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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 12th 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 12th and 13th 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!