Angkor Wat Temple
From Angkor the Khmer kings ruled over a vast domain that reached from Vietnam to China to the Bay of Bengal. The temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia were built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD, and represents one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. More than 100 stone temples still stands today, and are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis. Angkor Wat was built by Suryavaram II, and honors the Hindu god Vishnu. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture. It is designed to represent Mount Meru , home of the devas in Hindu mythology. The temple is situated within a moat and an outer wall. 2.2 miles long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx (geometric pattern consisting of five coplanar ...