The World's Largest and Most Challenging 3D Puzzle - Baphuon Temple

The Baphuon Temple is a state temple built in 1060 by Udayadityavarman II to worship the Hindu god Shiva. Originally composed of five levels of Mount Meru, the bottom level measures 120 meters in length and 100 meters in width. The total height of the five levels is 34 meters, and there was once a bronze tower at the summit, approximately 50 meters above the ground, making it the tallest structure in the city of Angkor. Unfortunately, in the 15th century, when the Angkor kingdom converted to Buddhism, Baphuon Temple was also transformed into a Buddhist temple. The topmost bronze tower was dismantled, and a reclining Buddha over 70 meters long and 9 meters high was added to the second level. However, the weight of the Buddha caused both levels of Mount Meru to collapse, so today's visitors to Baphuon Temple can no longer see the bronze tower or the five levels of Mount Meru. Due to natural disasters and human destruction, Baphuon Temple was already in ruins by the 20th century. Starting in 1908, French writer Jean Commaille conducted the first cleaning and restoration work. However, in 1943, another major collapse occurred on the north side of the temple, causing the restoration work to come to a halt. In 1960, French archaeologists organized another restoration project, disassembling the stones, coding them, and then gradually reassembling them, aiming to restore the temple to its original state. However, from 1971, Cambodia's continuous civil war forced the restoration work to be suspended once again. The twenty-year-long civil war resulted in the massacre of many technicians, loss of records, and the burning or scattering of coded data, leaving Baphuon Temple once again in ruins, with the broken stones becoming the world's most difficult puzzle. In 1995, with the cooperation of the Cambodian government and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, the restoration project was restarted. Thanks to over a decade of effort by historians and archaeologists, Baphuon Temple was finally unveiled in 2006. However, to fully restore the entire site seems to be a very long road ahead. To date, there are still over 300,000 stone blocks scattered in the surrounding ten hectares of forest, and reassembling these stones of various shapes and sizes appears to be a daunting task. The most distinctive feature of Baphuon Temple is a 172-meter-long elevated causeway, supported by three rows of columns, extending straight to the temple's main hall. On both sides of the causeway are recessed ponds that serve as detention basins during heavy rains, similar to the moats commonly seen around castles. After crossing the causeway, visitors reach the first gallery, with stairs on the side leading upwards. However, the steepness of the steps truly inspires awe. Once at the top platform (which has become an open-air platform due to the collapse of the roof above), one can enjoy the surrounding columns and stone windows along the platform's corridor. Additionally, one can look down upon the long causeway below. When leaving, visitors need to descend the stairs on the other side, which are just as steep as the ascending staircase. It is essential to lower your center of gravity and hold on to the handrails for safety when descending. Finally, it is worth mentioning the reclining Buddha introduced earlier, which is located on the backside of Baphuon Temple. It was carved hundreds of years after the temple was built, but the Buddha was never completed. Moreover, due to multiple collapses of the temple, only the outline of the reclining Buddha can be seen, with the head on the left and the body on the right. With a bit of imagination, one can mentally complete the image. Ticket Price: General admission ticket, one-day pass $37, three-day pass $62, seven-day pass $72 Opening Hours: 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM Address: Angkor Archaeological Park, Krong Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia