There are very strong and fascinating links between India and Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, with all original religious motifs derived from Hinduism. The five central towers symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru, which according to Hindu mythology is the dwelling place of the gods.
As early as the first century CE, merchants from India who traded with Southeast Asian kingdoms brought the rich heritage of Hindu mythology and culture to their ports of call. Cultural and religious ideas reached the region via the Indian Ocean trade route, with trade with India commencing well before 500 BCE.
Much of Angkor's history is rooted in Indian Ocean Trade, and this Indian influence expressed itself through culture, goods, and religion, showing its traces in the many Hindu reliefs found at Angkor Wat.
Indian culture and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) influenced the Khmer Empire, which built Angkor Wat in the 12th century. The early Khmer language used Sanskrit as its written form, showing deep linguistic connections.
Angkor Wat continued to be a Hindu temple until the 1300s, when it was formally rededicated as a Buddhist site. In keeping with Buddhist tolerance for Hinduism, the iconography of its great reliefs was not demolished or replaced, although Buddhist statues were added.
The connection is essentially one of ancient cultural and religious transmission - Indian Hindu and Buddhist traditions, mythology, architecture, and artistic styles traveled through maritime trade networks and deeply influenced the Khmer civilization, culminating in the creation of the world's largest religious monument that still reflects Indian spiritual and artistic traditions today.