Angkor Wat History
A Brief Overview
So you want to know about Angkor Wat history. Great idea! When you visit the temples, wouldn't you rather be taking in the sights instead of burying your nose into your guidebook? Although I'm not big on history details, knowing the general idea and sequence of Angkor temples will make the temple visits more meaningful. Here's what I've gathered so far. The Angkorian period started in AD 802 and ended in 1432. It was during this period that all those temples were built. Angkor Wat History - Early Years802-50Jayavarman II was the founder of the Khmer empire, and he proclaimed himself as a devaraja or a god king (deva = god, raja = king), possessing similar powers to the Hindu god Shiva. You'll find that this god-king theme is also being adopted by his 'successors' throughout Angkor Wat's history. Jayavarman II built a temple mountain at Phnom Kulen (Kulen Hill/Mountain), and this was where he held his court. He built it on a mountain for a purpose, to mimic Shiva's dwelling place, the mythical Mt. Meru. By setting up his court at the top of the mountain, he's saying that Phnom Kulen is the center of the universe, and he is the king. To this day, Phnom Kulen is the most sacred site for Cambodians. Angkor Wat history saw that the court was later moved to Rolous. 
Phnom Kulen waterfall at the most sacred site for Cambodians. © N. Ole
877-89Indravarman I is considered to be a usurper, and was also a devaraja. He built the first baray (reservoir), and at Rolous, he built thePreah Ko and Bakong temples, earning him a place in Angkor Wat history. These temples were some of the first ones that have moats surrounding them. The moats have a religious significance also. It is said that the mythical Mt. Meru is surrounded by lakes. So you can see the symbolism there. 
Bakong temple © K. Yeo
Preah Ko temple details © A. Oswald
889-910Yasovarman I was Indravarman I's son, and during his reign he moved the capital to Angkor area as we know it now. He built another temple at the previous capital city Rolous, called Lolei temple. Phnom Bakheng temple, which is a popular place for sunset, was also built during his time. Notice that Phnom Bakheng is sitting atop the hill, again showing that symbolism of Shiva's Mt. Meru. Yasovarman I also built Phnom Krom, Phnom Bok, and that huge Eastern Baray reservoir (7 km by 1.8 km), earning his place in Angkor Wat history. 928-42Jayavarman IV was another usurper. He took on the power sometime after Yasovarman I's death, and moved the capital city to Koh Ker. He built the Koh Ker capital in 20 years, taking advantage of natural resources around the area, and used an army of workers. According to some texts, Koh Ker was a magnificent capital, but sadly, very little can be gleaned from the available Angkor Wat history. 
A very small part of Koh Ker temple. The actual Koh Ker temple
is huge and is in the middle of nowhere. © T. Wanhoff
944-68 Rajendravarman II moved the capital back to Angkor. He built the Eastern Mebon, Pre Rup and Phimeanakas (you can visit all these because they're located in Angkor). Eastern Mebon temple was built in the middle of Eastern Baray, so at one time, the temple was surrounded by water, fulfilling that Mount Meru symbolism. Today, Eastern Baray has completely dried up, and so the Eastern Mebon temple is very much on a dry land. 
Pre Rup temple at Angkor Thom. © Mike
Eastern Mebon, no longer surrounded by bodies of water. © E. Molina
968 - 1001Jayavarman V was Rajendravarman II's son. During his reign, Ta Keo and Banteay Srei temples were built. Banteay Srei temple, in particular, has been claimed as the prettiest of all temples on earth, due to its magnificent and deep detailed carvings. It is also often mentioned as the jewel among all the Angkor temples; not a small feat when you consider the long line of Angkor Wat history. Interestingly, Banteay Srei was not commissioned by the king, but rather by a Brahman (who could have been Jayavarman V's tutor). 
Ta Keo temple, very pretty, isn't it? © Spotter NL
Banteay Srei details. So much better in person, truly!
