The bas-reliefs

These, arguably one of the most famous creations in Khmer art, cover the exterior walls of Angkor Wat's third enclosure, just above ground level. The carved area is immense: approaching 600m in length and 2m high with, in addition, the interior of two of the corner pavilions.

Apart from two panels, the subject matter is from Hindu sources, mainly the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics. The exceptions are the Historic procession of Suryavarman II, and the Heavens and Flells carved on the W and E parts of the S Gallery respectively.

If you are pressed for time, you should at least take in the S half of the galleries, from the W gopura to that on the E. This includes the Battle of Kurukshetra along the S half of the W Gallery, the SW corner pavilion, the procession of Suryavarman II along the W half of the S Gallery, the Judgement of Yama and Heaven and Hell along the E half of the S Gallery, and the Churning of the Sea of Milk along the S half of the E Gallery. These are all of the highest order. If you have a little more time, include the Battle of Lanka along the northern half of the W Gallery and the interior of the NW corner pavilion.
Begin at the W gopura of the third enclosure, and turn right into the Gallery of Bas-Reliefs. The viewing conditions are adequate, though not perfect due to the method of construction of the galleries. In order to keep the passage as broad as possible, yet structurally sound, the builders used two rows of pillars. The inner row supports the outer part of the corbelled vault, while an outer row of shorter pillars supports a half-vault, similar in intention to the technique of buttressing in European cathedrals. The disadvantage is that the 2m high bas-reliefs are unevenly lit and darker towards the top. And, as became apparent during recent structural restoration, the half-vaults did not do their job properly - the weight of the gallery roof has pushed the pillars out of alignment.