Angkor Wat Ranked #1 Among Top 10 Largest Temples in The World

Phnom Penh- Across the globe, people of all races build monuments and structures dedicated to their religion to show their faith and loyalty and some go as far as building enormous complexes that leave the world astounded by the sheer size to this day. Regardless of religion, we will discover some of the largest temples in the world.

According to the website of Touropia, these are the 10 largest temples in the world.

 10. Temple of Bacchus

Baalbek, also called the Heliopolis (Greek for Sun City), is found in Northeastern Lebanon. The Temple of Bacchus, dedicated to the Bacchus the Roman wine god, was best preserved and was built in 150AD. It is 66 meters long and 35 meters wide with 42 Corinthian columns, 19 of which remain in good position standing 19 meters high and the complex standing 31m meters tall.

     9. Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

A Russian Orthodox cathedral locates in Moscow, Russia, is one of the most controversial buildings in Moscow. The building was commissioned after the defeat of Napoleon but construction began in 1839; however, it was demolished in 1931 under Stalin’s orders for a proposed Palace of the Soviets, which was never built. Completed in 2000, it has a height of 103 meters and it is the tallest Orthodox church in the world.

     8. Temple of Saint Sava

Located in Belgrade, this Serbian Orthodox church was built dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Orthodox. The Temple of Saint Sav is supposed to be the largest of its kind in the world. Construction began in 1935, 340 years after Saint Sava’s cremation, with many troubles along the way and is only mostly completed in 2004. The church is 91 meters long, 81 meters wide, and a height of 70 meters. The gold-plated cross on top of the dome extends for 12 meters and the entire complex covers 3500 square meters of surface area.

     7. Tikal (Temple IV)

Located in a Rainforest in nowadays Guatemala, Tikal was the largest ancient Mayan city between 200-900AD with 100,000 to 200,000 inhabitants. The largest temple in the city and all over Maya is Pyramid IV, a step pyramid standing 72 meters tall, and was finished in 720 AD.

     6. Jetavanaramaya

Located in the sacred world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, Jetavanaramaya is a stupa dedicated to Jetavana and is the largest stupa by volume in the world. It was built in the 3rd century and took 15 years towards its completion. Around 93.3 million baked bricks were used in its construction and is 122 meters in height.

     5. Sri Ranganathaswamy

Completed in 1987 in a part of South India, this temple complex is dedicated to Lord Ranganatha. It is the largest functioning Hindu temple complex in the world, which receives millions of visitors and pilgrims every year. The temple complex is 631,000 m² and in it stands Rajagopurum, which is the tallest temple tower in South India standing 73 meters tall.

     4. Akshardham Temple

Located in New Delhi, India, Akshardham Temple was built in 2005 and was constructed entirely from Rajasthani pink sandstone, Italian Carrara marble, has no support from steel or concrete, and is intricately carved with flora, fauna, dancers, musicians and deities. The main temple is 96 meters wide and 110 long and stands at a height of 43 meters.

     3. Borobodur

The largest Buddhist temple in the world sits northwest of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Built from more than 2 million blocks of stone, construction took 75 years from the 8th – 9th century. The temple consists of the base, body, and top which relates to the human body. The surface area is 2500m² and the center dome is situated at the top 35 meters from ground level.

     2. Karnak (Great Hypostyle Hall)

The Karnak Temple Complex is the largest temple complex in the world, consisting of a large mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings in Egypt dating from 2055BC – 100AD. Its most famous structure is the Hypostyle Hall. The hall covers an area of 5,000 square meters and has 134 columns in 16 rows full of engraved hieroglyphs, that support a former roof. The middle rows of columns are the highest, standing at 24 meters and 10 meters in circumference.

     1. Angkor Wat Temple

Located in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world on a site measuring 162.6 hectares. The temple was built from 1113 – 1150AD, under the commission of Suryavarman II dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu however turning to Buddhism towards the end of the 12th century. It is built on an area where exists subterranean water making it essentially a floating temple. The complex is made of 3 rectangular galleries rising to a central tower with each level higher than the last. The outer gallery measures 187 x 215 meters, second level measures 100 x 115, and the inner gallery measures 60 x 60 meters. The central tower stands 65 meters above ground.