Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Hindus world over, numbering around one billion, were very proud and delighted on Hindu Temples of Angkor topping the Ultimate Travelist.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that a lot needed to be done to safeguard the Angkor temple complex and its surroundings and deteriorating bas-reliefs; save it from vandalism and looting; put some controls on unchecked tourism; check the demand for water table which could undermine the stability of sandy soils under the temples.

Rajan Zed also urged UNESCO World Heritage Convention and Cambodia government to provide more funding for the upkeep of the temple complex and spend more than half the ticket revenue on the temples.

As the world’s greatest temple of Lord Vishnu …this magnificent monument is the greatest treasure of a Hindu kingdom that once stretched as far as Burma, Laos and southern China… Angkor is something out of the ordinary – a literal representation of heaven on earth, hewn from thousands of sandstone blocks and carved floor-to-ceiling with legends from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas.

Angkor Wat itself is the undisputed highlight, a massive representation of Mt Meru, the mountain home of the Gods of Hinduism, executed in stone blocks adorned with bas-reliefs of such delicacy and grace that they could almost have been carved in the presence of the divine… Angkor isn’t just an interesting ruin – it’s a Spiritual epiphany in stone.