Solstice Alignments at Angkor Wat and Nearby Temples: Connecting to the Cycles of Time

According to the author, ​“the data [presented here] suggest that Angkor temples were linked to the Sun through a sophisticated combination of solstice, equinox and zenith Sun alignments. Zenith alignments along the vertical axes of lotus temple towers established an axis mundi for each temple.

“Where visible equinox alignments occur (e.g. Angkor Wat, Bakong), processional movements along east – west avenues might have been timed to the equinoxes for maximum hierophanic effect. Based on the evidence provided above, solstice alignments were an important part of Angkor temple design. As also explained in the main text, however, solstice alignments were probably not for observational purposes. Rather, they seem to have been for symbolic purposes – presumably intended to link the temples to the dynamic aspect of the solar cycle.”