Wat Phu Temple
| Date: | First half of the 11th century CE |
| Style: | Khleang |
| King: | Suryavarman I (reign 1002 – 1050 CE) |
| Cult: | Hindu (Shaivite) |
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
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