The temple of the mysterious faces
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After the Khmer Kingdom went into decline, the city of Angkor Thom (in Cambodia) was at one point deserted and left to the jungle. In the 19th century, the site was rediscovered by French explorers, soon after which the EFEO (the École Française d'Extrême-Orient) began clearing works and restoration of the monuments overgrown by thick jungle.
The Bayon (seen here) was the state temple of King Jayavarman VII, built at the end of the 12th century. It is a mountain temple built to represent Mount Meru, the center of the universe in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.
The King had the temple constructed in the center of Angkor Thom, the 9 km² large capital city of the Khmer empire
(For more information, please see: www.britannica.com/place/Angkor )
The temple of the mysterious faces
*
After the Khmer Kingdom went into decline, the city of Angkor Thom (in Cambodia) was at one point deserted and left to the jungle. In the 19th century, the site was rediscovered by French explorers, soon after which the EFEO (the École Française d'Extrême-Orient) began clearing works and restoration of the monuments overgrown by thick jungle.
The Bayon (seen here) was the state temple of King Jayavarman VII, built at the end of the 12th century. It is a mountain temple built to represent Mount Meru, the center of the universe in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.
The King had the temple constructed in the center of Angkor Thom, the 9 km² large capital city of the Khmer empire
(For more information, please see: www.britannica.com/place/Angkor )