PATNA, India (AP) — A replica of Cambodia's iconic 12th century Angkor Wat temple is being built on the banks of the Ganges River in eastern India.
The Mahavir Mandir Trust says its $20 million project will result in the world's tallest Hindu temple, standing 222 feet (68 meters), or five stories, when finished in 10 years. It will still be slightly smaller than the famed Cambodian complex now used for Buddhist ceremonies.
Trust Secretary Acharya Kishore Kunal said Tuesday that the new complex, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside the Bihar state capital of Patna, will be named Angkor Nagar, using the Hindi word for "city."
Its Cambodian predecessor was originally built in the early 1100s to worship the Hindu god Vishnu, but the Indian replica will also invite worship of Shiva and other deities.
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