Ta Prohm Temple

Ta Prohm (pronunciation: prasat taprohm), an atmospheric  temple ruin of towers, closed courtyards and narrow corridors built in the Bayon style, is located approximately 1 km. east of Angkor Thom, on the southern edge of the East Baray.

One of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region, Ta Prohm, nicknamed the “Jungle Temple,” was high on our hit list of temples to visit.

Check out “Bayon Temple”

Here’s a timeline of the temple’s history:

• In 1186 A.D. (the stele commemorating the foundation gives this date), Khmer King Jayavarman VII embarked on a massive program of construction and public works and Ta Prohm was founded as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university pursuant to that program.
• In the 13th century, face towers similar to those found at the Bayon were added to the gopuras. Expansions and additions to Ta Prohm continued as late as the rule of Srindravarman at the end of the 15th century.
• In the 15th century, after the fall of the Khmer Empire, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries.
• In 1947, French explorers rediscovered Ta Prohm
• In the early 21st century, efforts to conserve and restore the temples of Angkor
• In 1992, Ta Prohm was inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage List.
• As of 2013, most parts of the temple complex have been restored (some of which have been constructed from scratch) by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Causeway Connecting 3rd and 4th Enclosure West

Here are some interesting trivia regarding the temple:

• Originally called Rajavihara (“monastery of the king”), the temple’s modern name means “ancestor Brahma.”
• Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm is still in much the same condition in which it was found. The École française d’Extrême-Orientdecided that Ta Prohm would be left largely as it had been found, as a “concession to the general taste for the picturesque.” Nevertheless, work still had to done to stabilize the ruins, to permit access, and to maintain “this condition of apparent neglect.”
• Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Ta Prohm are the trees that took root at the loosened stones of the temple, creating an astonishing merger of nature and architecture, and two species of trees predominate (sources, however, disagree on their identification) – the larger silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) or thitpok (Tetrameles nudiflora), and the smaller strangler fig (Ficus gibbosa) or gold apple (Diospyros decandra).
• Like most Khmer temples, Ta Prohm is oriented to the east
• As opposed to a temple-pyramid or temple-mountain (whose inner levels are higher than the outer), the design of Ta Prohm is that of a typical “flat” Khmer temple.
• Jayavarman VII constructed the temple in honor of his family. The temple’s main image, the elevated stone face of Prajnaparamita (the “Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom”), surrounded by 260 lesser divinities (each housed in their own sanctuaries) was modeled on the King Jayavarman VII’s mother. The northern and southern satellite temples, within the third enclosure, were dedicated to Jayamangalartha, the king’s guru and elder brother. The temple monastery of Preah Khan, dedicated in 1191 A.D., and Ta Prohm also form a complementary pair as the former’s main image, representing Lokesvara (the Bodhisattva of compassion), was modeled on the king’s father.
• It one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors due to the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle.
• In the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (the first major motion picture to be shot in Cambodia since Lord Jim in 1964), the temple of Ta Prohm was used as a location. Although the film took visual liberties with other Angkorian temples, the scenes in Ta Prohm, making use of eerie qualities, were quite faithful to the temple’s actual appearance.
• Several opening scenes of the 2004 film Two Brothers were also shot here with Guy Pearce hunting the adult tigers through the temple.
• It is one of the few temples in the Angkor region where a stele (inscription) provides information about the temple’s dependents and inhabitants. Accordingly, the site was home to more than 12,640 people (including 18 high priests, 2,740 officials, 2,202 assistants  and 615 dancers) plus an additional 79,365 souls in the surrounding villages working to provide services and supplies. It also notes that the temple amassed considerable riches, including a set of golden dishes weighing 500 kgs., 35 diamonds, 40,620 pearls, 4,540 precious stones, 876 veils from China, 512 silk beds, etc..
• One of the temple’s carvings is claim by many people (mostly young earth creationists) to resemble a living stegosaurus. However, the carving actually represents, instead, either a rhinoceros or a boar over a leafy background.
• In the booklet for Creed‘s third album Weathered, an edited photo of the temple was used.
• Ta Prohm’s conservation and restoration is a partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap), their Cambodian counterpart.

Entrance Gopura on 5th Enclosure West

Our access around the temple was complicated and circuitous, necessitated by the temple’s partially collapsed state as well as the large number of other buildings dotting the site (some of which represent later additions).

The author

To protect the monument from further damages due to the large tourist inflow, wooden walkways, platforms and roped railings have been put in place around the site.

House of Fire

Seemingly looking very much the way most of the monuments of Angkor appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them, it is actually manicured, with the jungle pegged back and only the largest trees left in place.

