So just a recap, I've visited 6 temples on the first day: Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Pre Rup, Ta Som, Neak Pean and Preah Khan. I checked the maps and confirmed that I did about 50km on my granny bike getting to all these temples! My inner thighs were sore. I rested the next day and met other solo travelers as well.
This time a new friend decided to give me a free ride on his rented scooter for my 2nd day inside the Angkor Wat Heritage Park. I happily obliged. So this time it won't be a solo trip. But I don't care at this point. This journey was all about connecting with new people and experiencing adventures together.
So next stop was exploring the "last great capital city" of the Angkorian Empire - ANGKOR THOM and in the heart of Angkor Thom lies the temple with many faces...
THE BAYON TEMPLE
Me and Mani arrived at this massive temple around 9:00am in the morning and I kid you not tourists were swarming the place! Apparently there were tour groups that also arrived at the same time. Still with that distraction, just being at the entrance was overwhelming. Even at a far, Bayon temple was eerily beautiful.
While most people would go directly to the central tower, me and my friend decided to stroll along the empty galleries away from the nuisance of the crowd and it was a great choice we made. Because Bayon temple is so much more than the Gigantic smiling faces its known for which I'm going to bring you there as well.
Bayon Temple has 3 levels. First, we explored the first level where we got a taste of Khmer's finest and well preserved bas-reliefs! Among the many carvings I have seen in the previous temples, nothing compares to the ones here in Bayon. Most bas-reliefs are still intact and are almost seen in every walls, pillars, corners and nooks. These gave us a glimpse of Khmer's rich culture and history. And this is what Bayon is also famous for.
This bas-reliefs depicts Khmers marching with King Javayarman VII and his generals on giant elephants. Khmer warriors holding spears and round shields with their upper bodies bare. It seems this is the part were they celebrated their victory against the Cham invaders in the last years of the 11th century. Its amazing seeing such detailed drawings of their history.
This smiling giant can already be seen from the 2nd level me and my friend were exploring. On the previous temples, these massive stone faces can only be seen on Gopuras (Gateways to temples) however these smiling faces were built on towers.
As me and my friend navigated our way towards the upper terrace where all these smiling stone faces can be found, the walls we passed by were still filled with intricate patterns and designs, and some damaged pillars and walls which I also reveled in.
It was a maze of walkways, galleries and aisles before you can reach these Smiling Stone Faces of Bayon Temple. And the first sight of it would make your jaws drop in awe. These colossal face towers seem to be looking down at you with closed eyes but smiling. And yet, my mind wandered to that time they built this unique attraction, how talented and skilled those builders were.
It was identified that 49 towers were originally built but sources states that only 37 remains up to this day. There are four faces in each towers all facing in the cardinal directions - north, south, east and west and all these towers were constructed looking like mountain peaks when seen from afar.
It is said that these massive smiling face towers were built in the image of King Javayarman VII himself since it was common for kings during their time to think of themselves as "demi-gods". Others argue that they were built in the likelihood of Avalokiteshvara or Lokesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion in the Buddhism religion. Regardless of these theories, these face towers are mysterious and yet so majestic when faced with one.
Bas reliefs of beautiful Devatas are also seen in every walls and corners as we continued our exploration which is said to show that King Javayarman VII filled Bayon Temple with female energy.
BAYON'S HISTORY
Bayon Temple was built as King Javayarman's last state temple thus the colossal smiling stone faces and massive land area for this structure. It was built after he won the Battle with the Cham invaders and while he was still residing in his temporary residence in Preah Khan.
It is the only Mahayana temple in Angkor Wat dedicated to Buddha however Hindu elements can still be seen in it just like the previous temples he built. Unlike other temples with steles which documents a temple's certain history in writing. Scholars and researchers relied heavily on the bas-reliefs and carvings which depicted important historical events and day-to-day life in Bayon. Some even show Chinese soldiers and merchants in its past.
After Javayarman VII's death, the succeeding king converted Bayon to a Hindu temple. Bayon was then also abandoned during the 16th century and was also discovered in the 1920s by a French explorer.
After taking a couple of solo shots with the smiling stone faces in Bayon temple, we found ourselves navigating again in this maze of narrow hallways and doors which is an adventure in itself. You really never knew what you'll find just around the corner.
Reaching the outer grounds of this majestic temple was breaking my heart. I would have wanted to explore more but time was of essence since we have to visit other ancient ruins in the city of Angkor Thom. My adventure in the heart of Angkor Thom - BAYON TEMPLE was definitely unforgettable. This temple gets crowded (precovid era) with a lot of tour groups so its best to check it out first thing in the morning before 9:00am or between 11:00am - 2:00pm.
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