Nature Wat
Nature Wat
A Culture Craft presented by Mythologycrafts.com
This ancient craft is based on the temple of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is an ancient temple in Cambodia, which was built by King Suryavarman II, who ruled over the Khmer Empire for 37 years. The temple was built over the course of more than 30 years, taking up much of King Suryavarman’s rule.
Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu but later became a Buddhist place of worship. In the Hindu religion, Vishnu is the second god in the Triumvirate of the three main Hindu gods. During troubled times, it is his job to come back to earth and restore the balance between good and evil. He has superhuman strength and stamina, resistance to harm and an ability to manipulate energies. That makes him a pretty amazing god.
The temple complex makes this the largest temple based on land size and was constructed by bringing lots of stone from more than 25 miles away. Much of the stone was transported by elephants. Not just a few elephants, almost 1000! The stones were placed, carved and painted. Yes, painted. Now the paint has faded off, but the carvings are still very noticeable.
Although the locals in the area knew of Angkor Wat’s existence, it was covered by bushes and trees, making it look as though it was a hidden temple from an Indiana Jones movie. Archeology started at the site around the mid-1800s. Modern day explorers have discovered an ancient city surrounding the temple ground using technology to “see through” the jungle without chopping down trees!
Due to the fact the temple was and is surrounded by lots of vegetation, we suggest you make this MythologyCrafts.com Angkor Wat replica out of nature items! You might use pinecones, sticks and logs, like we did. Or if you live near an ocean why not make your own out of shells and rocks? Take some time to get outside this spring and collect anything you think would be a good fit for your own “Nature Wat”
We won’t give you step by step instructions for this craft because your Nature Wat will be based on what you find in nature. Be creative and don’t forget your glue gun.
Check out the map of the inner section of Angkor Wat to get a feel for the layout of your Nature Wat.
As you create your masterpiece, work from the inside out. You won’t want to try and glue or assemble items inside the mini-structures you have already put together.
I suggest gathering your supplies and creating a basic idea of how you plan to organize your Wat. I drew a basic plan on a piece of giant green poster board and got to work.
If you get stuck or want a little extra inspiration, check out the MythologyCrafts.com video of crafting the Wat! And, share your Nature Wat with us.