Jan 23 2007
The Bayon Temple
Besides the great Angkor Wat which I’ve blogged about here, here, here, and here, Cambodia is littered with hundreds of temple ruins built by the Angkorian God-kings during the 9th to the 13th centuries. (Note: Angkor could refer to the capital city of the Khmer Empire, the art and architecture, or the empire itself.)
The majority of these temples (or wats), including Angkor Wat, are found in the Angkor Archaelogical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is situated near the town of Siem Reap which is 314 km. away from the present capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, where I live. So if you want to EB me in Phnom Penh, please bring brownies from Betty’s near the Sto. Domingo Church, ah este, what I mean to say is that you still have to travel four to six hours by bus or less than an hour by plane to Siem Reap to see the Angkorian temples.
One of the temples you must see is the Bayon Temple, probably the second most celebrated structure at Angkor after Angkor Wat. It is located right smack in the center of the ancient capital of Angkor Thom.
The Bayon is a mountain-temple with 54 towers, most of them sporting four carved faces oriented towards each point of the compass.
If you climb up the steep dangerous steps to the third level, you’d come face to face with two hundred gargantuan faces eerily and icily smiling down at you.
There is much debate regarding who the faces represent. It may be either Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism’s compassionate Bodhisattva or a combination of Buddha and the great builder-King Jayavarman VII.
Almost as extraordinary are the Bayon’s 1200 m. of bas reliefs incorporating more than 11,000 figures. The reliefs on the southern wall contain real-life scenes from the historical sea battle between the Khmer and the Chams (Vietnamese).
Interspersed among the battle scenes are unique and extensive carvings of revealing scenes of everyday life such as market scenes, chess games, childbirth, and guess what… cockfighting or sabong. Hmmmm… I wonder if we had any contact with Khmers during that time (pre-Hispanic) and they brought the sabong to the Philippines.
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Ever since I’ve read of Angkor Wat, I’ve always dreamed of going there. Last year, some friends went there and showed pictures of Angkor Wat and the Bayon Temple. They’re planning another trip back but when I said I wanted to go, one of them said I must make sure I am physically fit to climb the steep steps or else I’d just be wasting my time if I can’t climb up because all the beauty is to be found at the top of the temples.
Last December I’ve seen a documentary film about The Famous Temple of Ankor Wat. I’ve also seen a place called Kampong Phuk and interviewed people from there. I saw the large & wide brown river and the only way to reach to the village of Kampong Phuk is by boat. I’ve also seen one of the biggest tree there
! It was an interesting doc!
Di ba passport lang kelangan papuntang Cambodia? Tama ba ako?
uhhhmmm vain ba mga tao jan at mahilig sa mga whitening products at mabentahan nga para makapunta jan ng libre hehe
Seriously Toe is there any annual exhibit there for skin care products? Coz aside from finding a good distributor there I really like to see the great Angkor Wat and gusto kong maka kita ng malaking elepante
Bugsybee, I have a confession to make… I’ve never reached the very top spire. They have no safety measures kc and since I’m a klutz and I don’t trust their hospitals, it wasn’t worth it for me. The reason they made the stairs to the top so steep and very difficult to climb is because in the olden times, it was only the king who was worthy to climb up there. But there are other marvellous things to see besides the top of the spires of the Angkor Wat. There’s another hill where you could see the whole countryside and all the temples including the Angkor Wat. You could also go on a balloon ride. One thing is for sure, Angkor Wat and the other Angkor temples are a must-see at least once in your life.
Haze, yes I think I’ve seen that documentary too.
It’s very interesting isn’t it? You’d love it here. It’s a francophone country so you’ll feel very much at home. 
Verns, korekkajan! Filipino bonafide tourists are allowed 21 days entry without visa to Cambodia. Okay, if there’s a trade expo coming up, I will inform you.
Ano? magbebenta ka ng pampaputi sa mga elepante? 
Hehehe… joke! Seriously, mahilig sila dito sa mga pampaputi. The women are very vain and love to dress up and put on jewelry and maintain their figures. They’re all very slim… lahat sila size XS. You should also check out Thailand. They love those beauty products. Basta may complimentary ako. 
Truly amazing. Hope to visit this place someday.
makes me want to visit them soon.
q: how can I go to angkor coming from vietnam (saigon)?
