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THE BAYON
THE BAYON is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It was built in the 13th century as the state temple of king Jayavarman VII, and stands at the centre of his capital, Angkor Thom. Its most distinctive feature is the multitude of smiling faces on the towers which rise up to its central peak. The main current conservatory body, the JSA, has described the temple as "the most striking expression of the 'baroque' style", compared to the classical style of Angkor Wat.The Bayon was the last state temple to be built at Angkor, and the only one to be built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist temple (although various local deities were also worshipped there). It was the centrepiece of Jayavarman VII's building program, and the similarity of the faces on the temple's towers to other statues of the king have led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are, at least in part, representations of Jayavarman VII (although Avalokitesvara is another possibility). Under the reign of Jayavarman VIII in the mid-13th century the temple was converted to Hinduism. Current features which were not part of the original plan include the terrace to the east of the temple, the libraries, the square corners of the inner gallery, and the upper terrace.
The inner gallery is raised above ground level and has doubled corners, with the original redented cross-shape later filled out to a square. Very little space is left between the inner gallery (left) and the upper terrace (right). Very little space is left between the inner gallery (left) and the upper terrace (right). The inner gallery is nearly filled by the upper terrace, raised one level higher again. Glaize wrote that, "On the upper terrace, mystery reigns. The towers are located along the inner gallery (at the corners and entrances), and on chapels on the upper terrace. Additional faces are carved on the central tower.
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