Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. Angkor Wat is the centerpiece of any visit to the temples of Angkor. At the apex of Khmer political and military dominance in the region, Suryavarman II constructed Angkor Wat in the form of a massive 'temple-mountain' dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. It served as his state temple, though the templeââ¬â¢s uncommon westward orientation has led some to suggest that it was constructed as Suryavarman IIââ¬â¢s funerary temple. Other temples of the same style and period include Thommanon, Banteay Samre, Wat Atwea and Beng Melea, which may have served as a prototype to Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat, located at 13ð24ââ¬Â²45ââ¬Â³N 103ð52ââ¬Â²0ââ¬Â³E, is a unique combination of the temple mountain, the standard design for the empire's state temples and the later plan of concentric galleries.
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