Angkor Thom: Bayon and Baphuon | Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

“Angkor Thom or ‘Big Angkor’ is the largest site in the Angkor Archaeological Park. It is a huge walled city with a moat and was the last great capital of the Angkorian Empire. Angkor Thom contains the famous temples of Bayon and Baphuon.” – source

 

Bayon: Heart of Angkor Thom Capital City

“Bayon is known for its huge stone faces of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, with one facing outward and keeping watch at each compass point. The curious smiling image, thought by many to be a portrait of Jayavarman himself, has been dubbed by some the ‘Mona Lisa of Southeast Asia.’ There are 51 smaller towers surrounding Bayon, each with four faces of its own.” – source

“Bayon Temple, also called the Face Towers, was built by King J VII as his state temple right in the very center of Angkor Thom. If Angkor Wat is elegant and proper, we found Bayon eclectic and wild.” – Traveling Solemates

“Since the Bayon Temple was constructed in stages over a span of many years, it appears to be somewhat of an architectural jumble. When seen from a distance, at first it can seem like a rather formless jumble of stone, but on the inside, there is a maze of galleries, towers and passageways on the three different levels.” – source

Don’t forget to look up and see how fascinating the structure is.

Lovely passageways inside Bayon Temple

Baphuon: World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle

“As a three-tiered temple-mountain built in the mid-11th century, Baphuon Temple is sometimes known as the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle, approached by a 200m elevated walkway made of sandstone.” – source

“The reconstruction of the pyramid turned out to be the biggest and heaviest puzzle of the world. It was started in 1960; in 2011 it was finished.” – source 

Just be careful as the stairs are really steep and this is definitely not for those who are afraid of heights.

But when you reach the top, the view is amazing!

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Angkor Thom: Bayon and Baphuon | Siem Reap, Cambodia

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