Bayon Temple

Im Herzen von Angkor Thom befindet sich der Bayon aus dem 12. Jahrhundert, der verblüffende Staatstempel von Jayavarman VII. Er verkörpert das kreative Genie und das etwas aufgeblasene Ego des berühmtesten Königs von Kambodscha. Seine 54 gotischen Türme sind mit 216 gigantischen lächelnden Gesichtern von Avalokiteshvara dekoriert und mit 1,2 km außergewöhnlichen Reliefs mit mehr als 11.000 Figuren geschmückt. Die Orientierung des Tempels nach Osten führt die meisten Menschen am Morgen zu einem Besuch um hier den Sonnenaufgang zu genießen. Am späten Nachmittag sieht Bayon jedoch genauso gut aus. Bayon ist nur einer der vielen Highlights im Angkor Archaelogical Park.

This temple with the relief sculptures as explained to us by our guide was the more insightful part of the tour. We listened through the morning of how many years it took to build and move and how it changed from Buddhist to Hindu back to Buddhist.
But the explanation and seeing the detail the artisans put into the wall seemed to make more of an impression on me.
Explanations of the different ethnicities and cultures playing a part in the history of Cambodia made it more memorable. This country has been through so much strife even before modern society carried out unfathomable acts on these kind native people.
I did like the smiling sculptures throughout the temple too.

Surprisingly compact temple, given the overall scale of the broader site. There were once around 200 carved faces on 50 towers; today there are 37 towers remaining. Based around a central shrine to Buddha, it's great spending a couple of hours here getting lost in its maze-like corridors.

Bayon Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia - Third most important temple to visit in Angkor area.

Bayon is quite dramatic; this is where you see the four sided face statues. It was my favorite place to be in the Angkor Archaeological Park.

Bayon is the state temple of Angkor Thom and many visitors would associate it with the mystery faces carved on the towers of the temple. There are more than 200 faces on 54 towers following every visitor around the temple. The faces – the smile of Khmer – are mysterious because there are several hypotheses on what they represented. Some researchers believe the face belongs to the bodhisattva of compassion while others think the face represents Jayavarman VII, the king himself. There is a possibility that the two hypotheses could be correct – Jayavarman would have regarded himself as a devaraja (god-king).

Bayon is known for the incredible stone faces. We arrived at first light and there was barely anyone else around. Pretty cool!

Khmer stories on the stone wall is essentially taking photos of daily lives with our phones ... Fab !

Bayon is one of my favourite temples in Siem Reap. With its imposing stone faces, it is easily the most visited temple apart from Angkor Wat. Simply stunning!

When we reached there, I was astonished to see such a beautiful smiling at me, just looked like my mother. When we wait our turn to take photograph, of course we are happy and felt warm. Amazing arts and wonderful trip.

Incredible, majestic temple with more than 200 faces of Buddah. Go in the morning to beat the heat and the crowds.

This temple is built by Jayavarman VII, a megalomaniac king in the 13th century, whose realm expanded southwards to include Malaysia.
The hundreds of faces of the Bayon is really impressive and is said to represent Avalokitesvara (The Buddha of compassion) but some postulate that the faces resemble the king. Not to be missed.

This is one of the most popular temples and every other tourist wanted a 'face to face' snapshot with the profile of Bayon. In spite of the crowds, it was easy to duck into the warren of corridors for some peace and quiet. Wandering among the serene smiling faces and bas reliefs was an incredible experience.

An absolute must see. Try to visit multiple times during your visit so that you catch it in different light. One of my favorite times to go is for sunrise. Incredible to see the faces of Jayavarman VII (or whoever you believe they are) gradually appear from the darkness. You will also have the place to yourself.

Banyon Temple is one of the most exciting temples to see in Cambodia. Giant face reliefs are carved into stone, they seem to be watching you as you explore the ancient Hindu temple.

I spent a lot of time walking around in the Bayon Temple section of the complex. It's a mixture of pillars, blocks and ruble with exquisite carvings in various stages ofndecay. Lichens and oxidation covers the surface of the multitudinous amounts of the serene faces. I was surprised at how freely you can walk through the area.

What's amazing about Bayon is the sculptured face is everywhere. It's a highlight among the many temples surrounding Angkor Wat and is a recommended site to see.

I may have visited this place during the warmest time of the year, during which temperature and humidity were at the highest (and also at the wrong time), so I could not really enjoy this place as much as I should. Otherwise, this small Buddhist temple is just amazing as it is compact and full of big Buddha statues. If you decide to go to this place, do pick the better season and timing (either morning or afternoon)

A must-see stop for any tour of the Angkor temples. The faces are the thing you will remember the most from this temple and they really are fantastic. The scale, height, condition and decoration on this temple make it a must-see stop on any tour of the Angkor temples. Along with Ta Prohm and Beng Melea, it was a top favorite. The kids really enjoyed climbing up it and seeing all the Buddha faces as well.

The Bayon (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបាយ័ន, Prasat Bayon) is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences.

The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.[2] The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. The current main conservatory body, the Japanese Government team for the Safeguarding of Angkor (the JSA) has described the temple as "the most striking expression of the baroque style" of Khmer architecture, as contrasted with the classical style of Angkor Wat.