2018-04-28 Sat

Did you know that Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world?

Angkor Wat, Cambodia's famous UNESCO World Heritage Site is breathtaking and thrilling to explore. The temple ruins have a way of igniting the inner archaeologist in all of us.

This Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu, he is one of the three principal gods in the Hindu pantheon (Shiva and Brahma are the others). Among them, he is known as the “Protector”. The major patron of Angkor Wat was king Suryavarman II, whose name translates as the ‘protector of the Sun’. Many scholars believed that Angkor Wat was not only a temple but also intended to serve as the king’s mausoleum in death.

The building of Angkor Wat is likely to have necessitated some 300,000 workers, which included architects, construction workers, masons, sculptors and the servants to feed these workers. Construction of the site took over 30 years and was never completely finished. The site is built entirely out of stone, which is incredible as close examination of the temple demonstrates that almost every surface is treated and carved with narrative or decorative details.

In 1993, France issued one stamp for UNESCO office in Paris publicizing Angkor Temple as a World Heritage site.

Image Source: Google Images