Angkor Wat
The tourist’s initial impression of Angkor Wat (admission to all of Angkor: 1 day/3 days/1 week US$20/40/60), the ultimateexpression of Khmer genius, is simply staggering, matched by only a few select beauty spots on earth such as Peru’s Machu Picchu or Jordan’s Petra.
Soaring skyward and surrounded by a moat that would make its European castle counterparts blush, Angkor Wat is one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. It is a lavish blend of form and function, a spellbinding memorial to Vishnu, its mesmerizing image simulated in the reflective pools below, a pleasure for unbelieving eyes.
Angkor Wat, like the other temple-mountains of Angkor, simulates the spatial universe in miniature. The central tower is Mt Meru, with its surrounding smaller peaks, bounded in turn by continents (the lower courtyards) and the oceans (the moat). The seven-headed naga (mythical serpent) is just like a symbolic rainbow bridge for humans to reach the abode of the gods.
Angkor Watis surrounded by a moat, which is 190m wide and forms a giant rectangle measuring 1.5km by 1.3km. Stretching around the outside of the central temple complex is an 800m-long series of amaing bas-reliefs, designed to be viewed in an anticlockwise direction. Rising 31m above the third level (and 55m above the ground) is the central tower, which gives the whole ensemble its sublime unity.
Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavaman (r 1112–52), who unified Cambodia and extended Khmer influence across much of mainland Southeast Asia. He also set himself apart religiously from earlier kings by his dedication to the Hindu deity Vishnu, to whom he consecrated the temple – built, coincidentally, around the same time as European Gothic cathedrals such as Notre Dame and Chartres.
The upper level of Angkor Wat is once again open to modern pilgrims, but you are only allowed to visit this in maximum 20 minutes.
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