Debris of the Wat Phu

Considered by many to be the most beautiful of all the Khmer temples, Wat Phu Champasak is distinguished as much by its dramatic and symbolic environmental setting as it is for its masterful architecture and iconographic art. The temple nestles at the foot of the 1,408-metre Phu Khao Mountain, known in Sanskrit as Lingaparvata or 'Linga Mountain' because it is said to resemble the linga of the Hindu god Shiva. Reputed by legend to be Shiva's birthplace, this has been a sacred site since at least the 5th century CE, when nearby Setapura is believed to have been a capital of the proto-Khmer kingdom of Upper (Land) Chenla. Construction of the Wat Phu temple was begun as early as the 7th century CE under Jayavarman I, though most of the surviving buildings date from the reigns of Jayavarman VI (1080-1107) and Suryavarman II (1113-1150). Converted from Hinduism to Buddhism in the 13th century, the site was maintained by the Khmer rulers right down to the 14th century and still plays an important role in local religious life today.