Bayon Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Bayon Temple Siem Reap is one of the earliest demonstrations of full-fledged Mahayana Buddhism faith in the Khmer empire of Angkor. Before it’s patron, King Jayavarman VII, all the Khmer rulers were quintessentially Hindu, devoted towards gods of Hinduism like Shiva and Vishnu. Jayavarman VII constructed Bayon Temple to be a Buddhist temple after his reclamation of the Khmer empire from the Chams. Bayon Temple history takes us back to a time period which is still shrouded in so much anonymity and mystery.

Faces of  Bayon Temple

Bayon Temple in Siem Reap is most popular for its large number of serene faces sculpted on its towers. Earlier, there were 49 towers, sculpted with large carved faces facing towards the four cardinal directions respectively. There were almost 200 faces, the largest ones being almost 2½ meters in height. Most towers have four faces, a few other have only three, and one tower with just a single face.

These faces were originally believed to represent Lord Brahma, the Hindu God with four heads. As it was later found out that the Bayon was not a Hindu temple but a Buddhist one, archaeologists adhered the sculpted faces to that of Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Some theories also state that it is the King Jayavarman VII himself whose face is depicted on the towers.

History of  Bayon Temple

Bayon Temple Siem Reap is one of the earliest demonstrations of full-fledged Mahayana Buddhism faith in the Khmer empire of Angkor. Before it’s patron, King Jayavarman VII, all the Khmer rulers were quintessentially Hindu, devoted towards gods of Hinduism like Shiva and Vishnu. Jayavarman VII constructed Bayon Temple to be a Buddhist temple after his reclamation of the Khmer empire from the Chams. Bayon Temple history takes us back to a time period which is still shrouded in so much anonymity and mystery.

Although the temple has more than 10,000 figures on its all three tiers on all four sides, it is the multitude of serene faces that catches everyone’s attention the most. Crafted in authentic Buddhist style, the Bayon Temple architecture rises above the wilderness around like a proud flag of victory. In fact, the original name of Bayon was Jayagiri which means ‘mount of victory.’ It is because of the temple’s connection to Buddhism that it got the name Bayon, mispronounced from Banyan, which was the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment.

Highlights of Bayon Temple

The temple is constructed in the shape of a square. 

The main sculpture is present right at the middle of the square.

The stone faces of the temple are that of Bodhisattva and Avalokiteshvara. 

The Bayon Temple has been rebuilt several times over a period of others by various kings who ruled over the kingdom. 

Architecture of  Bayon Temple

There used to be around 50 towers with three or four faces on them, making their number close to 200 or more. Many theories believe that in Khmer culture, the rulers considered themselves to be one with the Almighty, whether their faith is Hinduism or Buddhist. So the Bayon Temple faces could be a representation of Lokesvara as well as Jayavarman himself, watching over the capital from its heart on all sides.

The middle tier is dominated by carvings of scenes from Hindu mythology like the Churning of the Sea Milk, and there are prominent characters like the universal trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, celestial dancers called Apsaras and sages, Ravana with ten heads, Garuda – the demi-god with an eagle-face and wings with human body. The lower tier is mostly a series of bas-reliefs depicting the everyday life of Angkor back in the day – warfare, domestic scenes, trading, sports and so on.

Significance of  Bayon Temple  

Bayon Temple holds a major significance because of the mystical, serene faces sculpted on its towers. Several historians have presented a few hypotheses regarding similar-looking stone faces in Bayon. One of the highly accepted theories is that the stone face was carved to resemble King Jayavarman VII as per his orders. While another theory states that the faces represent the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara.

Facts of Bayon Temple  

Bayon Temple falls in the categories of temple ruins and World Heritage Sites

The guiding faith of Bayon Temple is Buddhism. 

The construction of the temple dates back to 1190. 

Temple is open for visits during dawn and dusk. 

What To Wear 

Women must cover their shoulders and knees before entering the Bayon Temple. You can either wear a loose t-shirt along with capri pants or regular trousers. Men can wear t-shirts which are not sleeveless along with pants or trousers.