GREAT CITYThe fortifies city of Angkor Thom, is on an epic scale, some 10sq km in size. It was built by Angkor’s great king,
Jayavaman VII (r1181-1219),who came to power following the disastrous sacking of the previous Khmer capital by the Chams. At the city’s height, it may have supported population of one million people in the surrounding region. Centred on the Bayon, Angkor Thom is enclosed by a jayagiri (square wall) 8m high and 12km in length and encircled by a 100m-wide jayasindhu(moat) . (the moat is said to have benn inhabited by fierce crocodiles.) this architectural layout is yet another monumental expression of Mt Meru surrounded by the oceans.
The city has five immense gate, one each in the northern, western and southern walls and two in the eastern wall. The gates are 20m in height, decorated with stone elephant trunks and crowned by four gargantuan face of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, facing the cardinal directions. In front of each gate stands giant statues of 54 gods (to the left of the causeway) and 54 demons ( to the right of the causeway), a motif taken from the story of the churning of the Ocean of Milk. The south gate is most popular with visitors, as it has been fully restored and many of the heads (usually copies) remain in place. The gate is on the main road into Angkor Thom from Angkor Wat, and it gets very busy. More peaceful are the east and west gates, found at the end of uneven trails. The east gate was used as a location in Tomb Raider where the bad guys broke into the ‘ tomb ’ by pulling down a gaint (polystyrene!) apsara. In the centre of the walled enclosure are the city’s most important monuments, including the Bayon, the Baphuon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas and the Terrace of Elephants.
BAYON
Unique, even among its cherished contemporaries, Bayon epitomizes the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s legendary king, Jayavarman VII. It’s a place ot stooped corridors, precipitous flights of stairs and, best of all, a collection of 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 coldly smiling, enormous faces of Avalokiteshvara that bear more than a passing resemblance to the great king himself. These huge heads glare down from every angle, exuding power and control with a hint of humanity – this was precisely the blend required to hold sway over such a vast empire, ensuring the disparate and far-flung population yielded to his magnanimous will. As you walk around, a dozen or more of the heads are visible at any one time – full-face or in profile, almost level with your eye or staring down from on high.
Bayon is now known to have been built by Jayavarman VII, though for many years its origins were unknown. Shrouded in dense jungle, it also took researchers some time to realize that it stands in the exact centre of the city of Angkor Thom. There is still much mystery associated with Bayon – such as its exact function and symbolism – and this seems only appropriate for a monument whose signature is an enigmatic smiling face.
The eastward orientation of Bayon leads most people to visit early in the morning, preferably just after sunrise, when the sun inches upwards, lighting face after face. Bayon, however, looks equally good in the late afternoon, and if you stay for the sunset you get the same effect as at sunrise, in reverse. A Japanese team is restoring several outer areas of the temple.
Jayavaman VII (r1181-1219),who came to power following the disastrous sacking of the previous Khmer capital by the Chams. At the city’s height, it may have supported population of one million people in the surrounding region. Centred on the Bayon, Angkor Thom is enclosed by a jayagiri (square wall) 8m high and 12km in length and encircled by a 100m-wide jayasindhu(moat) . (the moat is said to have benn inhabited by fierce crocodiles.) this architectural layout is yet another monumental expression of Mt Meru surrounded by the oceans.
The city has five immense gate, one each in the northern, western and southern walls and two in the eastern wall. The gates are 20m in height, decorated with stone elephant trunks and crowned by four gargantuan face of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, facing the cardinal directions. In front of each gate stands giant statues of 54 gods (to the left of the causeway) and 54 demons ( to the right of the causeway), a motif taken from the story of the churning of the Ocean of Milk. The south gate is most popular with visitors, as it has been fully restored and many of the heads (usually copies) remain in place. The gate is on the main road into Angkor Thom from Angkor Wat, and it gets very busy. More peaceful are the east and west gates, found at the end of uneven trails. The east gate was used as a location in Tomb Raider where the bad guys broke into the ‘ tomb ’ by pulling down a gaint (polystyrene!) apsara. In the centre of the walled enclosure are the city’s most important monuments, including the Bayon, the Baphuon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas and the Terrace of Elephants.
BAYON
Unique, even among its cherished contemporaries, Bayon epitomizes the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s legendary king, Jayavarman VII. It’s a place ot stooped corridors, precipitous flights of stairs and, best of all, a collection of 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 coldly smiling, enormous faces of Avalokiteshvara that bear more than a passing resemblance to the great king himself. These huge heads glare down from every angle, exuding power and control with a hint of humanity – this was precisely the blend required to hold sway over such a vast empire, ensuring the disparate and far-flung population yielded to his magnanimous will. As you walk around, a dozen or more of the heads are visible at any one time – full-face or in profile, almost level with your eye or staring down from on high.
Bayon is now known to have been built by Jayavarman VII, though for many years its origins were unknown. Shrouded in dense jungle, it also took researchers some time to realize that it stands in the exact centre of the city of Angkor Thom. There is still much mystery associated with Bayon – such as its exact function and symbolism – and this seems only appropriate for a monument whose signature is an enigmatic smiling face.
The eastward orientation of Bayon leads most people to visit early in the morning, preferably just after sunrise, when the sun inches upwards, lighting face after face. Bayon, however, looks equally good in the late afternoon, and if you stay for the sunset you get the same effect as at sunrise, in reverse. A Japanese team is restoring several outer areas of the temple.
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