Gopura I is rectangular form and divided into three sections: a central hall with small square rooms on the east and west. On the southern outer enclosure of this rectangular pavilion there is a blind wall with a false doorway. Along the eastern and western galleries of the inner enclosure there are 42 windows without balusters, and a single exit. Inside the inner enclosure stands the main sanctuary, the abode of the Lord of the Peak and final destination of the journey. This tower stood on a triple-tiered base, of which the first and second tiers are highly decorated. Engraved in the pediment over the northern door is Shiva dancing on the top of an elephant’s head, a sculpture which may represent the powerful force of King Suryavarman I subduing the Bas Khmau rebellion.
