Questions About Angkor Wat

I shared the presentation about Cambodian New Year's that I will use in Harry's classroom next week.  His questions about Angkor Wat had me searching for some answers.

Why is it called Angkor Wat? 

Angkor means central city or capital.  Wat means buddhist temple.  It translates to "Temple of the Capital City."

Why is it so long?

Angkor Wat is 2,800 by 3,300 feet and contains a number of walled courtyards that encircle a central, five-towered building.   The legend says that Indra, the Lord of Heavin, came down to earth to build the temple to represent the universe.   Historically, King Suryavarman was the ruler who began the building program.

Why is the top of it pointy and why are the five towers?

Thes tructure was built represent Mount Meru, the sacred mountain regarded as the center of the world in the Hindu relgion.  The five towers symbolize the five peaks, the surrounding walls are the mountains, and the moat is the ocean at the end of the world.

References for Angkor Wat

Khmer Smile from UNESCO (Narrated video of Angkor Wat by image quality isn't the best)

Good set of links about Angkor Wat

National Gallery of Art - Cambodia:  Take a virtual tour of Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia.

Comments

[Angkor Tour Guide]

Cambodia is a country with its huge ancient buildings, which were constructed during the Khmer Empire Time (802 – 1431). Angkor Wat is the largest temple in Angkor archeological site (401 square kilometers). It is perfection in art, carving & architecture.

There are three tourist attracted places in the country: Angkor, Sihanouk Ville beaches and Phnom Penh city. You are able to do your temple exploration at Siem Reap about 4 days 3 nights and you also can continue to visit Phnom Penh city about 2 days and 1 night. It is great for your tour in the land of treasure ‘Cambodia’, if you use the services of Angkor Tour Guide: visit their website: www.aangkortourguide.com