The World's Largest and Most Challenging 3D Puzzle - Baphuon Temple
The Baphuon Temple is a state temple built in 1060 by Udayadityavarman II to worship the Hindu god Shiva. Originally composed of five levels of Mount Meru, the bottom level measures 120 meters in length and 100 meters in width. The total height of the five levels is 34 meters, and there was once a bronze tower at the summit, approximately 50 meters above the ground, making it the tallest structure in the city of Angkor. Unfortunately, in the 15th century, when the Angkor kingdom converted to Buddhism, Baphuon Temple was also transformed into a Buddhist temple. The topmost bronze tower was dismantled, and a reclining Buddha over 70 meters long and 9 meters high was added to the second level. However, the weight of the Buddha caused both levels of Mount Meru to collapse, so today's visitors to Baphuon Temple can no longer see the bronze tower or the five levels of Mount Meru.
Due to natural disasters and human destruction, Baphuon Temple was already in ruins by the 20th century. Starting in 1908, French writer Jean Commaille conducted the first cleaning and restoration work. However, in 1943, another major collapse occurred on the north side of the temple, causing the restoration work to come to a halt. In 1960, French archaeologists organized another restoration project, disassembling the stones, coding them, and then gradually reassembling them, aiming to restore the temple to its original state. However, from 1971, Cambodia's continuous civil war forced the restoration work to be suspended once again. The twenty-year-long civil war resulted in the massacre of many technicians, loss of records, and the burning or scattering of coded data, leaving Baphuon Temple once again in ruins, with the broken stones becoming the world's most difficult puzzle.
In 1995, with the cooperation of the Cambodian government and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, the restoration project was restarted. Thanks to over a decade of effort by historians and archaeologists, Baphuon Temple was finally unveiled in 2006. However, to fully restore the entire site seems to be a very long road ahead. To date, there are still over 300,000 stone blocks scattered in the surrounding ten hectares of forest, and reassembling these stones of various shapes and sizes appears to be a daunting task.
The most distinctive feature of Baphuon Temple is a 172-meter-long elevated causeway, supported by three rows of columns, extending straight to the temple's main hall. On both sides of the causeway are recessed ponds that serve as detention basins during heavy rains, similar to the moats commonly seen around castles. After crossing the causeway, visitors reach the first gallery, with stairs on the side leading upwards. However, the steepness of the steps truly inspires awe. Once at the top platform (which has become an open-air platform due to the collapse of the roof above), one can enjoy the surrounding columns and stone windows along the platform's corridor. Additionally, one can look down upon the long causeway below. When leaving, visitors need to descend the stairs on the other side, which are just as steep as the ascending staircase. It is essential to lower your center of gravity and hold on to the handrails for safety when descending.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the reclining Buddha introduced earlier, which is located on the backside of Baphuon Temple. It was carved hundreds of years after the temple was built, but the Buddha was never completed. Moreover, due to multiple collapses of the temple, only the outline of the reclining Buddha can be seen, with the head on the left and the body on the right. With a bit of imagination, one can mentally complete the image.
Ticket Price: General admission ticket, one-day pass $37, three-day pass $62, seven-day pass $72
Opening Hours: 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Address: Angkor Archaeological Park, Krong Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia
Baphuon temple is an impressive pyramid-style structure a hundred meters from The Bayon. It has perhaps the steepiest, scariest stair climb in the entire Angkor complex, so be careful, and perhaps avoid going up it on a rainy day. Well worth visiting anyhow.
The Bafang Temple is one of the most spectacular temples of the Angkor dynasty in its heyday. It is called the world's largest and most complex building. It is built on a huge square stone base, the thickness of which is the most Angkor.
The temple built by Jehovah II, narrow steps, steep cliffs. There are warning signs at the highest point, and climbing is not allowed. I saw a European and girlfriend waving hands, climbing up, and being taken down by the staff who caught up below. Going under a awning and being questioned, not knowing the consequences.
Bapuang Temple is next to Bayu Temple, the monkeys here are quite fierce, grabbing things, turning over food, catching people...
Next to the Barong Temple, there is also a Papuen Palace. The guide passed by and asked us whether we would like to go to the scenic spot for 15 minutes, but it was the biggest shock of the trip. After half a day's hot summer baptism, only 4 people insisted on getting off to see him. Bapuon Baben Palace (Bafuen) is located in the northwest of Angkor Thom's Greater Angkor City. This huge temple hill was built in 1060. Udayadityavarman II is a national temple dedicated to Shiva God. According to Zhou Daguan's "Zhenlafeng Tuzhi" records, this tower is higher than the Golden Pagoda (Bayon Barong Temple). There are more than 10 inner rooms on the ground floor. The Palace of Papun is built on a huge square stone base, the thickness of which is the largest of Angkor's ruins. There are numerous stone building materials scattered around the base and on the stone platform. According to the tour guide, the French helped to repair the palace for 15 years before it was today's size, but the 15 minutes left to me were really just a quick glimpse. But it was this quick glance that shocked me more than the little Angkor and Baron temples. It was a heavy blow from the bottom of my heart. I went into Paben Palace and heard the music of Buddha and God. This palace is too thick and thick.
Bapuan Temple is located about 200 meters northwest of Barong Temple. This magnificent building used to be the center of Tongwang City, even before it was built. There is a 200-metre-long pavement leading to the Temple of Papuon, with ponds on both sides. You can see the classic water reflection landscape in Angkor Monument.
Bafang Temple is known as the largest and most complex three-dimensional building in the world. Bafang Temple is an unexpected surprise. This temple is not the grand perfection of Angkor, nor the unique shock of the Barong temple. It is surrounded by the jungle. It is not small in size. Its incomplete beauty is pure, which makes me linger and forget to leave. Instead of thinking about time and history, we need to look through our eyes and enjoy pure artistic beauty. Tips - "1, climbing Bafang Temple, dress requirements, bare shoulders, bare knees above the legs are prohibited climbing, please pay attention to their own outrigger. 2. Can only climb wooden stairs, relatively steep, but not too high, carefully hold the railings, climbing up does not consume much energy. Keep in mind that you must climb the top. You have a good view and beautiful scenery. 3. The Bafang Temple still faces east. After entering from the east, there is a 200-metre-long participating road. If you like photography, it's a good angle to go down to the bottom of the road or take photos around the opposite side of the pond road. 4. Go as early as possible. Most corridors do not have roofs because they cannot be completely repaired. There are few places to shade them. Near noon, they will be exposed to the sun and affect their mood. 5. Bafang Temple has relatively few visitors, a simple background and green trees, which is very suitable for portraits. Beauty-loving students need to get up early, and only when the sun is soft can they have a beautiful sunshine. We all went late. We knew it was so beautiful, so we didn't sleep late.