Terrace of the Elephants, Witness the Grandeur of Royal Celebrations

Terrace of the Elephants, Petit Circuit, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The observatory platform is where the royal families perform military parades

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Introduction

Bakong Temple is one of the largest, most important, and most interesting temples in the Roluos Group. It used to be a large temple in the city center, dedicated to Shiva and Linga, representing the sacred mountain and serving as the central temple of the city. The temple complex includes a five-tier sandstone central tower on the east side, a 60-meter square base, eight brick and sandstone stupas on each side, and two small shrines. The eight stupas beneath the central tower still partially retain their original plaster reliefs. The temple is surrounded by three concentric walls and a moat. The first three levels of the central temple each have well-preserved stone statues, and the third level has 12 Buddha stupas, with four in each cardinal direction, while the sanctuary is located on the fifth level. Bakong Temple was later expanded and shares a similar architectural style with the central tower of Angkor Wat, resembling the Indonesian Borobudur. North of the entrance on the east side of Bakong Temple is a Buddhist monastery.