angkor wat

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Yesterday we took a guided tour of the Angkor complex including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, baphuon temple, and Prasat Kravan. Within the Angkor complex there are dozens of temples, a walled city, reservoirs, and thick jungle. The wats vary in size, decoration and even religion. Over the span of the Khmer Empire, the official religion switched from Hindu to Buddism and back to Hindu. In places like Angkor Wat, Buddha statues were placed amongst the images of Vishnu.

Angkor Wat (city of temples) is the largest single temple of the Angkor complex, consisting of a moat, walled gallery, and a 3-story central building. It took only 30 years to build (insert Big Dig joke here). The building sits on a foundation of sand and porous stones, which accommodates the rise and fall of the underlying water table. Rising water is absorbed by the sand and stone in the rainy season and slowly released during the dry season. Because the buildings are actually floating on this water table, it is vital to keep the water table somewhat stable.

The galleries are designed with porous stone supports covered with local sandstone, which was easy to carve and shape. The stone were laid without mirror or joints - just friction and gravity.

Angkor Wat has 3 levels - the lowest level was used by the common folk for worship. The second level was for the priests and the highest level was reserved for the king and his family.

The famous bas reliefs are located one the public-most level and highlight important Hindu stories, such as the churning of the sea of milk and depict battles between good and evil.

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