Situated pretty much across the street from the Bayon Temple, is the beautifully renovated Baphuon. Originally built in the mid-11th century to worship the Hindu god, Shiva, it was converted into a Buddhist temple in the late 15th Century.
Walking around today, it feels likes the grounds of a majestic palace! Four long regal walkways, from each direction, lead into a gorgeous gopura. We came in via the Southern entrance, along a lovely green pool.
Jigsaw Renovation
The first round of restorations began in 1960, but then got put on hold when civil war broke out in 1970. Rebuilding the temple from the ground up reconvened in 1996. It took a total of 15 years to jigsaw together the 300,000 carefully labeled and numbered sandstone blocks that were left organized (from round 1) across 25 acres surrounding the temple. It probably took so long because the plans identifying the pieces were lost during the decade of conflict. The inauguration of the renovated temple was July 3, 2011.
Roaming around, we certainly saw a lot of the numbers still marking the blocks making up doorways. I was blown away that these bricks have been put back together without any mortar! There are also piles and piles of “extra blocks” laying around on the grass, amongst the trees – making for great picnic spots!
View from Above
With five levels, there’s a lot to explore and marvel at, at Baphuon. The biggest thrill was taking the steep climb all the way to the top of this impressive temple and taking in the awesome views of the sprawling grounds. Definitely a favorite and must-see site!
Slideshow – Swipe and stroll to see the splendor of Baphuon temple with us
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