War Over the World's Largest Hindu Shrine

Bangalore: A foundation-laying ceremony has been held in Patna, Bihar earlier this month for the creation of what is said to be the tallest Hindu temple anywhere in the world - which is nothing unusual in India. But what became a matter of diplomatic confrontation between India and Cambodia is the same proposed Hindu temple in the banks of Ganges River as it’s the replica of Cambodia's Angkor Wat, the country’s most popular tourist attraction and national symbol. Mahavir Mandir Trust, a privately run India-based religious organization, is behind this 100 crore project and 'bhoomi pujan' (land purification) has been held at the site near Hajipur.

The massive replica of the 12^th century Cambodian temple will be called ‘Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir’ and will be build in a sprawling 40-acer site on the Hajipur-Bidupur road near Ismailpur village.

The Cambodian government called the move to make a higher replica of its national symbol a “shameful act” and warned that this could affect the future relationships with India. “'There is only one Angkor Wat in the world, it is Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple, which was listed as one of the world heritage sites in 1992,'' Cambodia's Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, Him Chhem, told reporters in Phnom Penh.