Bakong

temple mountain, Cambodia

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June 18, 2026

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Bakong is a temple mountain in Cambodia, built in the late 9th century by King Indravarman I. It was the first Cambodian temple primarily constructed of stone and served as a model for later temple mountains at Angkor. These temple mountains were significant architectural achievements, symbolizing the sacred mountain and serving as monuments to their patrons, often functioning as tombs. The Khmer kings built these artificial mountains on the plain, crowned with shrines, to represent the cosmic mountain Meru. Bakong, completed around 881, featured a central shrine on its summit and eight surrounding shrines, along with moats and causeways.12

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Indravarman I
At Roluos, Indravarman built Bakong, which was the first Cambodian temple built mainly of stone and was the model from which the later Angkor temples developed.
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At Roluos, Indravarman built Bakong, which was the first Cambodian temple built mainly of stone and was the model from which the later Angkor temples developed.
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Cambodia
Foundation of the kingdom
…a pyramidical structure called the Bakong—the first Cambodian temple to be built primarily of stone rather than brick. The so-called “temple mountain” became the model for the many larger royal temples at Angkor that served as monuments to the greatness of their patrons and, subsequently, as their tombs.
Read More
…a pyramidical structure called the Bakong—the first Cambodian temple to be built primarily of stone rather than brick. The so-called “temple mountain” became the model for the many larger royal temples at Angkor that served as monuments to the greatness of their patrons and, subsequently, as their tombs.
Read More