Angkor Wat is said to be one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed. The temple was created to resemble heaven on earth, and honored the god Vishnu. Most of the structure represent mythological places in the Hindu religion. Suryavarman II wanted to create something that would represent that he was a god walking amongst humans. By building this large temple, he would achieve being directly sent into the heavens to be with the gods, specifically the god Vishnu. Suryavarman II believed that by building this temple, it would show his power as a king as well as reproduce the world of the gods.
At the center of the temple, there stand five towers. These towers were meant to symbolize the five peaks of Mount Meru, where the gods were said to have lived. They call this part of the temple "the temple mountain." "The mountain temple of Angkor reminds us that the same concern with architectural beauty and the same concern with producing a building that reflected the cosmology of their religion was exhibited by the builders of Angkor." (McGee). The temple mountain was a place of worship, and might have been the final resting place for Suryavarman II's ashes.
The temple of Angkor Wat faces west, which in the Hindu religion is associated with the god Vishnu and death. Researchers believe that this was symbolic of gateway to the afterlife for Suryavarman II. Suryavarman II wanted the temple completed before his death so that, he too, could join the gods in heaven. The temple is on a massive 500 acres of land, and is surrounded by a massive moat. The moat is also symbolic of the vast oceans of the universe. Researchers are still puzzled as to how they built this temple in 32 years.
"Angkor Wat, like many Hindu an...
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...efs on the walls, I believe that Suryavarman II achieved what he set out to do. In addition, he created one of the most beautiful and mysterious temples on the planet. Its massive size is larger than most European cathedrals, and was achieved in less time than the largest of them. Suryavarman II really did build something symbolic of heaven on earth.
Works Cited
McGee, Terry. Pacific Affairs . 75.1 (2002): n. page. Print.
Freeman, Margery H. "Moat, guardian lion statue, and causeway into temple buildings at Angkor Wat."Learn NC. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2014.
Stencel, Robert, Fred Gifford, and Eleanor Moron. "Astronomy and Cosmology at Angkor Wat."American Association for the Advancement of Science. 193.4250 (1976): 281-287. Print
Thomas, Edwin. "Famous Carvings in Angkor Wat." USA Today. N.p.. Web. 13 Apr 2014.
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