I wanted a tour of saigon and siem reap for the longest time
Of course!! Bibigyan kita ng maraming sabon at mind you magaganda sabon namin hehe
Oh I’m so excited…our products will be ready by February, by then we can launch it na. I’m preparing our timetable for trade visits and we’re targetting asian countries. I’m crossing my fingers…kindly cross your toes for me hehe
Anyway honestly I don’t know much about the Angkor Wat. I guess I have to read your archives (eherms hehe) pero I did check the link and VOILA! ang pagmumukha ni lola ang tumambad sa akin..whooopppeee! ngayon di ko na kelangan mag imagine hehehe I’ll read some more
do you know why there are 54 towers?
Lahat ba ng mga temple sa cambodia eh protected ng goverment? Kaya ko naitanong kasi ang gandang pang-display sa bahay baka may mag-interest at maguwi sa bahay nila ng isang tipak na ulo hehehe.
Tita bakit nagkaganoon ang picture mo? hehe
Eric, yup! It’s one of the places you have to go to at least once in your life.
Tutubi, oh that’s easy. There’s a direct flight from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap, I think via Siem Reap Airways.
Verns, sigurado ka maganda sabon ha. Kc I make homemade soap, though I haven’t done that in a long time.
Hahaha… yeah, there are more photos actually. 
Sixter, ang hirap ng question mo.
But I read that Jayavarman VII’s structures are kind of hodge podge. The Bayon Temple itself was built on top of a previous Hindu temple (Jayavarman was Buddhist). And his temples are usually built during a long period of time without any plans. So I’m not sure baka nagkataon lang yung 54. BTW, out of that 54, only 36 are standing.
KD, all Angkorian antiquities cannot be moved out of Cambodia although of course there is plenty of smuggling and looting. There are plenty of beautiful reproductions made of stone and wood though which are also collectors’ items. So pwede na rin ‘yon.
Hehehe… hindi maganda yung pagka-super-impose ko ng picture… tinatamad na kc e. 
Wasn’t “Tomb Raider” shot in Angkor Wat? I’m pretty sure pati yung “Asian Treasure” nag-shoot din diyan.
Hey, if I’m lucky enough to be able to travel there, you be my tourist guide ha?
Wow! Impressive! Maybe I should move to Cambodia!
I wish that I will find time to travel in Asia. That is my lifetime dream. sana sana sana
Napadaan lang and I just want to say hello, have a good day everyone.
A country so samll yet so full of culture and manay amazing places..definitely a must see…one I shall add to the places I want to visit
Snglguy, I watched Tomb Raider but I don’t remember much. I think they recreated the inside of Ta Prohm (which I’ll blog about soon) and yes, I think they showed the outside of Angkor Wat as well as this Bayon Temple. I don’t think they were allowed to shoot inside the temples because those are holy places. Hey, of course I’ll be your tourist guide.
Sidney, you would love to take the pictures of the people here. Whenever I go around, I sometimes think of you and think that you’d probably take great photos.
Hi Mon. oh me too. I want to go to more places in Asia… China, Japan, Myanmar, more of Vietnam. Asia is so varied and exotic. There are so many places to go to that’s full of mystery and wonder.
Leah, definitely. Cambodia is so different from other places I’ve been too. It’s so exciting and exotic and wonderful.
Wow! So exotic! I would love to see those giant faces in person.
Nakakatuwa naman ang mga pictures mo. Lalo na yong 3rd. Hehe. Ikaw ba yong naka-white na nasa harap ng two-faced statue? Love your posts.
We were thinking about going to Cambodia after we saw most of the popular Wats in Thailand but we never got around to doing so. Maybe I can convince my mom again. lol
And if ever we need a tour guide, then I know who to buzz.
These ancient structures are so amazing to me. In fact I am astounded about this achievement by the Khmers that I have research about them in the Internet for several years and they just had a civilization so well ahead of its time.
Cai, yes you should see them in person. These pictures don’t give justice to its majesty.
Hermie, thanks. Hehehe… oo, ako talaga si Bea Alonzo sa totoong buhay.
Naku, Prab, pagdating sa wats, Cambodia is definitely the place to go.
Sure, just give me a buzz. 
