Angkor Wat – Architecture Plan
Angkor Wat is a unique combination of the Temple Mountain, the standard design for the empire’s state temples and the later plan of concentric galleries. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolises the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat symbolise the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean.
Angkor Wat is oriented to the west, unlike most Khmer temples which are orientated to the east. Several other temples of Angkor also depart from the typical eastern orientation and suggest that Angkor Wat’s alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with the west.
Angkor Wat Plan
Angkor Wat – Architecture Plan
- Historic Site: Angkor Wat
- City: Siem Reap
- Country: Kingdom of Thailand
- Location: Angkor
- Site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres).
- Built: 12th century
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“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.”
– Dalai Lama
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Photo Credits: 1) By Steve Jurvetson from Menlo Park, USA [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 2) By Baldiri (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
