- Address: Angkor, Angkor Thom, Cambodia
- Opening: 1200 g.
- Area: 9 km²
- Creator: Jayavarman VII
Near Angkor Wat is the Bayon temple - one of the oldest and majestic temples of Cambodia . The emergence of the temple is associated with the name of the monarch Jayavarman VII, who was able to change the course of the protracted war and even drive away the invaders. Military operations continued in enemy lands.
The invaders were the neighboring people of the Cham, the capital of the kingdom was plundered and destroyed. Ruler Jayavarman VII spent a lot of money from the treasury to rebuild the affected city and decided to erect a fortified wall to protect him from invasions and ruin in the future. Significant sights of the renovated capital were the palace of the monarch and Bayon - a great temple.
The structure of the temple
The temple is located in the central part of the city Angkor Thom and is very impressive in size. In a cursory examination, you may think that this rock temple is a miraculous creation created by nature. And only careful observation will leave no doubt that this structure is something other than the titanic work of hundreds and thousands of people. The temple of Bayon strikes with its magnificence and unusualness, it is often called a stone miracle, and this is true.
As for the size of the temple, they are able to impress any person who has come here: the area of Bayon is 9 square kilometers. The rock-temple is under the protection of stone lions, which opened the mouths in a frightening roar. Bayon glorifies the Buddha and his deeds and, like many such buildings, resembles stacked diminishing terraces. In this temple there are three such terraces. The largest, lower terrace is surrounded by a gallery of stone; once it was covered, but now the vaults have collapsed, leaving only the pillars and the most beautiful reliefs with which the walls of the gallery are covered.
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Terraces of the Bayon temple
The length of the gallery is 160 m, and the width is 140 m. The whole area is covered with realistic reliefs, more often depicting a simple people and their daily life. In addition to such stories, the gallery is decorated with reliefs that tell the story of Cambodia, the life and military victories of King Jayavarman. Sometimes you can meet portraits of the monarch, who are rightly considered the best sculptural images of those years.
The second terrace is surrounded by a similar gallery, its reliefs are decorated with scenes of religious and mythological themes. Also here is a tower, whose height is 43 meters. A feature of it is the basis on which it is installed. It has the shape of an oval, which is rare when erecting such structures. The tower, located in the center of Bayon in Cambodia, symbolizes the center of the universe. Once it housed a giant statue of Buddha, but in the Middle Ages the statue was destroyed, there were only some fragments that are scattered throughout the temple territory.
Impressive 52 small towers, with which the main one is surrounded. They are symbolic and designate a wall that, according to ancient beliefs, surrounds the universe. Unfortunately, time and the whims of nature inexorably destroy them.
Legends of the towers of the temple
The towers of the Bayon temple are unique, no other country in the world has such a structure. On each tower four human faces are adorned, each directed to a certain side of the world. In total there are 208 faces, the height of any reaches 2 meters. There are legends that explain the origin of persons and their purpose. According to one of them, the faces symbolize Avalokiteshvara - a deity possessing immeasurable wisdom, kindness and compassion. Another opinion is that the towers with faces are a symbol of Jayavarman VII's monarchy, which spread out to all parts of the world. The number of the towers of the Bayon temple in Cambodia corresponds to the number of provinces that were in medieval Cambodia. The central signifies the king and his unlimited power.
The bas-reliefs decorating the walls of the temple truly and fully depict the life of the kingdom in the Middle Ages. They are considered reliable historical documents and truly tell about all spheres of human life of that time: home, clothes, entertainment, work, rest and so on. There are also scenes from military clashes with the Cham.
The era of King Jayavarman VII was grandiose and unrepeatable. After his death in Cambodia, not a single temple was built, which even remotely resembled Bayon. The art of that time reached an unprecedented dawn and is referred to in history as the "Age of the Bayon".
How to get there?
The Bayon Temple is not far from Angkor Wat. You can get there both in the number of excursion groups and by taxi (rent for a day will cost you about 20-30 dollars.) A cheaper alternative is tuk-tuk - the cost of renting this type of transport per day is twice less, only 10-15 dollars.
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