In the south of the Hindustan Peninsula in Asia, there is an incredibly beautiful kingdom with an impressive mysterious history - Cambodia. For a long time this exotic country was closed to tourists. Nowadays, tours to Cambodia have become very popular. Tourists from all over the world seek to visit this kingdom in order to enjoy the mild climate, warm sea and beaches with white sand, untouched wonderful nature and, most importantly, to see the ancient shrines of these places with a mysterious and thousand-year history: majestic temple buildings, striking in their scope, majesty and uniqueness. One of these religious buildings is Bayon Temple (description and photo are presented in the article), located in the center of the Angkor Thom temple complex.
General information
Bayon is an ancient temple complex in the center of the ruins of the historic city of Angkor Thom, the ancient Khmer capital of the indigenous people. Bayon Temple in Angkor is one of Cambodia's main attractions, stunning the imagination of not only local residents, but also tourists from all over the world. It, like the Hindu temple complex of Angkor Wat, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Angkor is a region of the kingdom of Cambodia, which was the center of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries of our era. Today, the ruins of numerous temples and structures, including unique Khmer art monuments - Angkor Wat and Anghor Thom have been preserved.
The historical complex of Angkor Thom is divided into four parts by axes, which symbolizes a reduced copy of the universe. The Bayon is located right in the center, at the intersection of the axes, personifying the connecting link between heaven and earth.
It is believed that Bayon Temple was built in the late XII - early XIII centuries in honor of the Lord of the Khmer Empire Jayavarman VII (1125-1218 AD). It was during his reign that the Khmer Empire reached the peak of its power, many magnificent temples and public buildings were built. In addition, the king expelled the Cham invaders, ruining Cambodia, and unified the country. Jayavarman VII became the first Buddhist king, which was reflected in the construction of temples.
During the heyday of the Khmer empire, Bayon was its religious center, and all subsequent rulers rebuilt this temple complex at their discretion. The modern restoration of buildings not destroyed by centuries began in the 20s of the XX century.
Discovery story
Unfortunately, today the Bayon temple complex has not been preserved in its original form. It was rebuilt and completed several times. In the second half of the 15th century, after a long siege of the Siamese, the capital of the Khmer Empire fell, was destroyed and abandoned. The thick jungle engulfed Angkor, hiding high towers, temples and other buildings. The roads disappeared, the living quarters were not preserved either - time and the humid climate did not spare them. Fortunately, the temple buildings have survived to this day, which is an amazing sight.
The ruined ancient Angkor, lost in the jungle, was reliably hidden by vegetation from the eyes, and for 4 centuries people forgot about it. It was accidentally discovered in 1860 by the French traveler Henri Mouault, who got lost in the jungle.
However, initially the age of the Bayon Temple was incorrectly determined - the 9th century AD He was attributed to Buddhist temples a little later, at the beginning of the 20th century, after the face of a Buddhist deity of compassion was discovered. As a result, Bayon dated the end of the XII century. Despite the rather reliable archaeological evidence, not all the mysteries of Bayon are solved.
The bas-reliefs on the walls of Bayonne fairly reliably captured the life of medieval Cambodia. They are considered genuine historical evidence, giving clues about the Khmer Rouge, their military and peaceful life, life, gods. There are many scenes of battles with the chamas; god worship is presented separately.
Features of the architectural building
The temple managed to protect itself quite well from destruction. It was built mainly from stone blocks of hundreds and thousands of people. All elements of the temple are in harmony with each other. Bayon’s specificity also lies in the fact that there was no protective wall built around it - such was the wall enclosing the city of Angkor Thom.
Not all the secrets of the Bayon Temple in Cambodia have been unraveled. One of these puzzles is that the buildings of the temple complex were erected by an unknown technology without the use of binders (such as cement) - the usual laying of stone on stone. Therefore, from afar, all this seems like a pile of stones, and in the vicinity you can see the amazing structure. The grooves are very precisely and firmly connected - so that you cannot stick the tip of a knife. At the same time, the buildings did not fall apart for centuries. The learned minds of our time cannot understand how the ancient Khmers managed to make these grooves, to calculate with tremendous accuracy the details for such colossal structures.
The bas-reliefs on the walls of Bayonne fairly reliably captured the life of medieval Cambodia. They are considered genuine historical evidence, giving an idea of the medieval Khmers, their military and peaceful life, life, gods. There are many scenes of battles with the chamas; god worship is presented separately.
What is a temple?
Studying general information about the Bayonne Temple, it can be noted that it is the second most popular tourist destination in Cambodia. Bayon's calling card is stone towers with carved faces, as well as unique bas-reliefs.
From afar, the structure resembles an intricate natural conglomeration of bizarre stone blocks. But near its clearly man-made origin. Bayonne Square is impressive: 9 square kilometers.
The temple complex delights with its magnificence and unusualness, designed to glorify Buddha and his deeds. However, the Bayon Temple, built in the spirit of Buddhism, has some features of Hinduism.
