- TURY.CLUB
- Tourist Objects
- Cambodia
- Siem Reap (city)
- Angkor Wat Temple
The temple, located on the southern border of ancient Angkor, is, without a doubt, its main attraction. Angkor Wat is the most beautiful and majestic among the ancient monuments of the Angkor group. The spectacle is truly amazing. It seems that the towers are perfect in shape, all proportions are so respected. And at the same time, the temple, when viewed from the side, as if soars above the ground. Not a single simple wall - everything is decorated with the finest hand-carved. At first, the temple, like the rest of the house of the Khmer gods, was Hindu. Then Buddhist. Now here you can find traces of two faiths at once. Built during the reign of King Suryavarman II (1112-1152) and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, Angkor Wat is probably the largest religious building in the world. Its total area is about 2 sq. Km. By the way, Angkor Wat is translated as a temple city. Angkor Wat has been preserved much better than many other constructions of Angkor, due to the fact that even after the desolation of these places Buddhist monks lived in Angkor Wat. They live here and now.
Angor Wat is surrounded by a moat 190 meters wide. In ancient times, crocodiles were bred in it. On the western side, a stone dam crosses the moat, along which they pass to Angor Wat. The territory of Angkor Vat is surrounded by a wall 1025 m long by 800 m. A rather long wide road leads from the gate to the temple, laid along an embankment that rises almost one and a half meters above the ground. When approaching the temple, the road runs between two artificial ponds, which sometimes dry out during the dry season. The temple itself is a fairly complex three-level structure with many stairs and passages. Five towers crown the temple - one in the center and four at the edges of the roof. The height of the central tower, which is significantly higher than the rest, is 42 m. Above the ground, it rises 65 m. This tower symbolizes the mythical mountain Meru, which, in accordance with Hindu mythology, is the center of the whole world.
Galleries run along each level. The first level galleries, whose total length is approximately 800 meters, are decorated with bas-reliefs 2 meters high, depicting various scenes from mythology and the life of the ancient Khmers. The second level galleries are decorated with sculptural images of dancers, the total number of which is about two thousand.
