Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng is an 11th-century Hindu temple built atop a natural hill by King Yasovarman I and dedicated to Shiva. It was the first major temple mountain constructed in the Angkor region, predating even Angkor Wat, and served as the symbolic center of the first capital city of the Khmer Empire. The temple pyramid features seven tiers with a total of 108 towers, a number of great cosmic significance in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Today Phnom Bakheng is best known as the premier sunset viewing point within the Angkor Archaeological Park, where visitors climb 65 meters above the surrounding forest to watch the sun descend behind Angkor Wat in the west.