Bayon temple and the lots of Faces of Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Making my way in between the walls of the stone labyrinth, I could not shake off the feeling that someone was enjoying me. who would not feel that? The Bayon temple is dominated by towers with faces on every side. and they’re not just faces. They’re giant, smiling faces. You know, the same kind of smile that Mona Lisa has — enigmatic, magnetic, bordering on creepy. They make Bayon temple one-of-a-kind. Its lots of faces enjoy over the temple that was at the dead center of the once thriving Angkor Thom.

Hvad er dækket i denne vejledning?

Angkor Thom
The Gates of Angkor Thom
Prasat Bayon (Bayon Temple)
More ideas on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:

Angkor Thom

Literally “Great City,” Angkor Thom is the last capital city of the great Khmer Empire. built under the policy of King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century, it spans an area of 9 square kilometers, harboring official buildings of the kingdom and residences of priests. a lot of of these structures were said to be made of wood. Thus, they failed to survive the test of time, leaving very little trace. However, lots of of the ruins of the stone monuments still stand today, including the Terrace of the Leper King, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Baphuon, Prah Palilay and more. Bayon Temple, one of the surviving monuments, stands at the very center of the city.

The Gates of Angkor Thom

The motorist of the tuktuk that I hired stopped ideal before the figure of serpent heads that formed a fan. We came from Angkor Wat, and I had yet to recover from the shock brought about by its greatness. but there I was, on the way to the next temple that would blow me away. The motorist pointed at the queue of massive statues skirting both edges of a causeway that led to a spectacular 23-m tall, three-towered, four-faced gate.

The South gate of Angkot Thom

In Godly Company. Buddhist Monks and some locals walking out of Angkor Thom through the South Gate. Behind them is the row of statues of the gods.

He signaled that he would take a photo of me and pointed at the spot where I must stand. (He could not speak or even understand English, not even a word. several times I tried to ask for his name, but a conversation with him was always a dead end. but I love him. I met him the day before near a restaurant where his automobile was parked and I approached him to ask for directions. He could not speak English but he went out of his way to dig deep in his chest of maps to show me the directions and answer my question. That’s when I made a decision that I would hire him the following day. but that’s for another story.)

I stood next to an angry statue and flashed my best smile. Wait, no flash. Manong motorist could not figure out how to operate the camera. I did a brief demonstration and went back beside the statue and smiled again. One, two, three… hmmm. We really could not understand one another. but I wasn’t annoyed or anything. Instead, I was amused. At the very moment I made a decision to travel alone, I already gave up the idea of having a lot of photographs with me in it. He handed me back my cam and I walked around to snap away.

Smile naman dyan…

Statues of gods lined up at the left side of the causeway to Angkor Thom South Gate

Statues of gods lined up at the left side of the causeway to Angkor Thom South Gate

It was later when I finally got hold of a map when I realized that it was the South Gate, one of the five entry points around Angkor Thom, which is fortified by a sandstone wall. The five gates are:

South gate – connects Bayon to Angkor Wat

North Gate

West Gate

Victory gate – connects Bayon to Ta Prohm and Thommanon

East gate – also known as gate of the Dead

I observed that the statues on the ideal side of the causeway were all looking furious. Apparently, they are meant to be demons, and those on the left are gods. Both rows of mythical beings are pulling a nine-headed naga (serpent) on what looks like a game of tug-o-war. The demons are all looking mad, while the gods wear a a lot more peaceful expression. Both sets have headdresses but those on the gods are cone-shaped. lots of of the figures are missing their heads and other parts of their bodies.

Prasat Bayon (Bayon Temple)

To Bayon Temple!

Around 1500 meters from the South Gate, we reached a parking area in front of a sensational set of ruins. From afar, it sought to me like just piles of grey bricks set up in a chaotic yet organized manner. I could not figure out what to make of it from a distance. but the a lot more I stepped closer to it, the a lot more I was bombarded with details that gave this temple so much character. I was already standing by the main doorway when I finally observed a shape of a calm face protruding from one of the towers. and oh, there’s another. and there’s more. As soon as I stepped inside, it dawned on me that this temple had lots of faces.

