Rekha Prasad
Bayon temple
The Bayon Temple was built in the late 12th or early 13th century A.D. by Jayavarman VII, one of the Khmer Empire’s greatest kings .The Bayon Temple served as the state temple of Jayavarman’s new capital, Angkor Thom. It is unique in that it was the only state temple built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist shrine dedicated to the Buddha.
The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces.The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces on the temple's towers to other statues of the king has led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are representations of Jayavarman VII himself. Others have said that the faces belong to the bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara. Whatever, the curious smiling image, captures everyone's attention and has been dubbed by some, the "Mona Lisa of Southeast Asia."
Bayon temple
The Bayon Temple was built in the late 12th or early 13th century A.D. by Jayavarman VII, one of the Khmer Empire’s greatest kings .The Bayon Temple served as the state temple of Jayavarman’s new capital, Angkor Thom. It is unique in that it was the only state temple built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist shrine dedicated to the Buddha.
The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces.The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces on the temple's towers to other statues of the king has led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are representations of Jayavarman VII himself. Others have said that the faces belong to the bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara. Whatever, the curious smiling image, captures everyone's attention and has been dubbed by some, the "Mona Lisa of Southeast Asia."