Khmer Temple Architecture

Timeline

1. c. 1113–1150Angkor Wat · Siem Reap ProvinceAngkor Wat established the scale and iconographic program of Khmer stone religious architecture with its concentric galleries, central tower-temple, and extensive relief bands, becoming a reference for the later capital temple-mountain model.
2. 1181–1190Angkor Thom · Siem Reap ProvinceAfter accessioning in 1181, Jayavarman VII planned the capital of Angkor Thom, centered on the four-faced gate towers, moat, and central Bayon, embedding military victory, royal power, and Mahayana Buddhist cosmology into the city's religious architectural system.
3. c. 1190–1220Preah Khan · Siem Reap ProvinceComplexes combining religious, medical, and relay-station functions, such as Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, were successively built, as Khmer temple architecture expanded from single tower-temples into a network of religious facilities serving the kingdom's transport and welfare.