A week in Cambodia -11/18/2023-11/24/2023

Siam Reap-11/23/2023

Day 6- Bayon temple, Angkor Thom

 Bayon Temple is a richly decorated ancient Khmer temple located at the center of Angkor Thom in the Angkor Archeological Park of Siem Reap.  Bayon Temple, which was constructed the 12th century during Jayavarman VII’s reign, who had had broken with Khmer tradition and adopted Mahāyāna Buddhism. In order to conform with traditional mythology, the Khmer kings built themselves a series of artificial mountains on the Cambodian plain at the royal city of Angkor, each crowned by shrines containing images of gods and of themselves, their families, and their ancestors.

Most of the temple mountains are oriented east to west, the main gates facing east. Originally the Bayon was designed to serve as the primary position of the royal cult and to serve as Jayavarman’s personal mausoleum. It stood at the center of Angkor Thom, the new capital that Jayavarman built.

Bayon temple is one of the must-see temples when visiting the area being famous for its array of towers with smiling faces. From an architectural point of view, it is a true world wonder, from a religious/symbolic point of view, it united all the religions of the Khmer Empire under the Buddhist King, Jayavarman VII.

Entering the temple.

The tranquil smiling face tower at the entrance.

The complex itself is built on three levels that are intended to create a mountain-like structure, symbolically and visually linking the Bayon to Mt. Meru. To this end, the complex includes two enclosures (levels one and two) that consist of covered galleries and shrines. At the center of the complex  (level three) is the raised cruciform platform that serves as the foundation for the main temple structure, which originally housed the main icon.
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A feature common to early and late ancient temples is the beautiful lion statues acting not only as guardians to the shrines but also emblematic of ancient royalty and divinity.

On the early pyramid temples, they flanked the staircases leading to the top of the shrine, at early brick temples flanking the entrance to the main shrine, and at later temples flanking the terraces often alongside naga balustrades.

Entering one of the many courtyard in the temple.  Above is a smiling face tower looking down at visitors.

Inner gallery overview.

Every where we look up, there is a smiling face looking down at us.

The temple underwent modifications during power shifts between Buddhism and Hinduism. The recognizable face towers were added later by Jayavarman VII. There may have been up to 54 towers, one for each province in the Khmer Empire. Today only 37 remain due to the passage of time.

The oversized smiling visages on Bayon’s towers have inspired many interpretations. Some believe they depict Bodhisattva Lokesvara, the Buddha of compassion. The similar facial features match statues of Jayavarman VII, leading many to conclude they represent the god-king. Another theory suggests the faces symbolize the rulers keeping watch over their kingdom.

The exact symbolism remains a mystery. The faces exhibit slight differences but share the same closed-mouth smile.

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Gallery inside the temple with a pedestal containing a linga.  The popular belief is that the Shiva Linga represents the phallus, the emblem of the generative power in nature.

A linga is a symbol of the Hindu god Shiva, which was part of the temple’s transformation from Buddhist to Hindu.

The Linga is like an egg and represents the Brahmanda (the cosmic egg). Linga signifies that the creation is affected by the union of Prakriti and Purusha, the male and the female powers of nature. It also signifies Satya, Jnana, and Anant, or truth, knowledge, and infinity.

A  linga is a sacred object in Hinduism and is a symbol that represents Shiva. The lingam is often found in temples dedicated to Shiva and is the form in which this Hindu deity is most commonly worshipped.

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Praying area with a statue of a sitting Buddha.

Lion statue and a smiling face tower.

The giant heads charm you with their slightly upturned lips and serene glow.

Close view of the smiling face tower.

Gallery below the smiling head tower.

Overview of the area.

There are about 216 smiling faces on 54 towers so everywhere you look it seems that they are looking at you.

The enigmatic magic of their subtle smiles has endured for centuries, continuing to fascinate visitors who flock to Siem Reap to admire this wonder of Khmer architecture.

One of the many inner court of the temple

The inner courtyard is surrounded by surrounded by towers and pavilions that are topped with sculptures of three or four-smiling faces.

Together, these towers of smiling faces at various heights mimic the peaks of a mountain, reminding the visitor that the Bayon was intended to symbolize the center of the Buddhist universe, Mt. Meru

Statue of Buddha sitting on the Naga (serpent Muchalinda) who protected Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment.

The Bayon temple as it stands today does not reflect the original design of Jayavarman VII and his architects. This is because the temple has been added to over the centuries. Angkor Thom was so well fortified that later kings continued to use it as their royal city.

We are now in the central square with the four-sided central tower some of which seem to represent Jayavarman in the guise of Avalokiteś-vara, the great bodhisattva. Each side of the tower is oriented to a cardinal direction. The central tower is surrounded by an additional 12 towers.

The towers rise 141 ft. above the ground and a 12 ft. tall Buddha statue used to be put at the heart of the central tower at the time of temple’s foundation. However, this figure was removed from the sanctuary during the reign of Hindu monarch Jayavarman VIII.

The inner galleries.

Bayon temple is really a feast for the eyes.

This is the end of our 2 day tour trip. If you are going to Siem Reap, I definitely recommend you take a tour as there so many temples and you would not know which one to go to.  We also met some really nice people in this tour and we all had a wonderful time.  Our tour guide was really funny and keep telling jokes and he was also very knowledgeable about all the history of the temples we visited.

Next...Angkor National Museum, Siam Reap