Library

Many of the corridors were impassable, clogged with jumbled piles of delicately carved stone blocks dislodged by the vast roots of huge trees.

The central sanctuary is surrounded by 5 rectangular enclosing walls and the temple proper is set back to the west along an elongated east-west axis.

The 1,000 by 650 m. outer wall, the largest of a series of gradually smaller enclosures, encloses an area of 650,000 sq. m. that, at one time, would have been the site of a substantial but now largely forested town.

Each of the temple’s cardinal points had entrance gopuras but, today, access is only possible from the east and west. Some of its 13^th century face towers have now collapsed.

At one time, the temple had 2 moats, one found inside and another outside the fourth enclosure.

The three inner enclosures of the temple proper are galleried and the first enclosure’s corner towers form a quincunx with the tower of the central sanctuary.

This buildings around the site include libraries in the southeast corners of the first and third enclosures; satellite temples on the north and south sides of the third enclosure; the Hall of Dancers (its 48 pillars, supporting its corbelled roof, has exquisite carvings of dancing apsaras, elephants, men astride horses, floral motifs, etc.) between the third and fourth eastern gopuras; and a House of Fire (or Dharmasala), a resthouse for pilgrims located east of the fourth eastern gopura.

Compared to Angkor Wat or Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm does not have many narrative bas-reliefs, probably because much of the temple’s original Buddhist narrative artwork has been destroyed, following the death of Jayavarman VII, by Hindu iconoclasts.

Crocodile Tree

However, there are still stone reliefs of devatas (minor female deities), meditating monks or ascetics, and dvarapalas (temple guardians) plus some depictions of scenes from Buddhist mythology including one badly eroded bas-relief illustrating the “Great Departure” of Siddhartha, the future Buddha, from his father’s palace.

Apsaras

Bas-reliefs

The Crocodile Tree, the nickname of the most popular of the many strangulating root formations, is located on the inside of the easternmost gopura (entrance pavilion) of the central enclosure.

Tomb Raider Tree

The so-called “Tomb Raider Tree,” another of the most famous spots in Ta Prohm, was where Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft picked up a sprig of jasmine flower and then the sands remarkably parted as she fell through the earth into the hidden vault of the temple (or Pinewood Studios).

Our visit to the venerable Ta Prohm temple ruins, with its bulging walls carpeted with lichen, moss and creeping plants; shrubs sprouting from the roofs of monumental porches; and ancient towering trees with leaves filtering the sunlight and casting a greenish pall over the whole scene, was a unique, other-worldly experience.

Ta Prohm: Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Visit the temple early in the day when it is at its most impressive. If you want to explore the maze-like corridors and iconic tree roots, allow as much as two hours to visit. To protect both temple and visitor, it is now prohibited to climb onto the damaged galleries as these precariously balanced stones, which may weigh a ton or more, could do some serious damage if they came down.

Thommanon Temple

The small and elegant, single-towered Thommanon Temple, one of a pair of Hindu temples built during the reign of Suryavarman II (1113–1150), is located east of the Gate of Victory of Angkor Thom, north and direct opposite of Chau Say Tevoda, around 100m away from the ancient bridge called Spean Thma and  500 m. east of the Victory Gate (just a few minutes off Victory Way just before you reach the Siem Reap River) on the way to Ta Keo. The temple, dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed by UNESCO in 1992 titled Angkor).

Check out “Chau Say Tevoda“

Like the other temples in the region, it’s believed that Thommanon was deserted at some point in the 16th century. In the 1960s, a full and extensive restoration, funded by the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), was undertaken by French archaeologists who restored the temple and added concrete ceilings.

Thommanon has an east-facing central sanctuary, crowned by a tower (prasat), which can be accessed, from the east, via an entrance building (gopura), and a smaller antechamber (mandapa). The tower’s architectural style is similar to that of the Angkor Wat temple and the nearby Chau Say Tevoda.  However, though similar in design, Thommanon is better preserved than Chau Say Tevoda, attributed to the fact that its superstructure does not have stone-enclosed wood beams.

Violet and Osang at Thommanon Temple

The temple’s adoption of sandstone (which provides a distinct contrast to the surrounding jungle) as the medium for its very well preserved carvings has made it more advanced, in its architectural design, vis-à-vis other mostly wood-based temples in its vicinity. All of its doorways include carved pediments.

However, only the entry gates on the east and the west and the central tower of the main temple are all that remains. The compound walls around the temple have all but disappeared.

The Library

Thommanon and Chau Say Thavoda were inferred to have been interlinked to the central tower under one large compound with large gates. The independent library building was separated from the main temple.

