Baphuon

Baphuon Overview

Baphuon is a temple located in the Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia. It means “hidden child”. It was built in the mid-11th century during the reign of King Udayadityavarman II and was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Baphuon is known for its massive size and grand architectural style. And it was once one of the largest temples in the Angkor complex.

The temple was originally built as a three-tiered pyramid with four staircases leading to the top. And the pyramid was adorned with intricate carvings and reliefs depicting scenes from Hindu mythology. The temple’s central tower was once surmounted by a massive statue of the Hindu god Shiva, which has since been lost.

In the mid-20th century, the temple underwent an extensive restoration project, during which it was dismantled and then reconstructed. The restoration was not completed, however. The temple lay in ruins for many years before a new project was undertaken in the 1990s to complete the work.

Visits

Today, Baphuon is once again a major attraction within the Angkor Archaeological Park, attracting visitors from around the world who come to admire its size and grandeur and learn about its history and cultural heritage. The temple has undergone further restoration work in recent years and is now considered one of the best-preserved temples in the complex.

Baphuon

The climb to Baphuon Temple is steep and children under the age of 12 are prohibited from entering. Is it for safety? In any case, walking from Bayon to here in the heat and then climbing the steps of Baphuon is pretty tough. The building of the pyramid-shaped temple is already unremarkable, and at first glance there is nothing special to see.

Baphuon

The view from the top of the Baphuon Pyramid is quite nice. Especially the aerial corridor that I walked looks beautiful.

Baphuon

To return from Baphuon, you have to go around the back of the ruins once. The longer you walk, the more physically demanding it becomes.

But when you look at the ruins from the back side… what does that mean? On the other side of the ruins, you can see a large relief of a reclining Buddha. It seems that something that was quite collapsed has been repaired, but it is not complete. In addition, this reclining Buddha is said to be from the 14th century when Phabuon was later remodeled into a Buddhist temple.

reclining Buddha

Baphuon tours

Baphuon is included in many Angkor Wat tours.

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3 responses to “Baphuon”

  1. […] Suor Prat is a temple located in the ancient city of Angkor, near the Bayon Temple and Baphuon Temple. It was built in the late 12th or early 13th century, during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. It […]

  2. […] of the Elephants (Elephant Terrace) is a large platform located in the Angkor Thom, near Bayon and Baphuon. It was built in the early 12th century during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, and was used as a […]