Angkor Wat is a unique combination of the temple mountain (the standard design for the empire’s state temples)
and the later plan of concentric galleries, most of which were originally derived from religious beliefs of Hinduism.
The construction of Angkor Wat suggests that there was a celestial significance with certain features of the temple.
This is observed in the temple’s east–west orientation, and lines of sight from terraces within the temple that
show specific towers to be at the precise location of the solstice at sunrise. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru,
the home of the gods according to Hindu mythology: the central quincunx of towers symbolize the five peaks of the mountain,
and the walls and moat symbolize the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean.
and the later plan of concentric galleries, most of which were originally derived from religious beliefs of Hinduism.
The construction of Angkor Wat suggests that there was a celestial significance with certain features of the temple.
This is observed in the temple’s east–west orientation, and lines of sight from terraces within the temple that
show specific towers to be at the precise location of the solstice at sunrise. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru,
the home of the gods according to Hindu mythology: the central quincunx of towers symbolize the five peaks of the mountain,
and the walls and moat symbolize the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean.
