 Situated
150 metres north of the main axial stairway to Phnom Bakheng, this small
temple appears in a frame of beautiful trees to the left of the road as
a stepped pyramid, fine in proportion and warm in hue - since it is built
in laterite and brick as the construction materials typical of the 10th
century. The surrounding brick enclosure wall has almost entirely disappeared,
though to the east, the remains of an axial gopura with sandstone steps
are still visible.
The pyramid measures 27 metres across at the base and 15 at the summit
for an overall height of 13 metres. In laterite with four tiers it follows
the usual laws of proportional reduction - the first three are simply
treated with a plain cladding while the last forms a moulded plinth for
the sanctuary tower. Four steep stairs rising in a single flight mark
the axes, framed at each change in height with side walls that restrict
access to the various levels - which remain quite narrow. The visitor
wishing to ascend to the upper platform should climb these stairs with
extreme caution, since some of their treads are badly eroded.
The sanctuary tower is in brick - as usual with no use of mortar in the
joints, which remain filiform. Measuring 8 metres each side, it stands
on a moulded sandstone base leaving a narrow surround. Its mass is considerable
with respect to the proportion of the pyramid and continues the ascending
lines - though it is rounded at the summit since the upper tiers have
lost their sharp profiles to the action of the vegetation.
 The
sanctuary opens to the east. False doors on the other sides are, with
the colonnettes and lintels, the only sandstone elements, which are carefully
ornate with an intricate decoration. On the false doors one should note
the vertical bands of foliated scrolls, while on the branch end of the
eastern lintel, a Ganesha sits astride his trunk in a motif one also finds
at the Mebon Oriental. Its centre is marked by the image of Indra on a
three headed elephant, while above the whole composition is a frieze of
small figures.
The external decoration in lime based mortar has virtually disappeared
- though one can still see on the facing brick of the corner piers the
outline of the devatas, destined for a coating of plaster and given form
to avoid an excess of its thickness. The interior of the tower has its
floor level set a metre lower, is well preserved and shows the regular
brick corbelling of the vault and the diminishing bands corresponding
to the reducing sections of the upper tiers. A more recent reclining Buddha
lies against the back wall.
Door jamb inscriptions date from the reign of Rajendravarman and mention
the setting in the temple, in the year 947, of a golden statue of Shiva,
implying that the building dates from this time.
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