A temple of faces
Bayon was the last great state temple of Angkor, built by Jayavarman VII, Angkor’s most powerful king and a devout Mahayana Buddhist. Its towers are covered with huge calm faces, often thought to show the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the king himself, or both.
The layout looks chaotic at first because the temple was changed many times. Walk the upper terrace slowly. From some spots you can see a dozen faces at once, all looking in different directions.
Don’t miss the outer gallery
Most visitors rush straight to the faces. Before you go up, San shows you the outer bas-reliefs, which are less about gods and more about ordinary people: fishermen, cock-fighters, women cooking, a crocodile eating a sailor, and the naval battle against the Cham at Tonlé Sap lake.
Getting there: the South Gate
The tour enters Angkor Thom through the South Gate, a 23-metre tower topped with four faces. The bridge in front is lined with 54 gods on one side and 54 demons on the other, each holding a giant naga serpent. It is the same story as the Churning of the Ocean of Milk relief at Angkor Wat.
San’s tip
“Everyone takes the ‘nose-to-nose’ photo with a face. The best tower for it is on the north-east side of the upper level, and it’s usually empty.”
