The Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap in Cambodia is a testament to the ancient cultural and spiritual exchanges between India and Southeast Asia, reflecting Hindu cosmology and temple-building traditions. This epic in stone embodies India's timeless impact beyond its borders. At our Online Talk #IndiaOutsideIndia, conservation architect Dr Ujjwala Khot-Palsuley will will uncover how Angkor Wat remains a living chronicle of India's civilisational footprint on foreign shores, highlighting its sacred geometry, symbolic iconography, and historical narratives. She will also explore the deep-rooted influence of Indian philosophy, mythology, and architectural principles in Cambodia’s grandest temple complex.

About the speaker

Dr Ujjwala Khot-Palsuley is a conservation architect with over 24 years of experience as a practitioner, researcher, and academician. Her expertise spans architectural history and India's traditional knowledge systems. An alumna of the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and Lund University, Sweden, she earned her doctoral degree in Southeast Asian Architectural History, focusing on Khmer and Dravidian temple architecture. Since 2006, she has been at the forefront of research on the influence of Dravidian temple architecture on Khmer temples in Cambodia, advocating for an indigenous perspective in the study of Indian temple architecture. Her book, Cambodia: India Outside India (Copal Publishing, 2023), is an authoritative academic resource in the field of architectural history.