Bayon Temple

Bayon is in the heart of the ancient city of Angkor Thom, which was the symbolic center of the Khmer empire. Dedicated to Buddha by King Jayavarman VII, this state temple was originally called “Jayagiri” (which means “Victory Mountain”) but was renamed “Banyan Temple” sometime after the period of French occupancy.

Architecture
The architectural style of Bayon is distinctly different from Angkor Wat and other temples in the Angkor complex and it has undergone numerous modifications and additions during its history. Unlike the magnificent façade of Angkor Wat, Bayon doesn’t look terribly impressive from a distance. You can’t fully appreciate its beauty until you enter the temple.

Most of the Angkor temples are constructed with features oriented in the four cardinal directions, but Bayon’s face towers seem to point every which way. While most of the towers do have four faces, some have only two or three, while the central tower has many more. The number of face towers is seemingly random, and there is some dispute about how many towers were included in the original design of the temple. Some believe there were 49, and others say it was 54. One theory holds that there was one tower for each of the 54 provinces in the Khmer empire at the time of the temple’s construction, symbolically keeping watch over all the inhabitants of the kingdom. However, the ravages of time have left only 37 of the towers standing today.

There are two richly decorated galleries which serve as enclosures to the temple – the outer gallery depicting scenes from battles and other historical events as well as images of everyday domestic life, and the inner gallery primarily illustrating mythological tales. The beautiful bas-relief carvings feature an astonishing level of detail, including more than 11,000 figures. The inner gallery, added by the Hindu King Jayavarman VIII, is elevated above ground level, and the upper terrace, which holds over 200 of the famous giant faces, is one level higher. A circular central tower rises 43m high.

History
Bayon was the last state temple built in the Angkor complex. The great Buddhist ruler, King Jayavarman VII, began its construction near the end of his life – sometime in the late 12th or early 13th century. Originally intended to be a Mahayana Buddhist temple, it was altered during the reign of King Jayavarman VIII when the empire briefly reverted back to Hinduism in the mid-13th century. The temple underwent further modifications under the Theravada Buddhist kings in later years.

The most distinctive feature of Bayon is the subject of some disagreement among historians. Some believe that the tranquil faces are meant to represent the Bodhisattva of compassion known as Lokesvara, and in fact, the host of tranquil visages is often referred to as the “200 faces of Lokesvara”. Others believe that the faces are portraits of King Jayavarman VII, and indeed, they do bear a striking similarity to other statues of the king. Both hypotheses may be true, as many Khmer rulers regarded themselves as “god-kings”.