Baphuon, a three-tiered mid 11th century built temple mountain would have been one of the most spectacular of Angkor's temple in its heyday. It’s located 200m northwest of Bayon and the construction probably began under Suryavarman I and was later completed by Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It marked the centre of the city that existed before the construction of Angkor Thom.
Baphuon was the centre of EFEO restoration efforts when the Cambodian civil was erupted and work paused for a quarter of a century. EFEO is a French abbreviation from École française d'Extrême-Orient, a French institute dedicated to the study of Asian societies. Translated into English, it approximately means the French School of the Far East.
The temple as taken apart piece by piece, in keeping with the anastylosis method of renovation, but all the records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge years, leaving experts with the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle. The EFEO resumed a 10-year restoration programme in 1995, which should see the temple fully reopen to the public from 2007 onwards. Baphuon is approached by a 200m elevated walkway made of sandstone, and the central structure is 43m high. I was there in May 2007, there are still a few section still close for restoration.
Apparently in the late 15th century, on the western side of the temple, the retaining wall of the second level was fashioned into a reclining Buddha 40m in length. The unfinished figure is difficult to make out, but the head is on the northern side of the wall and the gate is where the hips should be; to the left of the gate protrudes an arm. When it comes to the legs and feet the latter are entirely gone and imagination must suffice. This huge project under taken by the Buddhist faithful 500 years ago demonstrates that Angkor was never entirely abandoned.