As in other Khmer temples, images of devatas, the distinctive carvings of divine female figures which include flower crowns, Cambodian skirts (sampots), necklaces, armbands, belts and ankle bands, are the centre of attraction in Thommanon and are seen in profusion here. The mudras displayed are complex.

The devatas very distinctively grip the flower in a position called by one Angkor researcher as the devata mudra, holding the ring and middle fingers against the thumb, while the index and small finger are extended.  This position is also prominent at Angkor Wat. Some believe that the devatas, indicate that they were built during the reign of Jayavarman VI (1080–1113 AD), some time at the end of the 11th century. However, after studying the devatas in Thommanon, there is greater agreement among scholars that it was built by Suryavarman II around the time of Angkor Wat and Beng Mealea from 1113 to 1150 AD.

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Thommanon Temple: Angkor, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Chau Say Tevoda

Chau Say Tevoda (literally: prolific grandchildren of a deity), a Hindu temple dedicated to  predominantly Hindu deities such as Shiva and Vishnu, is located just 500 m. (1,600 ft.) to the northeast of east gate of the ancient capital Angkor Thom and directly south of Thommanon (the temple is on its opposite side of the road) across the Victory Way (it pre-dates the former and post-dates the latter).  Unique devatas (types of female sculptures) and Buddha images are enshrined in it.

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Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda, both similar in plan and stylistically belonging to the best period of classic art, represent two variations of a single theme of composition. However, Chau Say Tevoda is more deteriorated than Thommanon Temple.

Here is a historical timeline of the temple:

• It was partly built in the mid-12th century in the Angkor Watperiod during the reign of Hindu King Suryavarman II.
• During the reign of Dharanindravarman (father of Jayavarman VII, who ruled from Preah Khanof Kompong), representations of Buddha  images were built.
• During the reign of Jayavarman VII, further supplementation of structures was done.
• In the 16th century, like most of the temples in the area, the temple was abandoned at some point.
• In the late 19th century, Chau Say Tevoda was rediscovered by French explorers.
• Between 2000 and 2009, under a project sponsored by the People’s Republic of China, a Chinese team carried out restoration work, using many of the 4,000 elements lying scattered on the embankment and in the Siem Reap River.
• In late 2009, the temple was reopened and is now fully accessible.

We entered and left Chau Say Tevoda via the north entrance. Walking towards the temple, we can see traces of a moat and vestiges of a laterite base of an enclosing wall.

About 200 m. (660 ft.) from the temple is a bridge, without a river flowing beneath it (in view of the shifting nature of the course of the Siem Reap River), built with carved stones from temple ruins in the vicinity.

Chau Say Tevoda, similar to Hindu temples built in India (particularly in Odisha), has a cruciform plan and is linked to an entrance hall. The temple, with four gopuras (towers) on the four cardinal signs, has an entrance from the east though a raised bridge. The gopuras and central chamber of the temple are linked by a long hall decorated with a very elegant pattern of flowers inscribed in squares and sculpted with stone flowers similar to those seen at Banteay Srei and Baphuon.

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The temple, consisting of a central tower with an attached mandapa(achieved through a small antarala chamber), has two libraries on its southern and northern sides and is enclosed by a compound wall with four gopuras. A raised causeway, on three rows of octagonal supports (later than the monument) to its east, leads to the Siem Reap River.

Shiva is the main deity of the temple. Many of the sculptures, depicting Vishnu, are in a fairly good condition. Totally disfigured and defaced sculptures of Buddha, deified in a lotus posture and flanked by devotees, are in a mandapa behind a pediment from the entrance door which leads to the antarala. With time, its ceiling has collapsed, leading to further deterioration.

The incomplete eastern Gopura I, oriented in the western direction, has a roof which is part of the not fully restored second “pediment of the lateral southern extension.”  A Buddha, the main figure here, is in a cross legged posture and seated on a high platform flanked by disfigured carvings which are interpreted as that of Garuda and the king of Nagas.

The top pediment of Gopura I, with a figure of Buddha, has the umbrella cover of a Bodhi tree. Carvings, depicting episodes from the life of Buddha, can be seen on the northern door of the eastern Gopura I. The notable bas-relief  of Sita, heroine of the epic Ramayana, can be found here in a seated posture over an altar flanked by rakshasis (female demons). Facing Sita is the carved Hanuman, in a small monkey form and in sitting posture, offering her Rama‘s ring. A wall enclosing the temple in the past, built with laterite stones, has disappeared.

Osang making an offering

Chau Say Tevoda: Angkor, Cambodia.

