This majestic five-tiered pyramid encircled by moats was built in 881 in what was then considered to be the centre of the Hariharalaya. This temple was one of the first mountain-temples that would quickly become commonplace in the Angkorian empire, which, by placing Mt. Meru in the heart of the capital, thus made Angkor the centre of the world. A tower in the form of an ear of corn crowns the edifice and served as model for the Phnom Penh Independence Monument.