Situated 150 metres north of the main axial stairway to Phnom Bakheng,
this small temple appears in a frame of beautiful trees to the left
of the road as a stepped pyramid, fine in proportion and warm in
hue - since it is built in laterite and brick as the construction
materials typical of the 10th century. The surrounding brick enclosure
wall has almost entirely disappeared, though to the east, the remains
of an axial gopura with sandstone steps are still visible.
 The
pyramid measures 27 metres across at the base and 15 at the summit
for an overall height of 13 metres. In laterite with four tiers
it follows the usual laws of proportional reduction - the first
three are simply treated with a plain cladding while the last forms
a moulded plinth for the sanctuary tower. Four steep stairs rising
in a single flight mark the axes, framed at each change in height
with side walls that restrict access to the various levels - which
remain quite narrow. The visitor wishing to ascend to the upper
platform should climb these stairs with extreme caution, since some
of their treads are badly eroded.
The sanctuary tower is in brick - as usual with no use of mortar
in the joints, which remain filiform. Measuring 8 metres each side,
it stands on a moulded sandstone base leaving a narrow surround.
Its mass is considerable with respect to the proportion of the pyramid
and continues the ascending lines - though it is rounded at the
summit since the upper tiers have lost their sharp profiles to the
action of the vegetation.
 The
sanctuary opens to the east. False doors on the other sides are,
with the colonnettes and lintels, the only sandstone elements, which
are carefully ornate with an intricate decoration. On the false
doors one should note the vertical bands of foliated scrolls, while
on the branch end of the eastern lintel, a Ganesha sits astride
his trunk in a motif one also finds at the Mebon Oriental. Its centre
is marked by the image of Indra on a three headed elephant, while
above the whole composition is a frieze of small figures.
The external decoration in lime based mortar has virtually disappeared
- though one can still see on the facing brick of the corner piers
the outline of the devatas, destined for a coating of plaster and
given form to avoid an excess of its thickness. The interior of
the tower has its floor level set a metre lower, is well preserved
and shows the regular brick corbelling of the vault and the diminishing
bands corresponding to the reducing sections of the upper tiers.
A more recent reclining Buddha lies against the back wall.
Door jamb inscriptions date from the reign of Rajendravarman and
mention the setting in the temple, in the year 947, of a golden
statue of Shiva, implying that the building dates from this time.
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