[1] Its primary material is sandstone and it is largely unrestored, with trees and thick brush thriving amidst its towers and courtyards and many of its stones lying in great heaps.

The history of the temple is unknown and it can be dated only by its architectural style, identical to Angkor Wat, so scholars assumed it was built during the reign of king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century.

[1] Smaller in size than Angkor Wat, the king's main monument, Beng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the Khmer empire's larger temples: the gallery which forms the outer enclosure of the temple is 181 m by 152 m.[3] It was the center of a town, surrounded by a moat 1025 m by 875 m large and 45 m wide.

There is extensive carving of scenes from Hindu mythology, including the Churning of the Sea of Milk and Vishnu being borne by the bird god Garuda.

[4][5][6] This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on March 27, 2020 (originally proclaimed December 1,1992) in the Cultural category [1].