Wat Phu Temple

Wat Phu, meaning 'temple-mountain', is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in southern Laos, at the base of mount Phou Khao, some 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from the Mekong in Champasak Province.

There was a temple on this site as early as the 5th century CE, but the surviving structures were built under Suryavarman I in the first half of the the 11th century CE.  The region was first brought into the Angkor Empire in the 9th century under Jayavarman II.

Wat Phu has a unique structure: The elements lead to a shrine where a linga dedicated to Shiva was bathed in water from a mountain spring.

The site later became a centre of Theravada Buddhist worship, which it remains today.

Map of Wat Phu