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I visted the largest religious building in the world - Angkor Wat. Angkor means "capital," and a wat is a monastery. The whole Angkor complex, of which Angkor Wat is the largest component, extends 15 miles (24 kilometers) from east to west and 8 miles (13 kilometers) north to south. Besides the buildings, there is a vast system of reservoirs, canals, and moats that were used for water control and irrigation. Together they symbolized the ocean that in Hindu thought surrounded a central mountain, Mount Meru, dwelling place of the gods. In Angkor Wat the five central towers symbolize the peaks of the mountain. The wat is surrounded by an enormous moat, suggesting the oceans at the edge of the world. To reach the wall outside the temple one crosses a 617-foot (188-meter) bridge. Through the gateway the temple is reached by passing through three galleries, each separated by a paved walkway. The temple walls are covered with bas-relief sculptures of very high quality, representing Hindu gods and ancient Khmer scenes.
From the early 15th century, when the Angkor complex was abandoned, until the late 19th century, Angkor Wat was kept intact by Theravada Buddhist monks. It became one of the most important pilgrimage shrines in Southeast Asia. After 1863, when the French colonial system was established in Indochina, the Angkor site became the object of scholarly interest by Westerners.
We got picked up at five in the morning to watch the sunrise of Angkor Wat. It wass magical! It took us around two hours to walk around this gigantic building. On our wa around we saw many monks. Some of the monks were around your age.
After Angkor Wat we saw many other temples. My favourite was Bayon temple. Dating from the 12th century, Bayon Temple is the spectacular central temple of the ancient city of Angkor Thom. The complex is located just to the north of the famous Angkor Wat. Bayon is known for its huge stone faces, with one facing outward and keeping watch at each compass point. The curious smiling image, thought by many to be a portrait of Jayavarman himself, has been dubbed by some the "Mona Lisa of Southeast Asia." There are 51 smaller towers surrounding Bayon, each with four faces of its own.
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