How to Get There: from Angkor Thom, you can reach Chau Say Tevoda by exiting through the Victory Gate along Victory Way. Alternatively, you can head east from Angkor Wat to Srah Srang. From there, turn left and then, after  Ta Prohm temple, turn right. Follow the road to the left and go across the Siem Reap River. You’ll see the temple on the left side. It’s also not too far from the town, so it’s easily accessible by bicycle, tuktuk and taxi.

The beautiful, three-tiered Baphuon Temple

The  beautiful Baphuon, a three-tiered sandstone temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II and dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, symbolically represents the sacred, 5-peaked Mt. Meru important in both Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.  Probably among the most impressive of the Angkor temples in its day, this temple is located approximately 200 m. northwest of the Bayon.

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It was built in the mid-11th century (before the city of Angkor Thom was established) and is the archetype of the Baphuon style of design, with beautiful, intricate carvings covering every available surface including both realistic and fanciful depictions of lotus flowers, wild animals and hunters, devata figures, men in battle as well as carvings with indirect references to Hindu mythology and scenes illustrating epic poems such as the Ramayana.

Baphuon is part of the Angkor Small Circuit which takes you to all the “must-see” temples within the enormous Angkor Archaeological Park.  There are three enclosures in the Baphuon temple complex. The pyramid-style temple, situated on a high base adjoining the southern enclosure of the royal palace, measures 120 m. east-west by 100 m. north-south at its base and stands 34 m. tall without its original tower (which would have made it roughly 50 m. tall).

In the late 15th century, the Baphuon was converted into a Buddhist temple and a 9 m. tall by 70 m. long statue (one of the largest in Southeast Asia) of a reclining Buddha  was built on the west side’s second level.  To supply stones for the statue, this probably required the demolition of the 8 m. high bronze tower above (thus explaining its current absence).

The elevated sandstone walkway leading to the temple

Throughout its history, the temple’s site was unstable due to its immense size and it being built on land filled with sandy soil. By the time the Buddha was added, large portions had probably already collapsed. Surrounded by a 125 by 425 m. wall, the central tower was probably gilded wood, which has not survived.

This magnificent temple was very nearly lost to history as the ravages of time have caused significant damage.  By the 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed.  Restoration efforts took on an epic quality and the tale of how it was restored is just as impressive as the structure itself.  A large-scale project entailing a process known as anastylosis was proposed wherein the temple was dismantled so that its core could be reinforced before the whole is re-constructed again.

Violet making her way along the walkway.  In the background is the pavilion at the middle of the walkway

In 1970, civil war broke out and the project was abandoned. About 300,000 carefully labeled and numbered blocks, organized across 10 hectares surrounding the temple, were abandoned after the workers and archaeologists were forced to leave and, during the decade of conflict and the Khmer Rouge that followed, the plans identifying the pieces were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and lost.

In 1996, under the guidance of architect Pascal Royère from the EFEO, a second project to restore the temple, called the “largest 3D jigsaw puzzle in the world,” was launched. Modern technology greatly aided in the process but it still took the team 16 years to complete. The lighter colored stones are the restored pieces.

Wooded stairs leading up to the terrace

After 51 years of work, the restoration was completed in April 2011 and the temple formally re-opened. On July 3, 2011, the temple was inaugurated with King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia and Prime Minister Francois Fillon of France  among those who first toured the renovated temple.

We approached the temple from the east via a 225 m. long, elevated sandstone walkway.  After passing through a pavilion about halfway along the walkway, we caught sight of the main temple. Next, we had a bit of a workout as we climbed the steep wooden stairs that lead us up to a terrace.

Jandy and Osang making their way down the walkway

As we visited Baphuon in the early afternoon, there is no shade available on the long walkway and the steep climb to the top was very taxing during this hottest part of the day. However, upon reaching the summit top, we had one of the best spectacular views of the Angkor Archaeological Park and the city of Angkor Thom. We are truly fortunate to have been able to visit this remarkable site.

Baphuon Temple: Angkor Thom, Angkor, Cambodia. Tel: +855 63 765 577.  Visit Baphuon in the morning or late afternoon as there is no shade available on the long walkway. Hiring a tuk-tuk driver to take you around the Angkor complex is an inexpensive way to efficiently cover more ground and make sure you don’t miss anything in this complex.

Preah Pithu (or Prasat Preah Pithu), a group of five temples (in fact, they were, in all probability, not designed as a group) identified by letters: T, U, V, W and X, are located north-east of the Bayon and the Terrace of the Leper King and in front of Tep Pranam. Except for Temples “T” and “U,” they weren’t built in the same period so there is no apparent order. The first four temple letters are Hindu while “X” is a Buddhist temple that remained unfinished and is probably the latest.

