Following his coronation in 1181, our old friend Jayavarman VII began a massive public works program that found its ultimate expression in his capital Angkor Thom and the temple at its heart, the Bayon.
Like Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom is nothing less than a physical representation of the Universe. The city is divided into four parts by perpendicular axes meeting in the middle, with the Bayon rising where the axes meet: standing as a link between heaven and earth, a symbol of the mythical Mount Meru. A now-dry moat stood in for the cosmic ocean.
Tourists will enjoy exploring the numerous narrow passageways in the temple, which once bore the statues of minor local deities. The temple's lower galleries are filled with well-preserved, extremely detailed bas-relief carvings, showing events from Hindu mythology, Khmer history, and vignettes from the lives of Jayavarman's ordinary subjects.
Nothing is more compelling, however, than the forest of 54 towers on the temple's upper level, each bearing four large faces facing all four geographical directions, totaling over 200 faces all in all.
TRIVIA: The faces on the towers bear a striking resemblance to King Jayavarman himself!
