Angkor Wat has become a popular symbol which even made its way onto the Cambodian flag. It is considered to be the biggest temple in the world, and definitely the most well-preserved one among the other temples in the city of Angkor. Its structure was influenced first by the Hindu religion and then Buddhism.
It was built as a temple and eventually the final resting place of King Suryavarman the Second. You enter the temple over a bridge spanning the river, and walk through a courtyard followed by other courtyards; with its towers that look like pine trees, walls of twisting columns, murals of wars on the walls, and fairies dancing on the outer walls, it is worth taking a break at every corner and admiring. There are references to Mount Meru in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cosmology; the five-level mountain is supposed to be the center of the universe and Angkor Wat is considered to be a representation of Mount Meru.