Angkor Wat: palace of the gods.
First, remember what Angkor Wat meant to its creators:
- It wasn’t just a temple.
- It wasn’t just a monument.
- It was a literal palace of gods and celestial beings.
In ancient Khmer belief, Angkor Wat represented Mount Meru, the sacred mountain at the center of the universe in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. It wasn’t metaphorical—this was, to them, the actual cosmic residence of deities and heavenly spirits.
Gods didn’t need stairs.
And here’s where the brilliance of the design comes in:
Angkor Wat stairs symbolism
- Humans walk.
- Gods flew.
So when Khmer architects designed the temple’s upper tiers, they intentionally ignored gentle or human-friendly steps. Why would divine beings need them?
Their thinking:
- Divine beings don’t climb like mortals.
- They soar, float, or manifest at will.
- They don’t need wide or shallow staircases.
Hence: steep, narrow steps—not built for ease, but symbolism.
A practical note.
- Angkor’s stair angles often hit 60–70 degrees—nearly vertical.
- The steps are narrow, due to the vertical mountain-like construction.
- Today, modern wooden staircases are added to help tourists ascend safely.
But the original stone stairs? They were basically ladders carved in rock. And that was the point.
Legends and local beliefs.
Many Cambodian elders and local guides still say:
“The stairs were not made for humans. This was the house of the gods. The gods did not walk. They flew. So why make stairs for feet when wings don’t need them?”
It’s poetic. And it reflects how faith shaped architecture in Cambodia’s most iconic site.
So why are you climbing them.
Today, visitors grip handrails and sweat their way up in the heat:
- Tourists climb to watch sunrise from Angkor Wat’s upper terraces.
- Pilgrims ascend to offer prayers closer to heaven.
- And everyone, once at the top, turns around and marvels: “How the hell did I get up here?”
Bottom line.
Angkor Wat’s stairs weren’t made for people like us. They were made for gods who flew.
Climbing them is a reminder that the journey to the divine was never meant to be easy — but it’s worth every step.
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