The mystery of Angor Wat may finally be solved.

For centuries the means were unknown by which millions of huge sandstone bricks weighing up to 3,300 pounds were taken from a nearby mountain and used to build the 12th-century temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia

New research shows evidence that the stones were brought from nearby mountain quarries at Mt. Kulen to their resting place via a network of hundreds of canals, according to LiveScience.

According to CBS, Estuo Uchida of Japan's Waseda University and a co-author on the Angor Wat study commented in an email, "We found many quarries of sandstone blocks used for the Angkor temples and also the transportation route of the sandstone blocks."

Archaeologist previously thought the stones were brought on ferries to Tonle Sap Lake and then further moved up river covering a total distance of 54 miles.

With help of satellite images, Uchida and an archeological team discovered around 50 mountain quarries along with a large network of roads and canals that connected the temple to Mt. Kulen. The discovery of the canals reduces the total distance the Angor Wat builders would have to travel to only 22 miles. This shortcut would have been a great help to the builders in creating the grand religious structure who finished construction after a few decades.

Colleagues of Uchida have suggested that to confirm the findings the archeological team should search for blocks that could have fallen overboard while they were being transported on the canals.

Construction on the 500-acre temple began in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II of the Khmer Empire. The temple was originally built by Hindus to honor the god Vishnu, but was converted to a Buddhist temple in the 14th century.

Angor Wat, also known as the "temple city," is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed.