Baksei Chamkrong was built in the first half of the 10th century. It is an ancestor temple, dedicated 947 to the memory of the king's parents.
The small temple is located just northeast of the Phnom Bakheng.

A brick tower is standing on top of a dainty pyramid. The tiers of the pyramid are made of laterite; the uppermost tier is covered with moulded sandstone.

As the pyramid is small, we can easily study the proportional reduction: the upper steps get gradually smaller which makes them look more distant.

Four axial stairways rise in a single flight which gets proportionally lower at every tier of the pyramid. Each tier is framed by sidewalls.The north stairway is the best preserved.

On the top of the pyramid is a single brick tower; its superstructure follows the same rules of reduction. The east entrance and three false doors are adorned with lintel reliefs.

On the door jambs are fine inscriptions. They tell the genealogy of the Khmer kings from the mythical beginnings, when the ascetic Kambu married the apsara Mera.

The beauty of this temple comes from its harmony. From here on, the use of laterite and the slender shape of the pyramid can be seen as the determining features of Khmer architecture. Photo Album

References: Glaize, p. 78; Stierlin, p. 137; Freeman/Jacques, p. 72.