Phnom Bakheng

This Hindu and Buddhist temple was built in the form of a temple mountain on a hill at the end of the 9th-century, almost 200 years before Angkor Wat, during the reign of King Yasovarman. The temple, another symbolic depiction of Mount Meru, is built in a pyramid form of seven levels, representing the seven heavens.

At the top there are five sandstone sanctuaries in a quincunx pattern. Four points form a rectangle or a square and the fifth one is placed in its center. It is a geometric symbol of a sanctified universe and an ordered world. It also signifies the ability of an individual to ascend from the four physical elements to the exalted and enlightened fifth one. Originally, there would have been 108 small towers were arrayed around the temple, representing another sacred number. It was in its heyday the principal temple of the area.

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In astronomy, the number 108 intriguingly connects the sun, moon and earth: the diameter of the sun is 108 times that of the earth, and the distance between sun and earth is approximately 108 times the diameter of the sun. Similarly, the diameter of the moon multiplied by 108 equals the distance between earth and moon.

It’s about a 15-minute uphill walk on a path to the top. Your guide will get you there early as its a favourite sunset spot and numbers to the top are restricted.