The Bayon Temple : Enigmatic and dramatic centre piece of a vanished empire

 

The Bayon temple , Angkor 

The Bayon Temple sits at the center of the city of Angkor Thom and is every bit as impressive as Angkor Wat.  This is a must visit site when travel to Angkor. Its part of the Angkor Thom complex, which as I had mentioned in an earlier post, is the fortified city , and holds several of the main temples of the Angkor. This temple is part of the "small circle" tour. 

Do note that Angkor Wat, the main temple of the Khmer empire, is actually outside the walls of Angkor Thom. This city is itself surrouded by a moat, and crossed by five gates ( the gates of the victorious and and the gate of the dead are part of these five). 

This Bayon temple is famous for many reasons. Firstly, there is no clear knowledge as to why it’s called “Bayon”. The French explorers apparently heard this name from the locals in the early 20^th century when the discovery of Angkor was underway. Literature suggests it could mean “pedestal for sacred statues” ( https://smarthistory.org/bayon-temple-angkor-thom/).

The temple is built on three levels, to represent Mt Meru, There certainly are many “faces” in the temple, all show enigmatic smiles. These face-towers are on the inner most, or third level of the temple, and today only 37 out of the original 49 face-towers apparently exist (as heard from the guide). These faces, with eyes open, elaborate head dress, and broad smiles, could well represent The Buddha, or Brahma, and remain the source of much debate and discussion even today. Be that as it may, this is a sight to see. Really massive, and intricate.

It’s also generally considered one of the only Buddhist temples in Angkor, which was a Hindu site, and one the largest and last temples to be made. It was the centre piece of the royalty, the state temple as it were.  By the 12^th century, the prevailing religious belief was Buddhism ( King Javavarman VII), around which time this temple could have been completed.

Its walls depict many of the daily lives of Cambodia/ Khmer in the 12^th and 13^th centuries as well as depictions of the Angkor wars with the Chams.

Overall, this site inspires awe and reverence for the scale, and skill of the builders. A glimpse into the distant past. This temple is over 1000 years old. We must appreciate the time frame. Much of what we see, experience and use today did not exist when this monumental temple was already at its peak!