Top Temple (East) is located within the walls of Angkor Thom, to the west of Bayon Temple and to the south of the Victory Gate, approximately 12 kilometers from Siem Reap town. It is a small temple among the many found in the Angkor area.
Research on this temple began in the early 20th century by scholars such as Lunet de Lajonquière, Henri Marchal, Louis Finot, and George Cœdès. In 1911, Lunet de Lajonquière registered Mangalartha Temple as Monument No. 487. Later, in 1918, Henri Marchal recorded the name of the temple as “Top Temple”, a name he heard from the local villagers who thought the temple looked “lumpy.” However, according to its inscriptions, the temple’s original name was Mangalartha.
Mangalartha Temple was built of laterite stone on a two-tiered base with a cruciform (cross-shaped) layout. The main entrance is on the east side, while false doors are found on the west, south, and north sides. Based on the studies of several researchers, Mangalartha Temple is believed to be the last laterite temple dedicated to Brahmanism during the Angkor period. This conclusion is supported by evidence from its inscriptions, construction techniques, and building materials.
There are two Sanskrit inscriptions at the temple. One is engraved directly on the temple itself (on the southern doorway), and the other was inscribed on a pillar. Today, only the inscription on the temple remains. Louis Finot studied these inscriptions and was later recorded by George Cœdès in Inscriptions du Cambodge, Tome VIII, under the numbers K.487 and K.567.
