The Baphuon Temple was constructed as the principal temple in Udayadityavarman II's new city and was used to house his royal [G 18 / linga]. It was the largest pyramid temple to be constructed at the time, and it demonstrated the king's desire to build a larger temple than his predecessor.
The Sanskrit inscriptions found on the temple say that it was "a gold temple on a gold mountain," and the Chinese chronicler, Chou Ta-Kuan, said that the central tower of the Baphuon was made of copper. This tower once stood 142 feet high, but its summit is now gone. It may well have been covered with copper or gold and would have been a spectacular sight as the sun went down.
The most impressive feature of the Baphuon is the fine sculpture on the [G 19 / lintels], door frames and columns. Many tales from the [G 20 / Mahabharata] and [G 28 / Ramayana] are told in the superb [G 05 / bas-relief] carving. The sculptural style is possibly the most beautiful surviving in Angkor, perfectly executed without being overly ornate. These carvings have a more restrained style than the work that was completed later. On the west side of the temple, a reclining Buddha, 120 feet long, has been sculpted out of the wall; today it is only partly visible because of the mass of vegetation which has grown over it.
Only three steep massive terraces and some superstructures remain. The towers and galleries are gone. The Baphuon was too big, and was built on an earth mountain. After the earth subsided, the temple slipped and cracked. However, the remains give an impression of its former size and are home to some of the most beautiful of Khmer sculpture.
