Kingship
As mentioned in the beginning of the gallery, Angkor Wat was not just a religious monument. It was also a political monument which highlighted the economic and political power of a powerful king during his lifetime. It took about 30 years to build this magnificent temple and the amount of labour, manpower and resources needed are unimaginable. However, the people's reverence to the king was so strong that they were willing to construct the temple.
Moreover, Angkor Wat served as a tomb to the king after his death. In fact, it was not just a tomb, but a new architectural object that replaced the corpse of the dead “cosmic man”, in which his powerful soul will live on beyond his death. This was not only in Angkor Wat but also in other Angkor temples where numerous statues of Vishnu and Shiva do not resemble to most of their kind in India as they have the features of the kings themselves, thus portraying them as the earthly incarnations of the gods. King Suryavarman II was identified with Visnu after his death, and resided in the tomb (Angkor Wat) decorated with apsaras as a form of god, just like Vishnu in his celestial palace.
It is interesting to examine why Suryavarman II chose Vishnu as his patron god instead of Shiva like the previous kings. This also explains why Angkor Wat faces the west instead of the east since Vishnu ruled the eastern quadrant of the compass. The fact that people devoted their whole time and life into building this temple for the king itself already tells us how powerful he is; but, by choosing a different god to worship, Suryavarman II wanted to stand out from the rest of the kings and make himself special. Angkor Wat signifies the power of kingship and also shows us how the king himself wanted to continue increasing their power and prowess, even after his death.
As mentioned in the beginning of the gallery, Angkor Wat was not just a religious monument. It was also a political monument which highlighted the economic and political power of a powerful king during his lifetime. It took about 30 years to build this magnificent temple and the amount of labour, manpower and resources needed are unimaginable. However, the people's reverence to the king was so strong that they were willing to construct the temple.
Moreover, Angkor Wat served as a tomb to the king after his death. In fact, it was not just a tomb, but a new architectural object that replaced the corpse of the dead “cosmic man”, in which his powerful soul will live on beyond his death. This was not only in Angkor Wat but also in other Angkor temples where numerous statues of Vishnu and Shiva do not resemble to most of their kind in India as they have the features of the kings themselves, thus portraying them as the earthly incarnations of the gods. King Suryavarman II was identified with Visnu after his death, and resided in the tomb (Angkor Wat) decorated with apsaras as a form of god, just like Vishnu in his celestial palace.
It is interesting to examine why Suryavarman II chose Vishnu as his patron god instead of Shiva like the previous kings. This also explains why Angkor Wat faces the west instead of the east since Vishnu ruled the eastern quadrant of the compass. The fact that people devoted their whole time and life into building this temple for the king itself already tells us how powerful he is; but, by choosing a different god to worship, Suryavarman II wanted to stand out from the rest of the kings and make himself special. Angkor Wat signifies the power of kingship and also shows us how the king himself wanted to continue increasing their power and prowess, even after his death.