A few hundred metres beyond the South Gate of Angkor Thom the hill of Phnom Bakheng rises 67 metres (218 ft) above the surrounding plains. This is an ideal spot to view the distant spires of Angkor Wat at sunset. On the east side of the hill a steep and treacherous stairway provides a swift but difficult means of ascent. Alternatively, and much more easily, a winding elephant path leads to the summit via the south side of the hill.

Phnom Bakheng (Khmer: ?????????????????????嗤?????) at Angkor, Cambodia, is a Hindu temple in the form of a temple mountain. Dedicated to Shiva, it was built at the end of the 9th century, during the reign of King Yasovarman (889-910).