Taken with Nikon D60, dated May 2009
Built in late 12th century as the official state temple by King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon temple stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Bayon is a Buddhist temple but it incorporates elements of Hindu cosmology.
Bayon is known especially for the jungle of "face-towers" on its upper level. Towers with huge stone faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, with one facing outward and keeping watch at each compass point. The characteristics of this faces are a broad forehead, downcast eyes, wild nostrils, thick lips that curl upwards slightly at the ends-combine as the enigmatic smile. There are over 200 large faces carved on 54 towers, each with four faces of its own.
Taken with Nikon D60, dated May 2009
Bayon temple is surrounded by two long walls bearing an extraordinary collection of bas-relief scenes of legendary and historical events but also the everyday life of the Angkorian Khmer. It has over 1.2 km of bas-reliefs corresponding to more than 11,000 carved figures.
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