Angkor Thom

History
Battle on the Tonle Sap Lake (relief at Bayon temple State)

In 1177 the Cham won a naval battle on the Tonle Sap lake to the Khmer, the then capital Jayenfranagari captured and killed King Tribhuvanādityavarman. In four years of fighting succeeded to a young prince and commander to defeat the invaders, in 1181 he ascended the throne as Jayavarman VII, and during his thirty years' reign, he proved to be one of the greatest kings of Angkor. As the king was Buddhist, Hindu, unlike his predecessors, Mahayana, was on his behalf a number of Buddhist temples, monasteries and universities - both within and outside the walls of his new "big city" of Angkor Thom.

Perhaps his most direct successor Indravarman II (reigned about 1220-1243) continued the building program; Jayavarman VIII (about 1243-1295) was responsible for the destruction of many Buddhist statues and restored a number of important Hindu temple in Srindravarman (about 1295-1307 ), we encounter perhaps the first Theravada Buddhist among Angkorkings. Now the local architectural history is no longer understandable, indeed, established in emerging Theravada Buddhism has been almost entirely wooden buildings.

Numerous armed clashes with Siam, as well as emerging problems with water supply and soil fertility led to the late 16th Century to the decline of Angkorreichs. The so-called discovery of Angkor in the second half of the 19th Century (a meaningless term, because the Khmer had never forgotten the temples, and other European visitors were described long ago) is closely linked with the name of Henri Mouhot, history, especially with the renovation of the École française d'Extrême-Orient. Since 1992, include the World Heritage Angkorgebiet and thus also to the Angkor Thom covered by the UNESCO.

Appendix
Sculptures on the terrace of the Leper King
Some faces of Bayon temple towers of the State
Map of the interior area of Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom occupies the northern part of the first Angkorhauptstadt Yasodharapura. Thus the new capital was smaller than their historical predecessors, but it was bigger than all the cities of medieval Europe.

The square structure has a side length of about 3 km, which have four pages in the main directions. The moat around is 100 meters wide. The walls of laterite is provided about 8 m high and on the inside with a generous earthquake. Divided into quarters and opened up the city through a street intersection. The four end of streets flow into the city gates of sandstone, a fifth gate is located 500 m north of the east gate at the end of another road, the so-called Victory Avenue.

Jayavarman VII was divided important historic buildings in the capital to his new capital. Lay in the northwest quarter of the royal palace with the temple pyramid Phimeanakas. This ensemble completed he and his successors through the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King, the Grand Place, the tower series Prasat Suor Prat and said victorystreet. Even the older, overwhelmingly large Baphuon Temple Mount, and two hall-like buildings, the northern and southern Khleang, were integrated into the overall scheme. In the geometric center of Angkor Thom, omitted from the streets and framed, was the state temple of Bayon, with its forest of faces. Apart from the temples and terraces, all the buildings in the city were made of wood () and the Royal Palace and are now gone.