- TURY.CLUB
- Tourist Objects
- Cambodia
- Siem Reap Province
- Bayon Temple
The majestic Bayon Temple was built in the very center of the capital Angkor Thom by King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries. This was the last temple in the history of the Khmer Empire that was a shrine for Mahayana Buddhism. After the death of Jayavarman, his successor, who professed Hinduism, and later his heir, an adherent of Theravada Buddhism, made numerous changes and additions to the temple in accordance with their religious preferences.
The peculiarity of Bayon is the towers with large serene figures carved on them on four sides stone faces. The resemblance of these 216 giant faces to other statues of Jayavarman VII has led many scholars to believe that the faces represent Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion in Buddhism.
The temple is also popular for two impressive rows of bas-reliefs, which, atypically for Khmer temples, combine depictions of scenes from daily life (on the first level) with mythological scenes (on the second level). This temple is one of those that you must visit.