Check out “Bayon Temple” and “Terrace of the Leper King”

Preah Pithu

Not much is known about the Preah Pithu temple group. It’s thought that they were built, in the art style of Angkor Wat,  in the first half of the 12th century (parts of the 13th century) during the reign of kings Suryavarman II (reigned 1113-1150) and Jayavarman VIII. It’s thought that Preah Pithu was abandoned in the 16th century, along with the other temples in the area.

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Quite for sure, they were built together as they are on the same W-E axis and are oriented to the west.  They have a cruciform terrace on two levels, with nāga balustrades as entrance. An often dry single moat surrounds some of the temples.

From Bayon, Violet, Osang and I headed north. Continuing past the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King  heading towards the North Gate, we saw a small group of market stalls on the right sidel. Heading between the two groups of market stalls, we first saw Temples “T.” and “U.”  Temples “T” and “U” were on the same east-west axis, share a single moat and are both oriented to the west which is unusual for Khmer temples. To the north is Temple “V” and to the east we saw Temples “X” and “Y.”

The temples were first cleaned by Jean Commaille in 1908, then by Henri Marchal from 1918 to 1920. Only recently, the Preah Pithu complex has been cleared, made safe and opened to visitors. However, the five temples are in a bad condition, their upper levels ruined, but their interesting, decorative carvings are good and the site is rather peaceful, semi-wooded and scarcely crowded.

Temple “T” has a 45 by 40 m. sandstone enclosure with two gopuras (entrance buildings) on the main W-E axis. The sanctuary, on a 3-level, 6 m. high ornated platform, has a chamber which shelters a large linga on its pedestal. The walls are decorated with Bayon-style devatas and floral motifs. On the ground, the fragments of the lintel of the western door show a stylized depiction of the “Churning of the Sea of Milk.”

The author. Behind him is a glimpse of Temple “T”

Temple “U,” very similar in design to Temple “T”(but smaller and simpler), has a 35 by 28 m. enclosure with no gopura (entrance buildings). The lintel of the west door shows the Trimurti, with Shiva dancing on a kala-head between Vishnu and Brahma. The internal walls are sculpted with dvarapalas. The blind arches, at the base of pillars, are typical of Angkor Wat period. The northern lintel has another depiction of the “Churning of the Sea of Milk.”

Temple “V,” outside the residual moat and north of Temple “U,” is oriented to the east, where it opens with a double vestibule and has no enclosure. On the west side is a causeway which ends with a 40 m. long cruciform terrace, leading into the northeast corner of the Royal Square. Its sanctuary chamber, standing on two-tier sculpted basement, is the largest of the group, having a square side of 3.80 m. and hosting a large 1.5 m linga. Its external decorations, in the Angkor Wat style, are incomplete. The sanctuary tower, sitting on a two-tiered platform, has decorations in the Angkor Wat style.

Temple “Y,” standing on an earthen platform, north of Temple “V,” has no basement or stairways. Dated between Angkor Wat and Bayon, it is oriented to the east.  The temple has a long mandapa as entrance linked by a vestibule to a 3.5 by 3.0 m. sanctuary chamber, which hosted a 0.95 m. tall linga. The larger, mostly collapsed chamber has two remarkable half-frontons, on its western side, which depict the defeat of the asura Bana by Hindu god Krishna to the north and the three giant steps of Vamana to the south. Temple “Y” was also unfinished.

Temple “X,” a Buddhist temple, may have even been built as late as the 14th century.  It is similar in design to the other temples but its carvings are incomplete. Inside the sanctuary tower are carvings of Buddha and Buddhist motifs.

Though nothing compared to the more popular temples in the area, Preah Pithu does get quite a lot of visitors because of its beautiful carvings, some of the finest found in the Angkor Archaeological Park.  The surrounding forest also makes for a very pleasant and peaceful experience.

Preah Pithu: Angkor Thom, Cambodia

Located in the northwest corner of the Royal Square of  Angkor Thom and immediately north of the Terrace of the Elephants, we accessed this U-shaped structure from the main road.  This is thought, by some, to have been used as a royal cremation site.

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The Terrace of the Leper King

It was built at the end of the 12th century, in the Bayon style, by Jayavarman VI who reigned from 1181 to 1220.  Its modern name is derived from a 15th-century sculpture, discovered at the site (now replaced by a replica) called the “Leper King.” The original statue now sits in the courtyard of the National Museum in Phnom Penh.

