After 2 days in Phnom Penh, we set off on a bus journey to Siem Reap. Siem Reap is a small charming gateway town to the world famous heritage, the Angkor temples.

The Bayon is a temple at Angkor. It was built in the 13th century as the state temple of king Jayavarman VII, and stands at the centre of his capital, Angkor Thom. Its most distinctive feature is the multitude of smiling faces on the tower that rise up to its central peak.

The Bayon was the last state temple to be built in Angkor, and the only one to be built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist temple.

It was the centrepiece of Jayavarman VII’s building program, and the similarity of the faces on the temple’s towers to other statues of the king have led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are, at least in part, representations of Jayavarman VII.

The walls of the temple are crafted with galleries that depict a series of historical and everyday scenes. It is quite impressive how the people in earlier days could actually possess such great skills and perseverance to sculpt the endless walls in the temple into such beautiful galleries.

Below are more pictures from Bayon. You can view the whole gallery here.  

A shot at the inside of the tall tower. Observe how the stones are stacked all the way to the top! 

That’s all for today, folks!