Major Tom, that is so true. At the time when Europe was still in the dark ages, Angkor had a thriving civilization with a capital populated by 1 million people (the first to reach that number), a sophisticated government, infrastructure, and highly developed art and architecture. They are so amazing.
and the answer is…. there were 54 towers because Cambodia (or whatever the name was then) had 54 provinces at that time. Nakikinig ako sa tour guide ha!
siguro nga they brought it here. or baka naman filipinos brought it there. hehehe.
the face that i wanna see is yung naka-white. hehe
sixter is tlgang sixter ha. hehehe. pinanindigan. hehehe
Great Toe! I’ve always wanted to see those ruins. It’s always amazed me how a country like Cambodia had given rise to such a great civilization. If history had played out in a different way, where could that civilization have taken them today? Take care Toe
Amazing! Now I understand why the Angkor Wat is one of the candidates for the new 7 Wonders of the World. Tama nga ba ako?
Angkor Wat! Actually, iyan ang dream destination ko for a honeymoon vacation. Exploring hidden temples in the jungle…
And yes, I voted for this as one of the new 7 wonders of the world.
Pag malayuang tingin parang made of Lego yang mga yan. Mukhang nakakatakot sila sa madilim…hehehe.
Toe baka naman kakasya ako sa isa mong suite case, sabit na lang ako, pwede naman akong taga igib or personal security hinde lang ako marunong magluto, oooppps pwede pala ako pa ihaw-ihaw lang or pa-piripirito pero pag me sabaw na disgrasya lang aabutin. sige na sabit na lang ako sa tour
Sixter, galing ah! We’ve never tried using a tour guide.
Cambodia was also called Kambuja or Kampuchea.. or if your french, au cambodge. 
Tin-Tin, yes we don’t know. But isn’t it amazing that we have something in common with them during those times?
Angelo, the thing is that it was also their advanced civilization which brought them to their ruins. Their enemies, the Thais and the Vietnamese, used the roads they built to invade them. When they were losing to their neighbors, they just packed up and left the capital (and went to what is now Phnom Penh) and left the temples to the mercy of the jungle. Ironic, isn’t it?
Niceheart, yes the Angkor Wat is a candidate for the new 7 Wonders of the World. The Bayon Temple, above, is just one of the hundreds of temples built by the Khmers more than ten centuries ago. All the temples are amazing but the Angkor Wat is the most majestic of all.
LIW, hey thanks for voting for the Angkor Wat. So does that mean you’re getting married soon?
AnnAnn, naku nakakatakot talaga ‘yan sa gabi. Lalo na walang kuryente sa lugar na ‘yan.
Mon, ah sige… pero hindi kita paglulutuin kc si Honey na gumagawa n’on. Hugas na lang ng pinggan (kc ako gumagawa n’on).
Toe, why don’t you organize something like a photo tour/bloggers’ tour to AW and the surrounding temples? I have scaled the Bayon Temple, no problem going up. but going down? gosh! i thought i would die. but really, it’s breath taking. a MUST to see. btw, i have finished my meme
Wow! Beautiful! This is one of my unrealized dreams – to work and live in places such as this.
Toe, thanks for leaving a comment in my blog. Maybe you noticed it was classified as spam. But that’s okay, coz I am able to recover all incoming non-spam comments through my SpamKarma2. So just feel free to leave comments. Don’t be intimidated by my Spam Eater kasi kulang lang sa pansin (KSP) yun. hehe.
Hi toe
Amazing temples, a bit like the Mayan temples in Mexico. wow, pwede kang presenter sa National Geographic
i heard so much of angkor wat when i was in bangkok, i really want to visit there but my schedule wont permit me, maybe before your 6years term ends. hehehe
why the third photo looks different? or i am just imagining things… hehehe.
Sexy Mom, haha… yeah, the going down is really scary.
When we were there last, we had to assist my parents, my uncle and auntie, who were all in their seventies. 
Yes, will check out your meme.
Rhodora, oo nga KSP yung anti-spam mo.
Don’t worry, no prob! Yeah, it’s great to live in a place like this but I do miss home na. 
Pining, I wish. That would be a great job.
Mmy-Lei, I’m here until July 2008. There’s still time.
The Angkor temples are amazing to visit. It documents what was once a great civilization and is still a source of pride for all Khmer people.
There is also a very interesting international cooperation project going on to save the Angkor monuments. The project is so huge that one country could not do it alone.
Thanks for your nice blog.
John