Baphuon, ca. 1160, built by King Udayadityavarman II (r. 1050-1066) and the second-largest temple (in area) after Angkor Wat. The central image was called Udayadityeshvara and was dedicated to the king and a Shiva lingam. The design of the Baphuon was the model for Angkor Wat.

Description

The eastern entrance gateway to the Baphuon is right next to - and aligned with - the eastern gateways leading into the royal palace compound. That compound has a low wall going around it with the Phimeanakas placed a little to the east of center. Both the Phimeanakas and the Baphuon have been situated to fall into a general alignment on their eastern borders, given that the eastern enclosing wall of each temple is in alignment. The mass of the Baphuon's three central terraces, however, lies farther west than the three terraces of the Phimeanakas. The outer compound wall of the Baphuon is 125 x 425 m.

Just inside the eastern gateway of the Baphuon is a long, narrow walkway raised up off the ground on pillars. The elevated approach is 220 yards long, and is flanked by two rectangular pools. The Baphuon has three enclosing, rectangular galleries that rise successively higher towards the center (3.5, 7, and 10 m. high, respectively). The outer gallery encloses two large libraries on the east and another pair on the west. These western library structures are unusual in that they do not have the normal rectangular shape with a clerestory, but are cruciform in shape. The two eastern libraries are rectangular but still open on four sides and have a projecting antechamber on each side as well. The libraries are connected to each other and to the eastern and western entrances by raised walkways. That is a feature that would be copied at Angkor Wat. For the first time, there are no long buildings in the courtyards of the temple.

The first (upper) and second terraces of the Baphuon had a vaulted surrounding gallery like the outer (third) terrace. Also for the first time in Khmer history, there were corner towers on each of the three surrounding galleries - and the galleries were very close together. The central tower of the Baphuon was described as "bronze" (i.e., covered with bronze) by Zhou Daguan in 1297. It is raised high up on a tall base and when it still stood overlooking the capital, it reached higher than the main tower of the Bayon temple just to the south of it.

The entrances to the gallery around the second terrace were carved with small bas-reliefs in a pattern of square frames. Most of the scenes are from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata - the two epics whose main battles were featured on the west side of Angkor Wat and in the northern library and towers of Banteay Srei.

Conservation

The French planned to finish their conservation of the Baphuon, begun in the 1960s, but postponed that effort in 1995 to work on the royal terraces in the palace compound instead. Today, there are no terraces or galleries back in place at the Baphuon. Some of the cement retaining walls that were meant to be faced with the original sandstone of the terraces are standing bare in the harsh sunlight. It is uncertain when restoration will begin again. Meanwhile, the sandstone blocks of the Baphuon are scattered all around in the fields that surround the monument.