Phnom Bakheng Archaeological Site

Address: Phnom Bakheng Temple, Angkor Archaeological Park, Siem Reap province, Cambodia

Hours: Daily 7:30am-5:30pm (times for sunset visits can vary)

Admission: SR. 20-40 (around $5-10) for archaeological park access; sunrise climb may require a separate, small fee or local guide

Phnom Bakheng is an early Angkorian temple-mountain on a small forested hill within the Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap, Cambodia; it dates to the late 9th century and served as the state temple of King Yasovarman I. The structure is an important archaeological and visual focus in the Angkor landscape.

The temple-mountain comprises a series of terraces rising to a central sanctuary and is visited primarily for its commanding views over the Angkor plain, including Angkor Wat and surrounding temples. Many visitors come specifically for sunrise or sunset views from the upper terraces, where wide panoramas of the monument field are visible.

The site also offers a compact example of early Angkorian temple architecture with carved elements and stone galleries, giving visitors immediate visual access to the layout of a state temple-mountain. Conservation measures mean some parts of the site are fragile and visitor numbers are managed at times to protect the ruins.

Phnom Bakheng was built around the end of the 9th century as the state temple of Yasovarman I when he established his capital on the hill. It functioned both as a religious centre dedicated to Shiva and as an emblematic axis for the newly founded capital, and it has remained a prominent feature of the Angkoric archaeological record.

The hill sits within the Angkor Archaeological Park near the town of Siem Reap in northwest Cambodia, on elevated ground that overlooks the main cluster of Angkor monuments and the surrounding forested plain.

• Date and patron: Constructed in the late 9th century as the state temple of King Yasovarman I, it was originally dedicated to Shiva and functioned as the focal point of his capital.
• Sunset viewpoint and access: The hilltop is a popular viewpoint for sunrise and sunset over Angkor; access has been restricted at times to limit erosion and protect the monument.

What to See#

• Summit temple and terraces: The temple-mountain occupies a terraced hilltop with an upper sanctuary and platform that afford panoramic views over the Angkor plain and nearby Angkor Wat.
• Approach terraces and galleries: Lower approaches include stepped pathways and ruined galleries that lead up to the central sanctuary on the hilltop.

Bakheng crowns the only hill in the area and is famed for its views, particularly at sunset over the West Baray, with Angkor Wat visible about 1.5 kilometres to the southeast.

The climb. The temple faces east, but the steep stairways up the hill in each cardinal direction are closed for safety. Two paths lead up instead: the Elephant Walkway, which weaves through tropical forest on the south side and once carried visitors up by elephant, and a gentler “safety” path that wraps around the north, crossing the northern and western stairways - the northern stair guarded by a pair of lions - to end at the temple’s southwest corner.

The base of the pyramid. Begin your tour near the top of the eastern stairway. Just beyond it, a small covered structure shelters a “Buddha’s footprint,” a roughly 1.2-metre impression from the 16th-century reign of King Ang Chan. Nearby stand a pair of “libraries,” or Agni Shrines, the southern one set with seated Buddha images. Note how each of the five terraces is slightly smaller than the one below - as are the flanking lions - an optical trick that makes the temple appear taller. Climb carefully; the steps are narrow and slippery when wet.

The upper terrace. The summit once bore a five-towered quincunx representing the five peaks of Mount Meru - the first use of a design later echoed at Angkor Wat. In the 16th century its four outer towers were dismantled to build a seated Buddha, now gone. Female devatas adorn the corners of the central sanctuary, and the faces of the 33 Hindu deities appear on the frontons above the four doorways; an intact inscription on the northern doorway has helped date the temple. The Shiva-linga Yasodharesvara, “the lord who bears glory,” was installed within the sanctuary in 907 but no longer remains.

The view and the descent. On a clear day the panorama takes in Angkor Wat to the southeast, Phnom Kraom to the southwest, Phnom Bok to the northeast, and Phnom Kulen to the east, where Jayavarman II was crowned the first king of Angkor - little wonder Yasovarman chose this spot. Descending to the south, look for the statue of Nandi, the sacred bull and mount of Shiva; of the four that once sat at the foot of each stairway, only this southern one has been restored, repaired by monks and nuns from Battambang in the 1990s.

Phnom Bakheng is inside the Angkor Archaeological Park, about 6-7 km northwest of Siem Reap town. Visitors typically reach it by tuk-tuk or bicycle from Siem Reap; it is often combined with other nearby Angkor sites in a late-afternoon loop.

• Come for sunset to watch the Angkor Wat silhouette change color - Phnom Bakheng is famous for crowded sunset views, so arrive at least an hour earlier during high season.
• If avoiding crowds is the aim, go at dawn on weekdays; the climb is cooler and the light is softer for photography.
• Wear non-slip shoes: the temple steps and upper terrace are steep and can be worn smooth from centuries of feet.

Phnom Bakheng is an early 10th-century Hindu temple-mountain built by Yasovarman I as the state temple of his new capital. After succeeding his father and raising the ancestral temple Lolei, Yasovarman relocated the kingdom’s capital northwest of its former seat at Hariharalaya (Roluos). At the heart of his grand new city, Yasodharapura - ringed by four earthen walls some 4 kilometres long - he set his state temple atop the hill of Bakheng.

The mountain of Yasovarman. Originally called Yasodharagiri, “the mountain of Yasovarman,” Bakheng is a stepped pyramid surrounded by towers representing Mount Meru, the heavenly abode of the gods - the same symbolism as his father’s state temple, Bakong. Unlike Bakong, however, Bakheng was cut directly into the summit of a hill; Yasovarman built temples on all three hills around Angkor: Phnom Bakheng, Phnom Kraom, and Phnom Bok.

A cosmos in stone. Every element of Bakheng carries cosmological meaning. Its seven levels stand for the seven heavens of Indra; the 12 towers on each level for the 12 signs of the zodiac; and the 108 ancillary towers around the central sanctuary - most now fallen - for the four 27-day lunar cycles and the elements of earth, fire, water and air. It was said that only 33 towers, matching the number of Hindu deities, could be seen at once. In the 16th century, after Cambodia’s conversion to Theravada Buddhism, Bakheng became a Buddhist pilgrimage site and the towers atop the summit were reworked into a great seated Buddha, since lost.