Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · Cambodia

Phnom Bakheng

Angkor, Siem Reap · 13.4242°, 103.8561°

ShivaKhmer EmpireBakheng (Khmer)UNESCO World Heritage
Sacred since
889 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
889–910 (Yasovarman I)
Khmer Empire

History & significance

Raised between 889 and 910 by Yasovarman I as the state temple of Yasodharapura, the capital he founded after moving the court from Hariharalaya, this hilltop temple-mountain predates Angkor Wat by two centuries. A moat ringed the hill and avenues ran out from it in the cardinal directions; its seven levels were read as the seven heavens, its 108 towers as lunar cycles and the 33 towers visible from the centre as the gods of Mount Meru, which the whole structure represents. Monumental Buddha sculpture was added when the site later passed to Buddhist use, and the World Monuments Fund has worked on its conservation since 2004.

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Related sites

Brihadisvara Temple
Thanjavur · India
1003–1010 CE
Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Gangaikonda Cholapuram · India
c. 1035 CE
Airavatesvara Temple
Darasuram, Kumbakonam · India
mid-12th c. CE
Shore Temple
Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) · India
c. 700–728 CE
Virupaksha Temple, Hampi
Hampi · India
7th-c. origins; major Vijayanagara expansion
Vittala Temple, Hampi
Hampi · India
15th–16th c.

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Khmer Empire