Osang beside the replica of the now shrouded statue of the Leper King

The  statue, with thick lips, energetic chin, full cheeks, slightly open mouth, aquiline nose and clear brow,  sits in the Javanese fashion (with his right knee raised) on a platform on the terrace. The position of its missing hand suggests it was holding something. Its nakedness and teeth being shown in a smile are absolutely and strangely unique in Khmer art.

Detail of bas reliefs

Mystery and uncertainty surround the origin of its name. Some say it was so called because of its discoloration and the lichen and moss growing on it, reminiscent of a person with leprosy.  It  also said to depict Yama (the Hindu god of death or judgement), Kubera (the god of wealth, an alleged leper) and also fits in with the Cambodian legend of Yasovarman I (Dharmaraja), an Angkorian king who had leprosy.

The false corridor which allows visitors to inspect the bas relief on the first wall

The terrace is faced with dramatic bas-reliefs, both on the interior and exterior. During clearing, the EFEO (Ecole Française d’Extreme-Orient) found a second, 2 m. wide laterite wall, faced with sandstone, with bas-relief similar in composition to those of the outer wall. EFEO recently created a false corridor which allows visitors to inspect the bas relief on the first wall.

Terrace of the Elephants

The 350 m. long Terrace of Elephants, part of the walled city of Angkor Thom, is named for the carvings of elephants on its eastern face. We entered this ruins from the road at the east. The terrace, dedicated to Buddhist and replica to the Bayon style of art, was built at the end of the 12^th century.

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Detail of bas relief

Attached to the palace of Phimeanakas, the terrace was used by Angkor‘s King Jayavarman VII as a giant reviewing platform from which to view his victorious returning army, for public ceremonies and also served as a base for the king’s grand audience hall.

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The author and Jandy at the terrace

As most of its original structure was made of organic material that has long since disappeared, most of what remains are the foundation platforms of the complex. It has five outworks extending towards the Central Square; three in the center and one at each end. The retaining wall’s middle section is decorated with life-size garuda and lions. Towards either end are the two parts of the famous parade of elephants, complete with their Khmer mahouts and princes

Bayon Temple

The richly decorated,  mesmerizing and slightly mind-bending Bayon (Prasat Bayon) Khmer temple was built, as a state temple (the last state temple to be built at Angkor), by the creative genius and inflated ego of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII (Cambodia’s most celebrated king) in the late 12th or early 13th century.  Later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings, following Jayavarman’s death, modified and augmented the temple in accordance with their own religious preferences.

The multitude of serene, enigmatic and smiling stone faces on the many towers, the temple’s most distinctive feature, jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. Two sets (totaling 1.2 kms.) of extraordinary bas-reliefs, incorporating more than 11,000 figures, present a combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes.

A Buddha shrine at the western side of temple

Though the only Angkorian state temple to be built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist shrine dedicated to the Buddha, a great number of minor and local deities were also encompassed as representatives of the various districts and cities of the realm.  The Bayon was the centerpiece of Jayavarman VII‘s massive program of monumental construction and public works (which was also responsible for the walls and nāga-bridges of Angkor Thom and the temples of Preah Khan, Ta Prohm  and Banteay Kdei).

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The 216 gargantuan faces decorating the temple’s towers are similar to other statues of Jayavarman VII, leading many scholars to conclude that the faces are representations of the king himself, the 54 (some say that the Khmer empire was divided into 54 provinces at the time of Bayon’s construction) pairs of his all-seeing eyes making him hold sway over such a vast empire and ensuring the disparate and far-flung subjects yielded to his magnanimous will. Others have said that the faces belong to Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

The author with son Jandy

Since the time of Jayavarman VII, subsequent monarchs have made numerous additions and alterations at the Bayon. In the mid-13th century, during the reign of Jayavarman VIII , the Khmer empire reverted to Hinduism and this state temple was altered accordingly. Theravada Buddhism became the dominant religion in later centuries, leading to still further changes.  Eventually, the temple was abandoned to the jungle. Current features that were not part of the original plan include the libraries, parts of the upper terrace, the terrace to the east of the temple and the square corners of the inner gallery.

One of the gargantuan heads of Bayon

In the first part of the 20th century, the École Française d’Extrême Orient (EFEO) restored the temple in accordance with the technique of anastylosis. Since 1995, the Japanese Government team for the Safeguarding of Angkor (the JSA) has been the temple’s main conservatory body, holding symposia annually.

Bayon’s original name was Jayagiri (or “Victory Mountain”) but, after the French occupation, it was later named Banyan Temple due to its religious significance and Buddhist imagery (the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under the Banyan tree). During the renovation of the Banyan Temple, the local Khmer workers mispronounced Banyan as Bayon and the name stuck.

