Angkor Wat

The next morning we took off in our tuk-tuk with driver and interpreter – first stop was the ticket booth to purchase the pass to enter the Angkor Wat World Heritage Site. It was extremely crowded but they were quite efficient. The hardest part of the whole thing was identifying WHICH of the hundreds of tuk tuks was actually yours. Finally, armed with our pass and guide, we headed for the most famous of them all…Angkor Wat.
The temples of Angkor Wat were built by the Khmer civilization in the early part of the 12th century by a king named SuryavaramII. It was built to honor the Hindu god, Vishnu. While it started out as a Hindu temple, it eventually became a Buddhist temple as the religion of the country shifted. It’s an astounding architectural feat!
The temples, the tallest ones in the center, are supposed to symbolize the mythic Mount Meru (don’t ask me, I’m just writing what the guide said). It also has a moat around the temple, representing the ocean. Most Hindu temples are oriented so that the entrance faces the east for the rising sun (there’s also some significance as to which Hindu god is being honored but I’m not clear on that either). Angkor Wat, however, faces west. Many have speculated as to why …
The picture on the right is but one of hundres of meters of carvings along the outside wall. This one depicts a great battle - soldiers on the bottom with an elephant being ridden by a leader. Others included the story of the "churning of the milk" and life in heaven, on earth and hell. Fabulous details - unbelievable!