After our quick breakfast, we proceeded to explore the temple complex called Bayon. It was just right outside the small market where we ate and almost certainly dwarfs the market itself in size. The Bayon is the centerpiece temple of Angkor Thom in the vast Angkor Archaeological Park and is the first temple that visitors see after entering from the South Gate.
Almost immediately, one would notice the huge faces adorning the stone towers of Bayon. It was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. At up to this very day, debate rages on who the face depicted on the towers are.
The main entrance of the Bayon is on the east, very near the entrance you will notice that there pieces of temple scattered with numbers. It was actually like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle where the archaeologists try to put the temple back together piece by piece. It is truly a daunting task and probably will never finish any time soon.
The walls of the Bayon are adorned with bas-reliefs of scenes from everyday life to mythical figures. It was impressive to see all these exquisite carvings. I wonder how many people it took to do all these. It wouldn’t be too fare fetched to think that the ancient Khmer Empire had a huge number of skilled artists to work on the temples.
The temple, like an onion, has several layers and each of the walls separating these layers all have their own story to tell. When exploring the Bayon, it would be wise to keep a close eye on everything you see. An ordinary wall upon closer inspection can actually have detailed writing on it. Another wall will have a dragon carved on it. One could spend a day here and not finish seeing everything. Archaeologists have worked with it for decades and a still not done with it.
There were also Buddhist monks in the temple complex. Some of them were on tour but some of them seem to belong there. The Bayon doesn’t have places to sleep in, so most probably the monks live somewhere in the Archaeological Park. It was amusing to see them with their bright orange robes contrasting with the dull dark stones of the Bayon.
As the first temple we saw in Siem Reap, I would have to say that I am very impressed with what I am seeing. The next few days promises fill up my memory card with pictures of amazing temples and grand palaces.
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