The middle section features two exquisitely carved quadrangular pavilions built of sandstone and laterite. Believed to date from the mid-10th or early 11th century, the style resembles Koh Ker in Cambodia.
Wat Phu was converted into a Buddhist site in later centuries but much of the original Hindu sculpture remains in the lintels, which feature various forms of Vishnu and Shiva. Over the eastern pediment of the north pavilion is a relief of Shiva and Parvati sitting on Nandi, Shiva's bull mount. The building consists of four galleries and a central open courtyard, although entry is forbidden for safety reasons.
Just behind the southern pavilion stands a smaller building, the recently restored Nandi Hall (dedicated to Shiva's mount), and two collapsed galleries flanking a set of laterite steps leading to the next level. From the Nandi Hall an ancient royal road once led south for about 1.3km to Ho Nang Sida, and eventually to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
At the base of a small stairway leading onward towards the upper level, an impressive dvarapala (sentinel figure) stands ramrod straight with sword held at the ready near what was once a gopura (ornate entranceway). He was decked out in an orange monk's robe and holding a red umbrella when we visited. If you step down off the walkway and onto the grassy area just north of here you'll come to the remains of a yoni pedestal , the cosmic vagina-womb symbol associated with Shaivism. Very near the yoni lie two unusually large, headless and armless dvarapala statues half-buried in the grass. These are the largest dvarapala found anywhere in the former Angkorian kingdom.
From the small stairway, a sandstone path ascends to a small terrace where you'll see six ruined brick shrines – only their bases remain. From here a steep naga stairway leads onwards to the upper level and probably dates from the 11th century. It is lined with dàwk jąmpąa (plumeria or frangipani), the Lao national tree.
