Located among Angkor ensemble in Siem Reap province, 240km from Phnom Penh to the North, Angkor Wat is a brilliant architecture achievement showing the high art level of the ancient Khmer.
Angkor Wat Temple
Naga basilisk statue on two sides
Angkor Wat Temple is a pyramid-formed architecture block. The main tower in the center is 65m high and 4 sub-towers is 40m high. The Temple complex is divided into 3 floors: the first floor represents the hell or the water, the second floors is the earth or the soil, and the third floor symbolizes the heaven or wind. These are three factors creating universe. The main shrine is also a three-floor architecture linking together by a long stairs.
Apsara dancers in Angkor Wat 1. The first floor Going to the first floor which represents "Hell", you will feel overwhelmed with sculptural paintings on the walls of the hall in the lowest range. The hall is 2.5m high and runs more than 800m long. These paintings describe the feats of arms of King Suryavarman II who built the temple and the ancient tale in the epic Ramayana and Mahabharata India.
Lakes on the first floor of Angkor used to be place for King to take a bath and clean sins Thanks to the ceiling and the roof running along the hall, the pictures seem still new and intact. In the eastern corridor, there is a bas-relief about 50m long recording the legendary war of the Khmer, with the presence of many gods such as the Deva gods, Asura demons, Airavata white Elephant of Indra Deity, Horse god Uccaihorava, the battle of Sita, Beauty Goddess Laksmi, group of Apsara dancers with grace and vivid moves...
Sculptural paintings
View more: Myanmar luxury trips | Vietnam luxury travels 2. The second floor The second floor or the "earth" is a large courtyard sheltered by surrounding walls, inside are Visnu deities of Hinduism shrines. The black stone statues later were mistaken for Buddha statue by Cambodians. They were put on orange monk’s robes and worshipped according to Buddhist rites. Also on the second floor, there is a lot of pictures of Apsara dancing with bare breasts.
The second floor has a large yard surrounded by walls and shrines inside
Buddha black stone statues inside the second floor
3. The third floor The third floor is the highest floor representing "Heaven". It is considered the place of the Gods which includes two corridors cross. The intersection of two corridors is the centre of Angkor Wat temple. King Visnu statue made from gold used to placed there but it was latter stolen. Today there are the statues of Buddha.
Conquering Angkor Wat The center of the temple is the tallest tower surrounded by four squares hall. At the end of the hall, there are lower towers. Each of them was built in a very special style, the higher, the smaller, looks like the lotus bud. The tower’s layout was very reasonable. You can stand at any angle, you can also see all 5 towers rising in the sky. The stairs going up the central tower are arranged in four sides, steep, narrow and difficult to climb but extremely unique.
Five towers in a very reasonable and balanced layouts Angkor Wat attracts visitors Angkor Wat temple is preserved in the best condition among the Angkor Temple areas today. It is hard to imagine how the massive stone blocks were put on top of the tower. It is more difficult when imagining linking these stones together without using mortar. The supernatural brains created the incomparably unique beauty in the world. Founded in 2001, Exoticvoyages.com is the website about vietnam travel guide. The most beautiful destinations you should explore. The most delicious food you should enjoy. For example: history, people, culture, cuisine, destinations. We have everything what you need. (Ex: Things to do in hanoi, Things to do in vietnam, Non la, Things to do in Saigon, Vietnam souvenirs, best beaches in vietnam, Best time to visit Vietnam, Things to do inSihanoukville,... )