This temple is pretty freaking amazing, actually. It was built in the 11th century by Suryavarman II. He was a god-king and was responsible for bringing Hindu influence to Khmer life. The temple complex is HUGE, and there are many different levels and sections. The whole complex is surrounded by a moat, called a baray. It's supposed to signify the mythical cosmic ocean from which all is born -- most temples in this era have moats for this reason.
Angkor Wat is a temple built to celebrate the Hindu god Vishnu, and the whole complex is covered in images, murals, and statues that celebrate the gods and the Hindu myths. Literally every inch of stone is carved or decorated. I could bore you all with more about the history, but instead I will just tell you go check out the Wikipedia page (haha) and provide you with lots of pictures!!
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| Crossing the baray |
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| Looking up inside the main gate |
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| Looking out into the courtyard |
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| Main courtyards, Angkor in the back! |
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| Verandas all the way around the temple |
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| Tim and the depiction of the Ramayana |
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| Me! And Vishnu's turtle incarnation in the myth "Churning of the Great Ocean of Milk" |
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| Climbing up into the temple towers! |
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| Me and my kroma! |
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| Beautiful carvings |
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| Here we are at Angkor! |
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| best friends. |
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