The author with Violet

Oriented towards the east, the temple’s buildings are set back to the west, inside enclosures elongated along the east-west axis. The temple sits at the exact center (it took researchers some time to realize this as it was shrouded in jungle) of Angkor Thom, Jayavarman’s capital, and roads lead directly to it from the gates at each of the city’s cardinal points. The temple has no wall or moats, these being replaced by those of the city itself.  The city-temple arrangement has an area of 9 sq.  kms., much larger than that of Angkor Wat to the south (2 km²).

Check out “Angkor Wat“

Jandy with Osang

Bayon’s basic structure comprises a simple three levels corresponding, more or less, to three distinct phases of building because Jayavarman VII began construction of this temple at an advanced age.  Never confident it would be completed, each time one phase was completed, he moved on to the next. The first two, square levels are and adorned with bas-reliefs while the third, circular level houses the towers and their faces.

Within the temple are two galleried enclosures (the third and second enclosures) and an upper terrace (the first enclosure), all crowded against each other, with little space between.

Bas-relief of an apsara dancer

The outer gallery’s outer wall features a series of famous, highly detailed and informative bas-reliefs, on the outer wall of the first level not accompanied by any sort of epigraphic text, that depict historical events and vivid scenes from the Angkorian Khmer’s everyday life in 12th-century Cambodia.

The second level bas-reliefs do not have the epic proportions of those on the first level and tend to be fragmented. There is considerable uncertainty as to which historical events are portrayed and how by the bas-reliefs and, if at all, the different reliefs are related.  From the east gopura , the subjects are (in clockwise order assuming you enter the Bayon from the east):

• Chams on the Run – a three-level panorama. On the first tier, a Khmerarmy (including some Chinese soldiers) marching off to battle, with musicians, horsemen, and officers mounted on elephants, followed by oxcarts of provisions (southern part of the eastern gallery). The second tier depicts coffins being carried back from the battlefield. The third tier depicts Jayavarman VII on horseback in the center, shaded by parasols, followed by legions of concubines (to the left).
• A procession, followed by domestic scenes depicting Angkorian houses, some of the occupants of which appear to be Chinese merchants (eastern gallery, on the other side of the doorway leading into the courtyard).
• Hindus praying to a linga(phallic symbol) – an unfinished temple scene with towers, apsaras, and a lingam. This image was probably originally a Buddha, later modified by a Hindu king. (first panel north of the southeast corner pavilion)
• The Naval Battlepanel (eastern part of the southern gallery), with some of the best-carved reliefs, depicts a naval battle on the Tonle Sap between Khmer and Cham (with head coverings) forces, underneath which are more scenes of everyday civilian life around the Tonlé Sap lake depicting a market, open-air cooking, people picking lice from each other’s hair, hunters, and women tending to children, an invalid and, towards the western end of the panel, a woman giving birth.
• Chams Vanquished (southern gallery, past the doorway leading to the courtyard) – scene from daily life with boats and fisherman (including a Chinese junk), below which is a depiction of a cockfight; then some palace scenes with princesses, servants, people engaged in conversations and games (including two people playing chess), women selling fish in the market, wrestlers, and a wild boar fight; then a battle scene with Cham warriors disembarking from boats along the shore of Tonlé Sap lake and engaging Khmer warriors whose bodies are protected by coiled ropes, followed by a scene in which the Khmer dominate the combat and soundly thrashed the Chams, followed by a scene of meals being prepared and served in which the Khmer king celebrates a victory feast with his subjects.
• The most western relief of the south gallery, depicting a military procession, is unfinished, as is the panel showing elephants being led down from the mountains. Brahmans have been chased up two trees by tigers.
• A military procession including both Khmers and Chams, elephants, war machines such as a large crossbow and a catapult (western part of the southern gallery).
• Unfinished reliefs showing an army marching through the forest, then arguments and fighting between groups of Khmers (southern part of the western gallery).
• All-Seeing King (western gallery, past the doorway to the courtyard, just north of the civil war panel) – a scene depicting continued fighting, on a smaller scale, between Khmer warriors, then a scene in which warriors pursue others past a pool in which a gargantuan fish swallows a small antelope (among the smaller fish is a prawn, under which an inscription proclaims that the king will seek out those in hiding),then a royal procession, with the king standing on an elephant, preceded by the ark of the sacred flame.
• Khmer circus (western part of the northern gallery) – scene of royal entertainment including athletes, jugglers, acrobats. Here, you can see a strongman holds three dwarfs, a man on his back is spinning a wheel with his feet above which is a group of tightrope walkers, ascetics sitting in a forest, and more battles between Khmer and Cham forces. To the right of the circus, the royal court watches from a terrace, below which is a procession of animals. Some of the reliefs in this section remain unfinished.
• The Sacking of Angkor(northern gallery, past the doorway to the courtyard) – scene during the war of 1177 when the Khmers were defeated by the Chams, fleeing from Cham soldiers advancing in tight ranks, and Angkor was pillaged. The wounded Khmer king is being lowered from the back of an elephant while a wounded Khmer general is being carried on a hammock suspended from a pole. Directly above is a scene where despairing Khmers are getting drunk. The Chams (on the right) are in hot pursuit of the vanquished Khmers.
• Another marching Khmer army (northeast corner pavilion).
• The Chams Enter Angkor (eastern gallery)depicts a land battle between the Khmer and Cham armies, both of which are supported by elephants. Notice the flag bearers among the Cham troops (on the right). The Chams were defeated in the war, which ended in 1181, as depicted on the first panel in the sequence.

