Two of More Than 200 Gigantic Faces of Bayon
Angkor Wat served as the capital of the Khmer empire until mid-12th century, when the death of King Suryavarman led to the invasion of the Chams (present-day Vietnam) to the Khmer capital. However, a few years later, a Khmer prince successfully defeated the Chams and forced them away from Khmer’s land. The victorious prince then became King Jayavarman VII, who was arguably the greatest king of the Khmer empire.
Following his success, he instructed the construction of a new capital (known as Angkor Thom) which is not far from Angkor Wat. At the center of the new capital, a new temple was erected. The temple is unlike other Angkorian temples because it has more than 200 gigantic faces adorning its spires and walls. No one knows for sure whose face that is. However, some scholars believe that it resembles the face of Jayavarman VII himself, while some others argue that it is the face of Avalokitesvara, one of the most famous boddhisatvas (Jayavarman VII was a Mahayana Buddhist, hence the temple contains some Buddhist features).
One of The Gates of Angkor Thom with Devas and Asuras on Both Sides
Faces of Devas at One of Angkor Thom’s Gates
Bayon Temple
A Lintel Depicting Dancing Apsaras
Other Relief of Apsaras (Apsara is One of The Main Features at Angkorian Temples)
Towering Spires at The Upper Gallery (With Gigantic Faces, Of Course)
Other Gigantic Faces
Chambers at The Upper Gallery
A Relief Depicting King Jayavarman VII on A Battle to Defeat The Chams
Mundane Life is Also Depicted on The Walls
Truly Enigmatic Face
So far, Bayon is my favorite temple in Cambodia due to its unique feature which I’ve never seen anywhere else.
Related Posts: Angkor Wat: The Khmer Jewel and Pride, Ta Prohm: A Temple Amidst The Woods, Cycling around Angkor Archaeological Park
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Astonizing !
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I couldn’t agree more about this place. My favorite temple in Cambodia!
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My favorite is Ta Keo and I’ve wrote about it in my blog.
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Yeah I noticed that. Thanks for dropping by, Victor!
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I was going to ask you: “is this your day job?”
The I read your ‘About’ page
lol
I can’t eve afford air travel within my own country
Hence, a resolution is good idea, I should make mine more specific
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I made that resolution to keep me encouraged to go for one of my biggest dreams, that is visiting great places around the world. Thanks for dropping by!
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To put it shortly…breathless!
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It is indeed..
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i cried when i saw this temple. it is overwhelming.
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I know, it’s beautifully overwhelming, right? Thanks for visiting.
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thats really cooool. i’ve never been to south east asia yet. will go 😀
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You definitely should go! 🙂
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Hi- what a fantastic Blog! In a months time I will be spending three months travelling around South East Asia and have just set up my own blog:
http://adventuretheworld.wordpress.com/
Any advice on how to run it would be great and much appreciated!
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I’m sure you’ll have great times ahead! Advice? hmmm, I’m not an expert whatsoever. If there were any advice from me, that would be just write any interesting experience/places which you encounter. That’ll be great to read! Thanks for dropping by!
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This is a wonderful blog! thank you for taking so much time putting it together. for people like me that do not get to travel that much this is great!
-Linda
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I’m really glad that you enjoy my blog and it encourages me to travel more, write more and take better photographs.
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fabulous shots Bama!
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Thanks Suzanne!
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Reblogged this on mrleenote and commented:
Reblog: “THE ENIGMATIC FACES OF BAYON” by What an Amazing World!
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