Many of us have heard of the amazing pyramids. How were they built? Some researchers attribute their construction to alien civilizations. However, few people have heard of Angkor Wat. This temple is located in Cambodia. It was discovered only in 1860. It makes a great impression not only with its appearance, but also with its construction technology.
The Hindu temple is impressive in size. It is located on an area of 200 hectares. A moat was dug around it, which was filled with water. The building itself is surrounded by a wall. There was a large courtyard in front of the temple.
Scientists believe that this complex was built throughout the life of the ruler of the Khmers (residents of Cambodia) Suryavarman II in the XII century. The construction was completed after his death. It took about 40 years.
For the construction of such a temple in a relatively short period, a large number of people with special skills were needed. After all, then there were no machine technology. Everything had to be done manually. Some researchers estimate it would take hundreds of years. However, Khmer builders somehow managed to meet 40.
Stones for construction were mined forty kilometers away. They were transported along the river. It is estimated that a total of 5 million tons of sandstone had to be spent. The stones were polished so smoothly that sometimes a blade cannot be inserted between them. No solution was used. The stone lay on the stone. To successfully implement such a project, it was necessary to possess substantial knowledge in the field of mathematics. After all, one inaccurate calculation and the structure could collapse, burying those who were present in the building under its rubble.
Among the Khmers, it was customary to build temples not for ordinary believers. It was believed that the gods lived in them (another of the argument of the supporters of alternative versions). Therefore, only the elite visited Angkor Wat.
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There is one interesting detail. The fact is that the entire temple (including the ceiling) was covered with drawings in the form of bas-relief carvings. They depict events related to Hinduism. For example, the scene of the Battle of Kurukshetra described in the Mahabharata. There are also mythical animals: dragons, unicorns and griffins. So, the carving was applied after the construction of the building. That is, the builders had to be very precise again. If a mistake was made, how was it to be corrected? Disassemble the wall and build a new one?
Bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat.
The temple itself is not an exception in the Khmer culture of the XII century. This can be clearly seen in the bas-reliefs, the technology used and the architectural style. Researchers do not assume that it stood here since ancient times, and the locals used it for their own needs. But how then could it have been built? After all, it was necessary to accumulate a huge amount of knowledge. And okay, if we were talking about the well-known Ancient Egypt. But was Cambodia so developed?
In general, there are clearly more questions than answers. So that scientists can explore the temple in the future, in 1992 it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.