It was built in sandstone during the reign of Jayavarman VIII,: in honour of a Brahmin scholar called Mangalartha, assimilated to Vishnu. It's cruciform in plan and opens to east, while on the other cardinal points there are blind doors. The sanctuary chamber sheltered two statues, one of Mangalartha and the other of his mother, whose pedestal is still in place. Mangalartha essentially is the Vaman Avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. The legend has it that in this Avatar, The Lord blessed Bali, the Rakshasa (demonic people) King by asking three vows from the latter in which the Lord took three giant steps and covered the entire Earth, The Heaven and then in order that He could bless the King, put his third step on the vituous King's head. Pediments lie on the ground. They show Vishnu reclining on Shesha, the three strides of Vishnu to regain the World, a Shiva dancing with four arms and Krishna lifting Mount Govardhana.