Temple construction

Early temples built in Cambodia were constructed entirely out of brick. At this time, any decorations that might be added were carved into a stucco that had been applied to the bricks. We hiked up to one on top of a hill that had little stucco remaining, primarily bricks, precariously perched one on top of another.
Eventually, the builders began using laterite, which is a kind of clay that hardens when dried in the sun. It was primarily used for the foundation – in places where it wouldn’t be seen because it was uneven and not a good surface for carving. A good many of the temples had exposed portions where the laterite could be seen under the facing sandstone. The sandstone is soft enough that it is easily carved. Many, though not all, of the Angkor temples were covered by highly decorated sandstone. It is also the surface that they used for recording the history of the period. The picture on the left has laterite under the facing, carved sandstone. The one on the right has bricks with a stuccon like something covering the upper reaches - not sure if the stucco wore off the lower section or if it just was never there.