Overview

• Late 12th-Early 13th Century
• Religion: Buddhist
• Patron: Jayavarman VII
• Style: Bayon

Purpose

Religious/ governmental capital of the Khmer Empire under Jayavarman VII, the entire city was laid out to symbolically represent Mount Meru.

Significance

Angkor Thom was the capital city of Jayavarman VII, and one of the largest Khmer cities in ancient times. It contains some of the most famous monuments in Khmer architecture, most notably the temple of the Bayon and the gopuras on the city walls.

History

Angkor Thom was the capital of King Jayavarman VII, and most of the city dates to his reign, with the notable exceptions of the earlier Baphuon and Phimeanakas. It was the centerpiece of a massive building campaign that stretched throughout the Khmer Empire, which included Ta Prohm and Preah Khan at Angkor, and also the massive temple of Banteay Chmar in northwest Cambodia.

Description

The square city of Angkor Thom is bordered by a laterite wall 3 km long on each side, and further enclosed by a moat 100 meters wide. This moat is crossed by five causeways, lined on each side by 54 stone figures, gods on one side and asuras on the other, carrying the body of a seven-headed naga. These causeways meet the wall at grand gopuras, which are crowned with four giant faces looking towards each of the cardinal directions. Roads lead directly from the gopuras to the temple of the Bayon, at the city center. The layout is meant to be a microcosm of the universe -- Angkor Thom's great walls and moat represent the mountains and ocean surrounding Mount Meru.