Whose faces, you ask? Well, that was my questBayon temple and the lots of Faces of Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia (###) Making my way in between the walls of the stone labyrinth, I could not shake off the feeling that someone was enjoying me. who would not feel that? The Bayon temple is dominated by towers with faces on every side. and they’re not just faces. They’re giant, smiling faces. You know, the same kind of smile that Mona Lisa has — enigmatic, magnetic, bordering on creepy. They make Bayon temple one-of-a-kind. Its lots of faces enjoy over the temple that was at the dead center of the once thriving Angkor Thom.

Hvad er dækket i denne vejledning?

Angkor Thom
The Gates of Angkor Thom
Prasat Bayon (Bayon Temple)
More ideas on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:

Angkor Thom

Literally “Great City,” Angkor Thom is the last capital city of the great Khmer Empire. built under the policy of King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century, it spans an area of 9 square kilometers, harboring official buildings of the kingdom and residences of priests. a lot of of these structures were said to be made of wood. Thus, they failed to survive the test of time, leaving very little trace. However, lots of of the ruins of the stone monuments still stand today, including the Terrace of the Leper King, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Baphuon, Prah Palilay and more. Bayon Temple, one of the surviving monuments, stands at the very center of the city.

The Gates of Angkor Thom

The motorist of the tuktuk that I hired stopped ideal before the figure of serpent heads that formed a fan. We came from Angkor Wat, and I had yet to recover from the shock brought about by its greatness. but there I was, on the way to the next temple that would blow me away. The motorist pointed at the queue of massive statues skirting both edges of a causeway that led to a spectacular 23-m tall, three-towered, four-faced gate.

The South gate of Angkot Thom

In Godly Company. Buddhist Monks and some locals walking out of Angkor Thom through the South Gate. Behind them is the row of statues of the gods.

He signaled that he would take a photo of me and pointed at the spot where I must stand. (He could not speak or even understand English, not even a word. several times I tried to ask for his name, but a conversation with him was always a dead end. but I love him. I met him the day before near a restaurant where his automobile was parked and I approached him to ask for directions. He could not speak English but he went out of his way to dig deep in his chest of maps to show me the directions and answer my question. That’s when I made a decision that I would hire him the following day. but that’s for another story.)

I stood next to an angry statue and flashed my best smile. Wait, no flash. Manong motorist could not figure out how to operate the camera. I did a brief demonstration and went back beside the statue and smiled again. One, two, three… hmmm. We really could not understand one another. but I wasn’t annoyed or anything. Instead, I was amused. At the very moment I made a decision to travel alone, I already gave up the idea of having a lot of photographs with me in it. He handed me back my cam and I walked around to snap away.

Smile naman dyan…

Statues of gods lined up at the left side of the causeway to Angkor Thom South Gate

Statues of gods lined up at the left side of the causeway to Angkor Thom South Gate

It was later when I finally got hold of a map when I realized that it was the South Gate, one of the five entry points around Angkor Thom, which is fortified by a sandstone wall. The five gates are:

South gate – connects Bayon to Angkor Wat

North Gate

West Gate

Victory gate – connects Bayon to Ta Prohm and Thommanon

East gate – also known as gate of the Dead

I observed that the statues on the ideal side of the causeway were all looking furious. Apparently, they are meant to be demons, and those on the left are gods. Both rows of mythical beings are pulling a nine-headed naga (serpent) on what looks like a game of tug-o-war. The demons are all looking mad, while the gods wear a a lot more peaceful expression. Both sets have headdresses but those on the gods are cone-shaped. lots of of the figures are missing their heads and other parts of their bodies.

Prasat Bayon (Bayon Temple)

To Bayon Temple!

Around 1500 meters from the South Gate, we reached a parking area in front of a sensational set of ruins. From afar, it sought to me like just piles of grey bricks set up in a chaotic yet organized manner. I could not figure out what to make of it from a distance. but the a lot more I stepped closer to it, the a lot more I was bombarded with details that gave this temple so much character. I was already standing by the main doorway when I finally observed a shape of a calm face protruding from one of the towers. and oh, there’s another. and there’s more. As soon as I stepped inside, it dawned on me that this temple had lots of faces.

Whose faces, you ask? Well, that was my quest