Phnom Bakheng (Khmer: ភ្នំបាខែង [pʰnom baːkʰaeŋ]) is a Hindu temple in the form of a temple mountain in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Dedicated to Shiva, it was built at the end of the 9th century, during the reign of King Yasovarman (889–910). Located atop a hill, it is nowadays a popular tourist spot for sunset views of the much bigger temple Angkor Wat, which lies amid the jungle about 1.5 km to the southeast. The large number of visitors makes Phnom Bakheng one of the most threatened monuments of Angkor. Since 2004, the World Monuments Fund has been working to conserve the temple in partnership with APSARA.
HINT:
In this Dossier
Phnom Bakheng in the context of Yaśodharapura
Yashodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ; Khmer pronunciation: [jeaʔ sao tʰeaʔ reaʔ boʔ raʔ]; Sanskrit: यशोधरपुर "Yashodharapura"), also known as Angkor (Khmer: អង្គរ), was the capital of the Khmer Empire for most of its history. It was established by King Yashovarman I in the late 9th century and centred on the temple of Phnom Bakheng.
Yashodharapura was referred to in the inscriptions as Phnom Kandal (Central Mountain). Phnom Bakheng was constructed just before the foundation of Yashodharapura due to Yashovarman's belief that the mountain was among the holiest of places to worship the Hindu deities. Yashodharapura was linked to an earlier capital, Hariharalaya, by a causeway. The urban complex included the East Baray or Yashodharatataka.
View the full Wikipedia page for Yaśodharapura