Date of Construction:
Late 12th century C.E.
Religious Affiliation:
Buddhist
Patron or King:
Jayavarman VII
Artistic/Archeo. Style:
Bayon
Location: Central Angkor
Thom
Location of Entrance:
Eastern causeway
Duration of Visit: 45 minutes
- 2 hours
Time to Visit: Anytime
Position:
13d26'28N 103d51'31E
If you see only two temples,
Angkor Wat
and Bayon should be the ones. The giant stone faces of
Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images
connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. There are 37
standing towers, most but not all sporting four carved faces
oriented toward the cardinal points. Who the faces represent is
a matter of debate but they may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's
compassionate Bodhisattva, or perhaps a combination of Buddha
and Jayavarman VII. Bayon was the Jayavarman VII's state-temple
and in many ways represents the pinnacle of his massive building
campaign. It appears to be, and is to some degree, an
architectural muddle, in part because it was constructed in a
somewhat piecemeal fashion for over a century.
The best of Bayon are the bas-reliefs on the exterior
walls of the lower level and on the upper level where the stone
faces reside. The bas-reliefs on the southern wall contain
real-life scenes from the historical sea battle between the
Khmer and the Cham. It is not clear whether this represents the
Cham invasion of 1177AD or a later battle in which the Khmer
were victorious. Even more interesting are extensive carvings of
unique and revealing scenes of everyday life that are
interspersed among the battle scenes, including market scenes,
cockfighting, chess games and childbirth. Also note the
unfinished carvings on other walls, likely indicating the death
of Jayavarman VII and the subsequent end of his building
campaign. Some of the reliefs on the inner walls were carved at
a later date under the Hindu king Jayavarman VIII. The
surrounding tall jungle makes Bayon a bit dark and flat
for photographs near sunrise and sunset.. |
