Baksei Chamkrong is a small Hindu temple situated in the Angkor complex (Siem Reap, Cambodia). He is dedicated to Lord Shiva and used to keep a golden image of him. The temple can be seen on the left side when entering Angkor Thom at the southern gate. It was dedicated to Yasovarman by his son, King Harshavarman I. [1]: 114 [2]: 70.75 The temple was completed by Rajendravarman II (944-968).

Name

The name Baksei Chamkrong means "The bird that shelters under its wings" and comes from a legend. In it, the king tried to flee from Angkor during a siege and then a huge bird landed and sheltered him under his wings.

description

This temple is one of the first temples built of durable material, such as bricks and laterite and with decoration in sandstone. A brick enclosure originally surrounded by the pyramid with a stone gopura on the east side is now almost completely gone. Much of the plaster on the surface of the temple disappeared. The main lintel of the sandstone is decorated with a fine sculpture of Indra standing on the three-headed Airavata elephant. The garlands emanate from either side of Indra in the current style for the monument. There is an inscription on each side of the small door detailing the dedication and praises the early Khmer kings of Jayavarman II, as well as the previous legendary kings, including the ancestor of the nation, the hermit Kambu.

The pyramid measures 27 meters deep at the base and 15 at the summit for a total height of 13 meters. Four ladders reach the summit at the cardinal points. The tower of the shrine of bricks, eight square meters in an open sandstone base to the east with the usual blind doors on the other sides.