A courtyard, enclosed by the outer gallery, has two libraries, one on either side of the east entrance. Originally, the courtyard contained 16 chapels, all subsequently demolished by the Hindu restorationist Jayavarman VIII.

The inner gallery, raised above ground level, has doubled corners, with the original redented cross-shape later filled out to a square.  Its bas-reliefs, later additions of Jayavarman VIII, are in stark contrast to those of the outer gallery.

Rather than set-piece battles and processions, the inner gallery’s smaller canvases are decorated, for the most part, with scenes from Hindu mythology and some of the figures depicted are Siva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the members of the trimurti or threefold godhead of Hinduism, Apsaras or celestial dancers, Ravana and Garuda.

However, there is no certainty as to what some of the panels depict or their relationship with one another. For example, one gallery, just north of the eastern gopura, shows two linked scenes which have been explained as either the freeing of a goddess from inside a mountain or an act of iconoclasm by Cham invaders.

Another series of panels, connected with the legend of the Leper King (who contracted leprosy from the venom of a serpent with whom he had done battle), shows a king fighting a gigantic serpent with his bare hands, then having his hands examined by women and, finally, lying ill in bed.

Depictions of the construction of a Vishnuite temple (south of the western gopura) and the Churning of the Sea of Milk (north of the western gopura) are less obscure.  The inner gallery, raised one level higher again, is nearly filled by the upper terrace.

Scholars were led to conclude, due to the lack of space between the inner gallery and the upper terrace, that the upper terrace did not figure in the original plan for the temple but that it was, following a change in design, added shortly thereafter. Originally, it is believed that the temple had been designed as a single-level structure similar, in that respect, to the roughly contemporaneous foundations at Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei.

The famous “face towers” of the Bayon, at the upper terrace, each supports two, three or four (most common) gigantic smiling faces.  In addition to the mass of the central tower, smaller towers are located at the corners and entrances along the inner gallery and on chapels on the upper terrace. At one point, the temple hosted 49 towers (now only 37 remain).  The number of faces numbered approximately 200 but there can be no definitive count since some are only partially preserved.

Like the inner gallery, the central tower, rising 43 m. above the ground, was originally cruciform but, later, was filled out and made circular. At the time of the temple’s foundation, the principal religious image was a 3.6 m. tall statue of the Buddha (depicted seated in meditation, shielded from the elements by the flared hood of the serpent king Mucalinda) located in the sanctuary at the heart of the central tower.

Another Buddha shrine

The Buddha was removed from the sanctuary and smashed to pieces during the reign of Jayavarman VIII (Hindu restorationist monarch).  In 1933, after being recovered from the bottom of a well, it was pieced back together and is now on display in a small pavilion at Angkor.

Most people to visit in the morning due to the temple’s eastward orientation but even around late afternoon, the time of our visit, Bayon looked equally good.  From a religious standpoint, the temple is a definitive political statement about the change from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism.

As we walked around this “face temple,” a dozen or more of the huge, iconic heads, with a hint of humanity, are visible at any one time, full face or in profile, sometimes level with our eyes but mostly staring or glaring down from on high and from every angle, exuding power and control.

Unlike Angkor Wat which looks impressive from all angles and impresses with the grand scale of its architecture and open spaces, Bayon “gives the impression of being compressed within a frame which is too tight for it,” looking rather, from a distance, like a glorified pile of rubble. However, when we entered the temple and made our way up to the third level, its magic became apparent.

Bayon (Prasat Bayon):  Angkor Thom, Angkor Archeological Park, Krong Siem Reap, 17000, Cambodia