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
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