← Explore on the interactive map

Khmer Temple-Mountain Architecture

Type Object Region Cambodia Time 889–1200

Khmer temple-mountain architecture (Prasat), the most representative religious building form of the 10th-century Khmer Empire, used terraced pyramid …

Timeline

  1. 889–920Phnom Bakheng · CambodiaJayavarman I built a five-tier temple-mountain at Phnom Bakheng, establishing the classic layout of terraced platforms, square galleries, and a central tower, fusing royal authority with Shiva's divine realm.
  2. c. 921–960Phnom Penh and Angkor · CambodiaIn the mid-10th century temple-mountain architecture continued to develop at the Phnom Penh Linga city and the Angkor region, with more platform tiers, increasingly elaborate stone carving, and more regular layouts of galleries and subsidiary shrines.
  3. 961–967Angkor region · Siem Reap ProvinceRajendravarman II built the three-tier temple-mountain Pre Rup; under Jayavarman V, Banteay Srei's fine red sandstone carving brought temple-mountain decoration to a peak, with complete narrative reliefs on lintels and pediments.
  4. 968–1000Ta Keo · CambodiaJayavarman V built the five-tier giant temple-mountain Ta Keo at Angkor, with a platform 22 meters high, representing the scale limit of late-10th-century temple-mountain architecture; construction of the main stone structure halted after the king's death, becoming a famous unfinished work in Khmer architectural history.

Sources