th century to the present day). It is the only temple in the Park to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The extensive and beautiful bas-reliefs (most completed in the 12th century) show the religious symbolism and military history of the early Khmer civilization. Even the overall structure of the temple is symbolic - as a miniature replica of the universe in stone, representing an earthly model of the cosmic world or Mount Meru, the home of the gods.
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