This sanctuary is found 40 km east of the fundamental gathering of sanctuaries at Angkor, and 77 km from Siem Reap by street.
Beng Mealea (its name signifies "lotus lake") is a sanctuary in the Angkor Wat style found 40 km east of the fundamental gathering of sanctuaries at Angkor, Cambodia, on the old imperial thruway to Preah Khan Kompong Svay.
It was assembled as hinduist sanctuary, however there are a few carvings portraying buddhist themes. Its essential material is sandstone and it is to a great extent unrestored, with trees and thick brush flourishing in the midst of its towers and yards and huge numbers of its stones lying in extraordinary stacks. For quite a long time it was hard to reach, however a street as of late constructed to the sanctuary complex of Koh Ker passes Beng Mealea and more guests are going to the site, as it is 77 km from Siem Reap by street.
Guide of Beng Mealea, from a drawing by D'apres Leon de Beylie (1849-1910). In red the incompletely prepared way used to visit the sanctuary.The historical backdrop of the sanctuary is obscure and it can be dated just by its compositional style, indistinguishable to Angkor Wat, so researchers expected it was constructed amid the rule of lord Suryavarman II in the mid twelfth century. Littler in size than Angkor Wat, the ruler's fundamental landmark, Beng Mealea in any case positions among the Khmer realm's bigger sanctuaries: the display which frames the external nook of the sanctuary is 181 m by 152 m. It was the focal point of a town, encompassed by a canal 1025 m by 875 m huge and 45 m wide.
Beng Mealea is situated toward the east, yet has entranceways from the other three cardinal headings. The essential format is three encasing exhibitions around a focal haven, broken down at present. The walled in areas are tied with "cruciform shelters", like Angkor Wat. Structures known as libraries lie to one side and left of the street that leads in from the east. There is broad cutting of scenes from Hindu mythology, including the Churning of the Sea of Milk and Vishnu being borne by the winged animal god Garuda. Interstates have long balustrades framed by assortments of the seven-headed Naga serpent.
It was fabricated generally of sandstone: Beng Mealea is just 7 km a long way from the angkorian sandstone quarries of Phnom Kulen, straight from one point to the other. Probably sandstone squares utilized for Angkor were transported along simulated water waterways and went from here. In spite of absence of data, the nature of construction modeling and enrichments has suffocate the consideration of French researchers just from its disclosure.