Baphuon Temple

Baphuon is an 11th-century temple mountain dedicated to Shiva, built by King Udayadityavarman II and considered one of the grandest structures in the Angkor complex. Rising in three tiers on a raised foundation, it is connected to the royal palace enclosure by an elevated sandstone walkway stretching nearly 200 meters. What makes Baphuon particularly remarkable is its reclining Buddha figure on the western face of the second level, a 9-meter tall addition created in the 15th century when the temple was converted to Buddhism. Baphuon underwent a complex multi-decade restoration project, during which all 300,000 stone blocks were meticulously disassembled, catalogued, and reassembled, making it one of the most technically ambitious restoration efforts in Angkor's history.