Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The Bayon



Once through the south gate of Angkor Thom, our first destination was The Bayon located in the exact center of the city- one of Angkor’s most popular sites and the favorite of our guide. Here, one can find around 50 towers decorated with 216 massive faces. It is thought that those faces signified keeping watch over the greater kingdom. In addition to the omnipresent faces, a highlight of The Bayon had to be its impressive bas-reliefs. Comprising a surface of over 1.2 km are over 11,000 figures depicting everyday life from the time period. Examples included cock &boar fighting, playing chess, a woman crying over her husband, fishing nets, picking out lice, fighting the Chams (Vietnamese), barbecuing fish, and victory meals. 

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