Angkor Wat History - Classical Period1002-49Suryavarman I was another usurper, and he expanded the Khmer empire perhaps to its greatest extent. This was also the beginning of the classical age, which means abundance and productive temple building. At the same time, however, the Khmer empire is also under much military activities therefore turmoil. Suryavarman also played an important role in Angkor Wat history: he is believed to be the promoter of Buddhism in Cambodia. Although he adopted the god-king status, Buddhism and Buddhist sculptures made their way into the Angkor city. Today, 97% of Cambodian are Buddhist. Not much is known about what Suryavarman I built, because none have remained. 1049-65 Udayadityavarman II (what a mouthful!) was the son or Suryavarman I. He expanded the empire even more, and built Baphuon and Western Mebon, which is located in the middle of Western Baray. Who built Western Baray, the largest baray of them all (8km by 2.3km)? I don't see it stated plainly, but it should be Udayadityavarman, since the Western Baray was built roughly 150 years after the Eastern one. Today, the Western Baray still holds huge volumes of water. 
Baphuon temple at Angkor Thom complex. © A. Dinh
1112-52 (The period when Angkor Wat was built)Suryavarman II was the king responsible for beautiful Beng Melea, and the grand Angkor Wat temple, which he dedicated solely to the Hindu god Vishnu. Previous god-kings did not have this special devotion that he exhibited; they always included other gods as well. Although the Angkor Wat temple signifies the high achievement of the Khmer people, there were signs of decline. The city was overpopulated, the agriculture could not keep up with demands, and canals have started to dry up. Supposedly the construction of Angkor Wat was what causing all these major strain on the empire. Plus, war was still going on, so resources were spread too thin. Nonetheless, Suryavarman II earned his place in Angkor Wat history as the king who built the largest religious structure. 
Angkor Wat Temple firmly occupies the No. #1 spot as the greatest
and most magnificent temple in Angkor Wat history.
My most favorite temple of all the temples in the Angkor Wat History:
Beng Melea temple, deep in the jungle, at one with nature.
1181-219 (The peak of Angkor Wat history)Jayavarman VII took over the reign of the Khmer empire, after it was invaded by the Dai Viet (Vietnamese army). He built the Angkor Thom (a humongous temple complex, larger in area size than Angkor Wat), Preah Khan, Banteay Kdei, and the now atmospheric Ta Prohm temple. He also rebuilt other temple complexes like the Banteay Chhmar and the Preah Khan in Preah Vihear province. Jayavarman VII also took Buddhism to another level. Instead of continuing the tradition of Hinduism, he adopted the Buddha of Compassion as his patron, and built Buddha structures on his temples. The most noted is Bayon, one of the most famous Angkorian temples, with its 216 four-faced Buddha statues. Angkor Wat history is forever changed by this move, as Hinduism is now but a minority religion in Cambodia. After his death, the empire steadily went into a decline, and for around a century, the state religion went back to Hinduism. This change made its way to the temples, where Buddha figures were defaced and destroyed. Khmer empire practically ended when the Thais attacked Angkor in 1351 and again in 1431.  
Preah Khan temple © Mike Banteay Kdei ©Deepak
A popular temple that earned its popularity in Angkor Wat History just "recently":
Ta Prohm temple is famous for being swallowed by giant trees.
Another great temple that has a special place in
Angkor Wat History: Bayon's Buddha faces
Some kings that ruled in between the dates were excluded, because they played smaller roles than the ones above. I must admit, Angkor Wat history is fascinating. And these temples grow on you. The more time you spend among the temples, the more you read about them, and the more you imagine how life was lived during the ancient times, the more you feel that strange lure and magical attraction about them. Warning: spend more than just a casual encounter with Angkor temples, and you might start thinking that you need to become an archeologist! If you want to know more about Angkor Wat history and more on Angkor temples, there is a great free e-book available online, written by Maurice Glazier, and is one of the definitive guides of Angkor. It has been reprinted many times, and somehow the author makes it available online at no charge.
The Angkor Wat Temple In Cambodia
Have you seen the inside of the Angkor Wat temple? Have you seen the detailed bas relief and decorations that adorn almost every wall? Or the steep staircases, made even more precarious by age? Angkor Bas Relief? Astonishing!
When I first saw the Angkor Bas relief, I was astounded. Having seen and read only a little about i t, I wasn't prepared for the great sight. And they're not in a little section, but everywhere! Return from Angkor Wat History to Angkor Wat Cambodia - A Quick Review Return from Angkor Wat History to Holiday In Angkor Wat
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