Angkor Wat

 

Angkor Wat was built in the mid 12^th century by King Suryavarman II.  At the time, the majority of Cambodians were Hindu, so many of the symbols feature Hindu gods, goddesses, and events from Hindu scripture.  Angkor Wat is believed to be the largest religious site in the world.  It is massive!  The view from the front is breathtaking.  Three towers, 65 meters tall, emerge from the temple like lotus flowers growing in the sun.  After entering the enormous front gate, visitors walk along a long stone path, crossing the moat to reach the entrance to the building.  This image is emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and is a major source of national pride.  The King dedicated it to Vishnu, and there is a beautiful sculpture of the Hindu god in the front entryway. 

This site rivals Macchu Pichu in terms of beauty, size, and architectural ingenuity.  Like Macchu Pichu, it was built without the aid bulldozers, bobcats, and cranes.  Records show that the construction included 300,000 workers and 6,000 elephants. 

My favorite part, besides the iconic front view, is the exterior walls where thousands of scenes are engraved into the sandstone wall.  They depict stories from Hindu mythology as well as events during King Suryavarman’s reign. 

 

The Angkor area used to be the capitol of Cambodia, and millions of people lived here.  Each King erected a building, more impressive than the last.  It was a typical case of, “Mine is bigger than yours.”  I thought I might get bored, visiting old piles of rocks all day, but that wasn’t the case.  Each building was different and so interesting.  I hired a tuk tuk to take me on the short tour which stops at all the most popular sites.  I spent a lot of time walking around each site, trying to imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago.