Phnom Bakheng

Temple in Siem Reap

Angkor Phnom Bakheng
CC BY-SA 3.0 / 松岡明芳

Phnom Bakheng is a Hindu temple in the form of a temple mountain, located in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Dedicated to Shiva, it was constructed at the end of the 9th century during the reign of King Yasovarman (889–910). Positioned atop a hill, it has become a popular destination for tourists, offering stunning sunset views of the much larger Angkor Wat, situated 1.5 kilometers southeast amidst the jungle. Due to the high volume of visitors, Phnom Bakheng is one of the most threatened monuments in Angkor. Since 2004, the World Monuments Fund has partnered with APSARA to help conserve the temple.

History of Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng, built more than two centuries before Angkor Wat, was once the principal temple in the Angkor region. It served as the central feature of the new capital, Yasodharapura, which King Yasovarman established after relocating the court from the former capital of Hariharalaya, located southeast in the Roluos area.

An inscription dating from 1052 AD, found at Sdok Kak Thom in present-day Thailand, states in Sanskrit: “When Sri Yasovardhana became king under the name of Yasovarman, the able Vamasiva continued as his guru. By the king’s order, he set up a linga on Sri Yasodharagiri, a mountain equal in beauty to the king of mountains.” Scholars believe this passage refers to the consecration of Phnom Bakheng approximately 150 years earlier.

Phnom Bakheng is one of three hilltop temples built during Yasovarman’s reign. The other two are Phnom Krom to the south, near Tonle Sap Lake, and Phnom Bok to the northeast of the East Baray reservoir. Workers constructed a protective outer moat around the temple and the mountain, with avenues leading north, south, east, and west from the site. A raised pathway connected the old capital to the new capital’s outer moat, extending to the east entrance of the temple.

Later in its history, Phnom Bakheng was repurposed as a Buddhist temple, and a monumental Sitting Buddha, now lost, was created on its upper tier. A Reclining Buddha of similar scale was also sculpted in stone along its west side, and its outline remains visible today.

Symbolism of Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng symbolically represents Mount Meru, the mythical home of the Hindu gods, emphasized by the temple’s position atop a steep hill 65 meters above the surrounding plain. The temple is designed as a pyramid with seven levels, symbolizing the seven heavens. At the highest level, five sandstone sanctuaries stand in a quincunx pattern—one in the center and one at each corner of the square. Originally, 108 small towers surrounded the temple at ground level and on its various tiers, though most have since collapsed.

Jean Filliozat, a leading expert on Indian cosmology and astronomy, interpreted the temple’s symbolism. The temple rises in five levels, crowned by five main towers, with 104 smaller towers distributed over the lower four levels. These towers are placed symmetrically, with 33 visible from the center of any side, a number representing the gods who resided on Mount Meru. The 108 smaller towers correspond to the four lunar phases, each lasting 27 days. The seven levels represent the seven heavens, and each terrace contains 12 towers, symbolizing the 12-year cycle of Jupiter. According to University of Chicago scholar Paul Wheatley, the temple serves as “an astronomical calendar in stone.”

After Angkor was rediscovered in the mid-19th century, it took years for archaeologists to understand the historical importance of Phnom Bakheng. Initially, scholars thought the Bayon temple in the center of Angkor Thom was the temple referenced in the Sdok Kak Thom inscription. Later research revealed that the Bayon was a Buddhist temple built almost three centuries after Phnom Bakheng, in the late 12th century, confirming that Phnom Bakheng was the state temple of King Yasovarman.

The view of Angkor Wat from the top of Phnom Bakheng is featured in the movie Tomb Raider, when Lara Croft looks through binoculars upon arriving in Cambodia.

The Phnom Bakheng appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Siem Reap!

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Visiting Phnom Bakheng

Address: Phnom Bakheng, Angkor Archaeological Park, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia

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