Vishnu's Heaven on Earth: The Story of Angkor Wat
Chapter One: A Palace for a God: The Hindu Origins and Sacred Purpose of Angkor Wat In the early 12th century, at the absolute zenith of its power and influence, the Khmer Empire embarked on the most ambitious architectural undertaking in human history. Under the reign of the great King Suryavarman II, an army of artisans, sculptors, and laborers began to raise a stone mountain from the plains of Angkor, a monument of such perfect symmetry and sublime beauty that it appears to be a piece of heaven fallen to earth. This monument, Angkor Wat, was not built by chance or for simple glory. It was conceived with a singular, profound, and revolutionary purpose: to serve as the eternal home for a god and the sacred vessel for a king's immortality. To understand why Angkor Wat was built, one must look past its modern identity as a national symbol and journey back to the spiritual world of its creators. At its heart, Angkor Wat is a masterpiece of Hindu devotion. It was constructed as both a …