The temple complex resembles a pyramid or "temple mountain", consisting of three declining tiers. The largest, lower tier is surrounded by a stone gallery, which used to be covered. However, the vaults collapsed, but the pillars and beautiful reliefs that adorn the walls of the gallery and depicting scenes from the life and life of the ancient Khmers were preserved.
Inside the temple complex is an intricate network of galleries and courtyards, which became so due to the fairly frequent rebuilding of the temple.
The entrance is guarded by mighty lions of stone with open mouths.
In front of the temple there is a wall with a height of more than four meters depicting scenes of the great victory of Jayavarman VII over the chams in the battle on Lake Tonle Sap.
In Bayonne, it seems that someone is constantly watching who come here. This sensation arises due to the many faces of the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara. Its faces are two hundred, four on each tower, looking in all 4 cardinal directions. The model for the sculptors was Jayavarman VII himself.
The device of the temple complex
Bayonus resembles a three-tier pyramid with two square lower tiers and a round third tier, in which the central sanctuary is located. Initially, the central tower had a gold plating, but it was torn off by the Siamese people who captured the city. On it was a four-meter-tall figure of the Buddha, but it was also destroyed. Three tiers represent earth, water and air.
Tiers are a very confusing system of galleries and courtyards. Along the walls, more than a thousand images of celestial dancers are carved - apsar. The outer dimensions of the lowest tier are 140 by 160 meters with a height of more than four meters. Here are numerous unique bas-reliefs. They depict the apsar and scenes of the military and peaceful life of King Jayavarman and ordinary people.
The second tier of the Bayon Temple is also square, but smaller and with four small courtyards in the corners. In one of the towers, a statue of Buddha has been preserved. Its bas-reliefs are decorated with scenes of religious and mythological themes.
The third tier can be reached by steep stairs. Here is the upper terrace, three libraries (west, north, east) and towers. In the middle is the central tower with a height of 43 meters and a base diameter of 25 m. Inside, it is divided into rooms, sanctuaries, in which there were Buddhist and Hindu deities. In the heart of the main tower is the most sacred place with a diameter of five meters.
Unique faces
The towers of Bayon Temple are one of a kind, nowhere else is such a man-made masterpiece. There used to be 54 towers representing the Khmer provinces. Only 37 have survived to this day. The central tower denotes the king and his unlimited power.
On each of them 4 human faces are carved, looking at different directions of the world. The divine faces are huge and were once covered with gold, like the whole tower. Now there are more than two hundred faces two meters high. All faces are unique, but very similar to each other.
There are hypotheses explaining the origin and destiny of individuals. According to the first, the faces symbolize the Buddhist deity of infinite compassion Avalokiteshvara. Others believe that they personify the royal power of Jayavarman VII, spreading over 54 provinces subject to him.
An interesting fact is that at any point of the temple at least five stone faces are visible. The expressions of all these persons vary depending on the lighting and time of day: they may look kind or angry, sad or smile.
Characteristic features of the faces are a wide forehead, lowered eyes, thick lips with slightly raised corners - the famous "Angkor smile".
Interesting Facts
- With a cursory glance, the temple seems simple, but when you get acquainted with the intricate courtyards and labyrinths, it becomes clear that this is not so.
- The era of the reign of King Jayavarman VII is called by historians the "Bayon era."
- The temple is not fenced with a protective wall, unlike similar sanctuaries.
- The facial features of the Buddha statue adorning the central tower resemble King Jayavarman VII.
- There used to be many treasure hunters in Bayonne. There is a legend that under the temple there is a mine going to the center of the Earth, in which there are innumerable riches.
- To take a beautiful photo of Bayon Temple in Cambodia, travelers are advised to arrive early in the morning or at sunset. At this time, the faces on the towers, gradually illuminated by the rays of the sun, seemed to come to life. In addition, during the day there are many tourists and choosing a good place is much more difficult.
Reviews
Tourists leave a lot of positive and admiring reviews about Bayon Temple in Cambodia. Many visit this place more than once, returning there again. Travelers note the mystery, originality and special atmosphere of the temple complex. Some compare the faces on the Bayonne towers with the stone giants of Easter Island.
How to get there
The temple is located a few kilometers from Siem Reap, the large and famous city of Cambodia, which has an international airport, which is convenient for tourists.
You can get to Bayon with a guided tour, by taxi or tuk-tuk.
The center can be reached by 4 roads. From the gates of the ancient city to the temple - about 1.5 kilometers, so they go on motorbikes or bicycles. There is also an “elephant trail” where tourists can ride elephants to the temple through the East Gate.
Thus, the Bayonne temple is a grand and unique masterpiece of world significance. The art of the era of King Jayavarman VII reached an unprecedented dawn and is referred to in history as the Bayon era. After this period, not a single temple was built in Cambodia, even remotely resembling Bayon. Thousands of tourists come to Cambodia every year to get in touch with the secrets of the most mysterious country in the world, including the Bayon Temple.