Beauty and Power

Pyramids imply power.

The megalithic structures of Angkor imitated the Vedic cosmology of Mount Meru at the center of the world. But who sits atop Mount Meru?

Inner Sanctum at Angkor Wat

At Angkor Wat, of course  the inner sanctum is a Vishnu temple. But typically, in many different megalithic mountain structures, the presiding deity is understood to be Indra, god of the rain. In this entire region, rice was supreme and so was the rain-god. In many ancient cultures, the rain-god was supreme: The celts had Thor:

 In the Vedic culture, it was Indra.

Indra ruled the heavens with thunderbolts and rain. He is representative of power. So atop the pyramid of power sits Indra, lord of the mountain. But when Indra went to challenge the inhabitants of Vrindaban, his power was overthrown. 

Krishna challenged the power of Indra and called for devotion, bhakti, or divine love as the highest principle,  demonstrating that beauty is above power. See the following extract from "The Loving Search for the Lost Servant," By B.R. Shridhar.