Angkor Wat: Difference between revisions

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Angkor Wat was built at the behest of the Khmer king [[Suryavarman II]] in the early 12th century in [[Yaśodharapura]] (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the [[Khmer architecture#Temple mountain|temple-mountain]] and the later [[Khmer architecture#Gallery|galleried temple]]. It is designed to represent [[Mount Meru]], home of the [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]] in [[Hindu mythology]] and is surrounded by a [[moat]] more than {{cvt|5|km}}. Enclosed within an outer wall {{convert|3.6|km|mi|1}} long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a [[quincunx]] of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west with scholars divided as to the significance of this.

Since Angkor Wat has seen significant growth in tourism throughout the years, UNESCO and its International Co-ordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC), in association with representatives from the Royal Government and APSARA, organised seminars to discuss the concept of "cultural tourism", emphasising the importance of providing high-quality accommodation and services to the tourists and for the Cambodian government to benefit economically, while also incorporating the richness of Cambodian culture. In 2001, this incentive resulted in the concept of the "Angkor Tourist City" which would be developed about traditional Khmer architecture, contain leisure and tourist facilities, and provide luxurious hotels capable of accommodating large numbers of tourists.<ref name="SD">{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.annals.2006.06.004|title=Rethinking tourism in asia|date=2007|last1=Winter|first1=Tim|journal=Annals of Tourism Research|volume=34|pages=27–44}}</ref>

 

 

The prospect of developing such large tourist accommodations has encountered concerns from both APSARA and the ICC, claiming that previous tourism developments in the area have neglected construction regulations and that more of these projects have the potential to damage landscape features. Also, the large scale of these projects have begun to threaten the quality of the nearby town's water, sewage, and electricity systems. It has also been noted that such high frequency of tourism and growing demand for infrastructure has had a direct effect on the underground water table, subsequently straining the structural stability of the temples at Angkor Wat.<ref name="SD"/> Locals of Siem Reap have also voiced concern that the atmosphere of their town have been compromised to entertain tourism. Since this local atmosphere is the key component to projects like Angkor Tourist City, the local officials continue to discuss how to successfully incorporate future tourism without sacrificing local values and culture.<ref name="SD"/> At the [[ASEAN]] Tourism Forum 2012, it was agreed that [[Borobudur]] and Angkor Wat would become sister sites and the provinces sister provinces.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/01/13/borobudur-angkor-wat-become-sister-sites.html |title=Borobudur, Angkor Wat to become sister sites |newspaper=[[The Jakarta Post]] |date=13 January 2012 |access-date=13 January 2012 |archive-date=15 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115075327/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/01/13/borobudur-angkor-wat-become-sister-sites.html |url-status=live }}</ref>