Not only is Suryavarman known as a religious reformer, but a temple builder as well. During his reign, he built a total of 6 temples. Namely, “Angkor Wat, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda, Banteay Samre, Phnom Rung, Beng Mealea” (Freeman & Jacques 12). The increase in religious monuments, also meant spread of religion. To be specific, Suryavarman dedicated Angkor Wat to Vishnu. Britannica refers to the king as, a “religious reformer who blended the mystical cults of Vishnu and Shiva, supreme Hindu deities, and promulgated Vaishnavism as the official religion, rather than Buddhism, which had briefly flourished under his predecessors.” The scale of Angkor Wat enabled the Khmer to give full expression to religious symbolism. Typically, the dimensions of the temples reflect the structure of the Hindu mythological universe. For example, the five towers at the center of the Angkor Wat complex represent the peaks of Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The outer wall then, “represents the mountains that ring the world's edge; and a moat depicts the cosmic ocean. Like many other ancient edifices, the monuments of the Angkorian region absorbed vast reserves of resources and human labor and their purpose remains shrouded in mystery.” (Swann 221). Even the orientation of the way the temples are faced have an importance. The temples are all so symbolic, which helps us understand their cosmology and religious ideologies (Freeman & Jacques 47). It has also been recorded that the temple contained a statue of Vishnu, but at some point, temples were converted to Theravada Buddhist worship. Suryavarman however, chose Hindu sources as the subject matter- Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, were specifically carved on the two panels. Meanwhile, the Heavens and Hells were carved
Not only is Suryavarman known as a religious reformer, but a temple builder as well. During his reign, he built a total of 6 temples. Namely, “Angkor Wat, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda, Banteay Samre, Phnom Rung, Beng Mealea” (Freeman & Jacques 12). The increase in religious monuments, also meant spread of religion. To be specific, Suryavarman dedicated Angkor Wat to Vishnu. Britannica refers to the king as, a “religious reformer who blended the mystical cults of Vishnu and Shiva, supreme Hindu deities, and promulgated Vaishnavism as the official religion, rather than Buddhism, which had briefly flourished under his predecessors.” The scale of Angkor Wat enabled the Khmer to give full expression to religious symbolism. Typically, the dimensions of the temples reflect the structure of the Hindu mythological universe. For example, the five towers at the center of the Angkor Wat complex represent the peaks of Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The outer wall then, “represents the mountains that ring the world's edge; and a moat depicts the cosmic ocean. Like many other ancient edifices, the monuments of the Angkorian region absorbed vast reserves of resources and human labor and their purpose remains shrouded in mystery.” (Swann 221). Even the orientation of the way the temples are faced have an importance. The temples are all so symbolic, which helps us understand their cosmology and religious ideologies (Freeman & Jacques 47). It has also been recorded that the temple contained a statue of Vishnu, but at some point, temples were converted to Theravada Buddhist worship. Suryavarman however, chose Hindu sources as the subject matter- Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, were specifically carved on the two panels. Meanwhile, the Heavens and Hells were carved