Bayon has the ability to take one’s breath away. Adorning the cluster of towers surrounding the central sanctuary, a myriad of smiling faces look out from Bayon’s upper terrace.
In addition to these enigmatic and picturesque faces, Bayon is renowned for its galleries of mural carvings that include depictions of everyday life at Angkor and provide some of the only insight into the culture that existed at the height of the kingdom.
At the center of Angkor Thom, 1.5 km from each of the four cardinal gates, stands the state temple known as the Bayon. As with other state temples, Bayon was the spiritual center of the kingdom, a representation of Mt. Meru, home of the gods; in the case of Bayon, erected by Buddhist king Jayavarman VII, the central sanctuary of the temple once housed a sandstone image honoring both the Buddha and the king and in both of their likenesses. The statue was found in a pit beneath the central sanctuary in 1933, and is currently housed at Prasat Prampil Loveng, located on the south side of the Victory Road.
Unlike earlier state temples at Angkor, the majority of which were built to worship Shiva and featured five towers atop a pyramid that represented the five peaks of Mt. Meru, Bayon was a break from tradition and was originally constructed at ground level, much as Jayavarman VII’s other temple complexes were, including Preah Khan and Ta Phrom.
However, as Angkor Thom was such a well fortified city and no subsequent king appears to have had the desire or ability to muster the resources needed to build something more grand, Bayon remained the centerpiece of the kingdom and underwent centuries of additions and alterations. The interior galleries of relief carvings and the three terraces leading up to the uppermost platform where visitors can pose with photos beside the smiling faces are additions made by the kings who reigned after Jayavarman VII. However, while Bayon may have undergone numerous alterations over the years, the original design (if viewed from above) is clearly designed as a yantra, a geometric pattern of Indian Tantric inspiration whose shape itself was believed to hold mystical power.
In addition to the face towers, which are best appreciated from outside the temple or upon the upper terrace, the most interesting attractions at Bayon are the galleries of bas-relief carvings surrounding the temple.
Orientation
Upon arrival at Bayon, your tuk-tuk should drop you off at the east side of the temple, the direction towards which it is oriented. From this entrance to the temple, a shallow series of stairs flanked by lions and nagas leads to a pair of ascending terraces, which lead to the outermost gopura. From here you may turn left towards the outer gallery of bas-relief murals that surround the temple or continue straight up to the uppermost platform and the central sanctuary.
Turning left from the exterior gopura leads you along the first wall of gallery carvings. In addition to scenes that recount historical battles waged by the army of Jayavarman VII, the outer-gallery carvings are particularly notable for their representations of everyday life in Angkorian society.
After the southern portion of the east gallery and the eastern section of the south exterior gallery, most tour groups will ascend to the upper platform of the temple from the south stairs, skipping the somewhat less interesting (less intact) Northern and Western outer-galleries. If you are doing a tour on your own you can follow this route up to the top of the temple, which is the showcase for most visitors. You may also either continue around the temple to check out the rest of the outer galleries or pass through the exterior southern gopura, avoiding the stairs, and loop back towards the eastern entry, perusing some of the interior galleries along the way. If you choose to ascend the southern stairway, as you pass through the doorway leading to the stairs note the apsara carving on the lintel above the doorway as well as those that grace the pillars supporting the collapsed gopura roof. (I suppose you won’t forget to take photos of everything too!)
The inner-mural-galleries of the second enclosure are more difficult to explore as the reliefs are housed within various chambers and corridors that are often unconnected to one another, a consequence of the additions and alterations made to the temple, as well as the collapse of various lower portions of the temple. These galleries feature some interesting carvings, but take considerable time to explore; with a knowledgeable guide, an interest in obscure Hindu legends, and an extra hour or two to spare, they are worth checking out in detail, otherwise perhaps only in passing.
If you have followed the exterior gallery around the entire temple and have returned to the eastern entrance (near where you arrived at the temple), there are several chambers just above and to the right of the eastern stairway leading to the upper platform. Within the door that lies below and to the right of the three central doorways there are is a chamber with low-relief carvings of the “leper king”, one of which depicts him struggling with a giant serpent. Up the stairs from that chamber and to the right there is a lingam from a later date than the original temple construction. Turning left from the linga there is a chamber with a dark, deep well, where modern-day devotees anoint themselves with what they believe to be sacred water. (While perhaps tricky, exploring some of these interior chambers can be an enjoyable experience, particularly if you are visiting Bayon at peak hours when the galleries and upper platform are dense with tour-group visitors.)
The third (upper) terrace is accessible from stairways in each of the four cardinal directions and features a central sanctuary punctuated by 16 doorways, many of which access isolated chambers. Walking around the upper terrace, particularly at sunrise or sunset, provides innumerable photo opportunities with the myriad of face towers found at or above this level. The tower immediately north of the central sanctuary features one of the best photo ops. Sitting in the western window of the tower you may be photographed from either side, with a smiling face within the frame of the window if taken from within, or sitting beneath the smiling tower-top if taken from the outside (particularly nice at sunset).
Otherwise, Bayon is fun to get lost exploring. Various chambers are closed for renovation, but you should be able to find your way to the central, upper chamber eventually. The small room on the uppermost platform houses a small seated Buddha; the 12-foot-tall Buddha that was discovered in a pit beneath the central sanctuary in 1933 is currently housed at nearby vihear-prampil-loveng.
Tip: If exiting the temple from the north, the path is graced by the Buddha echoing the likeness of the face towers and perhaps a meditating Jayavarman VII, reminiscent of the Jayabuddhamahanatha statues sent by the king to the far-flung provinces of his realm.
Tip: After visiting Bayon, you may commence on foot for a circuit of the remaining primary attractions of Angkor Thom. Begin by exiting to the north, where you can enter Baphuon from the east. Exit Baphuon through a doorway in the southern Enclosure of the Royal Palace and visit Phimeanakas, directly north.
Beyond the Phimeanakas is a pair of royal baths, the eastern of which is beside a doorway exiting the Palace Enclosure to the northeast. This will provide access to both the Terrace of the Leper King and the Elephant Terrace, the latter of which will lead you south, back along the Grand Plaza to the intersection with the Victory Road, where your tuk-tuk driver can pick you up, or you may continue back to the Bayon and retrieve your bicycle.
Need to Know
- What is it: The state temple of Jayavarman VII and subsequent kings of Angkor.
- Best time to visit: Sunrise and Sunset
- King: Jayavarman VII
- Religion: Buddhism
- Date: Late 12th - early 13th centuries
- Artistic Style: Bayon
- Trivia: Roughly 100 faces grace the 37 towers. While it appears there were once 49 towers (there is no academic consensus), not all feature four faces, some only have two or three.