1. Hinduism v. buddism
Regaining control of the Angkor Wat temple from the Cham dynasty, who had inhabited the complex for some time. Jayavarman was a follower of Mahayana Buddhism and was likely the source for Angkor Wat's conversion to the Buddhist faith.11 At this time it is believed the statue of Vishnu at the center of the temple complex was removed and a Buddhist statue was put in its place.
Angkor Wat initially seems to follow the traditional state temple architecture of the Khmer empire. The central temple stands as a representation of the home of the gods, Mount Meru with each of the temple's five prominent towers resembling the five peaks of the mountain. 1 In order to access the central temple, one must first traverse the one hundred and ninety meter wide moat that encompasses the entirety of Angkor Wat's central structures. This body of water and the wall incised thirty meters from its inner banks stand in as representations of the mountains and oceans that surround Mount Meru.1 The architectural planning of Angkor deviates from normalcy beyond these structures. Unlike many of the remaining Khmer temples, the Angkor complex is oriented to the west rather than to the traditional east. Furthermore, while the reliefs found on a majority of the walls read in a clockwise fashion, the highly ornate reliefs found within the temple's inner most gallery complex and southern outer wall proceed in a counter clockwise direction, reading from right to left in complete contradiction to parikrama, a Hindu custom that will be discussed later in this paper. These two deviations in architectural design, coupled with the known fact that many Hindu rituals are performed in reverse during funeral services have lead the conclusion that King Suryavarman the second intended the Angkor complex to be is final resting place. This notion is further reinforced by dictations from several of the original surveyors that describe a container that was recovered from the central tower, one that follows the traditional description of a Khmer funerary jar.
Hindu scriptures are written in Sanskrit, which is the ancient language of India. ... Lastly there is the Ramayana that is one of the two great epics. ... Worship is done in a village temple, which is dedicated to Vishnu or Shiva. ... Many of the festivals involve offerings at the shrines in temples. ... Hindu temples, institutions, schools and media thrive, offering their host communities an insight into Hindu belief and practice. ...
Hinduism is an ancient religion of people looking for explanations for the things that are beyond human power. ... Some of these baths are still located in the modern Hindu Temples. ... These type of rituals which originated in the mandira (Hindu temple.) ... The Ramayana, Tirukural, Tirmuantiram, The Upanishads (a philosophical treatise portion of the Vedas.) ...
It was followed by the ancient civilization of the Indus valley, Ganges valley, Deccan and Cauveri delta, as well as other parts of India all over the Indian peninsula and surrounding areas of Asia. ... Hindus do not have one "Holy Book" like many other religions, but many texts including the four Vedas along with their Upanishads, called the "Sruti", several Dharma Sasthras or Smrutis, Ithihasas and Puranas including the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. ... He is also seen as Father as in Siva in various forms in several Hindu Temples. -- The Temple in which they are worshipped is not just a con...
This religion includes ancient beliefs and customs. ... The most important books are; "the Vedas, which are the oldest writings about life and duty, the Upanishads which are hymns and poems and the Ramayana which contain poems." ... Also most Buddhist go to the temple on the days of a full moon. ...