The Angkor-Wat Bas-Reliefs
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Angkor in Cambodia is home to one of the most unusual and impressive temples in the world; built in the early 1100s under the instruction of the Khmer king Suryavarman, it is surrounded by a huge, square moat and contains a maze of corridors, courtyards and chambers, over which many-levelled towers loom, in representation of Mount Meru, home of the Hindu gods.
Aside from its singular architecture, it is also world-renowned for the bas-relief sculptures it contains. Once richly gilded, they depict legendary battles between Hindu gods and their enemies, plus a large number of minor Hindu guardian deities, or 'devatas', which seem to proceed anti-clockwise around the inner walls. This contributes to the theory that Angkor Wat was designed as a venue for the king's death rites, since it faces west rather than the more commonly chosen east.
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Photo by flickr user DaveSinclair
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