CAMBODIA - BAYON TEMPLE

BAYON TEMPLE  ( A TRUE MARVEL OF DESIGN INTRICACY)

The Bayon is a richly decorated Khemer temple built in the late twelfth century or early thirteenth century. Built at the centre of King Jayavarman’s capital . Angkor Thom was the last state temple to be built at Angkor and the only Angkorian state temple to be built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist shrine dedicated to the Buddha. Following Jayavarman’s death , it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhists kings in accordance to their religious preferences.

The Bayon’s most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers that jut from the upper terrace and cluster around its center peak. The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces to other statues of Jayavarman VII has led many scholars to the hypothesis that the faces are representations of the king himself. Others believe that the faces belong to Avalokitesvara , the Bodhisattva of compassion.

This is one of the many “ must visit” temples.

LANDMARK: The Bayon Wall Murals

The Bayon is decorated with 1.2km of extraordinary bas –relief incorporating over 11000 figures. The famous carvings on the outer wall of the first level depict vivid scenes of everyday life in 12^th century Cambodia.