India is to build a replica of one of the most famous tourist sites in the world, the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia.
A Hindu trust is sponsoring the project, which will cost an estimated $20m and take 10-years to build on a 40-acre plot in the eastern state of Bihar, on the banks of the River Ganges.
A foundation-laying ceremony has been held for the project, which will become the world’s largest Hindu temple.
Secretary of the Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust, Kishore Kunal, told the BBC that the replica of the UNESCO World Heritage site would be slightly taller than the original. He said it would be known as Virat Angkor Wat Ram temple but will also house other Hindu deities like Radha-Krishna, Shiv-Parvati, Ganesh, Surya and 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
"We’ll make this temple the pride of the Hindu temples in the world and I’ve started it on the occasion of the 100th year of Bihar state’s foundation."
By Linsey McNeill
