Wat .

Wat Arun , Bangkok

What is wat ? :|


Wat simply means temple in the region of Cambodia , Thailand and Laos . In language of Khemer & Thai sometimes it refers of school . Which gives the meaning of a place for people to learn about religion and ofcourse a place to worship the gods .


Usually , Wat is a sacred place where the image or the statue of buddha were place . These places will be the place where you can find monks because , this is the place where they live . Ofcourse their living space and the sacred space will be isolated .


There are many types of Wat , Varies in form and space . But the common characteristic of Buddhist Wat are that :

• They usually have conical or bell shape buidlings which normally known as stupa . This building usually contains the relics of Buddha
• Meeting & Prayer room
• a usually open square building with four arches and a pyramidal roof ; used to worship religious texts or objects .
• pavilion for relaxation or miscellaneous activities
• library " where Buddhist scriptures are kept "

The most common Wat that obviously everybody knows ;

ANGKOR WAT .

  Angkor Wat  ;

Angkor Wat , Located In Angkor , Cambodia . 

 

   It is built as A Royal Temple , dedicated to Hindu Deity . Built under the ruling of King Suryavarman II . Some say that Angkor Wat was built as temple purposes since its architecture " space planning " points to temple . But because of its entrance is from the west , that it was built as a tomb . 

  Angkor Wat occupies a rectangular area about 500 acres & it is surrounded by a Moat (river / canal) . It is 213 feet tall , :O . Achieved by the 5 central towers standing on 3 layer of rectangular platforms.

Angkor Wat went through many religion beliefs .

Hindu God Shiva  >> Hindu God Shiva >> Mahayana Buddhist Deity .

Its Architecture :

 It is Heavily Influence By Indian Ideas . & as the symbol of Universe .

   The city was built around a central temple on a hill . Symbol as Mount Meru , The Home of Gods.

 The 5 Central tower of each temple represent the five peaks of the Mount Meru .

   The outer wall represents the mountains that believed to encircle cosmos .

The Huuuuuuuge Moats , have to 2 purposes :

        One , as symbols of the outer ocean of the universe

        Two , is to improved water control over the everyday usage & agriculture purposes.

 Characters Of Angkor Wat : 

 It have 3 level of platform which supports the five towers ( 4 at the corners & 1 in the middle ) . Each platform is progressively smaller and higher than the one below . The ingenious plan allows a view of all five towers only from certain angles . The overall profile imitates a lotus bud .

    Angkor wat temple is most famous for its Bas-reliefs . The bas-reliefs surround the first level of the temple . It covers the innermost wall of the first level on all four sides . The magnificent sandstone carvings points the rich heritage of the Khmer civilization .

Ok , thats it . I mean for now :) 

p/s : Hope to visit Angkor Wat . One day :))