Out of nowhere the rain started falling heavily as we were nearing Angkor. My heart sank, I have had way too much of rain on many of my trips this year. I was left wondering if I would see Angkor in pouring rain! It was not what I wanted. Heavy rains mean the camera stays in the bag and the umbrella comes out. I did not want it at any cost.
However as we neared one of the gates to Angkor Thom, the rain miraculously stopped. Bayon is at the center of Angkor Thom, the ancient capital of the King Jayavarman VII. People from my group told me not to Google it and wait till I saw it. With a lot of difficulty I managed to stay away from searching about it the night before.
Bayon, Siem Reap, Cambodia
The first look was quite impressive. If I could have it my way I would have stood rooted to this spot by the water for at least half an hour. Alas it was not to be, our guide the soft spoken Sophiya asked us to move on after what felt like just 5 minutes to me. The temple is said to have been built in the late 12 or early 13th century. When we are talking about such ancient times, what difference does a mere few years make?
The Murals on the Wall, Bayon, Cambodia
On the outer walls of the temple there are intricate carvings that depict the history, war and the way of life in Cambodia at that time. Water, boats, fish and crocodile also feature prominently.
The Smiling Faces of Bayon, Angkor Thom, Cambodia
The most striking feature of the temple are the giant smiling faces that beam from the upper terrace of the temple. King Jayavarman VII was a follower of Mahayana Buddhism but later on the temple acquired features from Hinduism and later Theravada Buddhism. I remember the day as quite humid, my hair went completely limp by the time we were about to leave the place.
The Smiling Faces of Bayon- Another Look
In spite of the heat and the humidity and the carrot of visiting another temple Ta Phrom (Lara Croft The Tomb Raider has scenes from Ta Phrom), Sophiya had to cajole and cox us to get out of Bayom. He even mentioned an air-conditioned bus and cold water waiting for us but we still took our time. In the end I can only say for a place like Angkor and Bayon once is just not enough.
Amazing post…
Thank you Meghana.
Heard a lot about this Temple for its build up..Even now after so many years it look majestic…
It is an absolutely enchanting place and not so expensive to travel to. 😀
Awesome post and pictures.
Thank you Rajesh.
The temple stood apart from all.It’s smiling faces have some mystical beauty..! Great pics..best of luck..!
Thank you Murthy it is a special place!
Beautiful!!!! it was really lucky that the rain stopped. else we wouldnt have been able to see such a beautiful place!
Anu 😀 I so want to go back with Chhavi!
Mridula thanks a lot for showing me beautiful places round the world.
Indu 😀 thank you for your lovely comment.
Wow! So want to visit AngkorVat!
In my Travel plans! 🙂
Anita I hope you head there soon.
One visit is never enough and no visit is long enough. I lived in Vietnam for four years and over that time clocked up five visits to Ankor Wat. I would go back tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your experiences of this amazing site.
Amasc wow 4 years in Vietnam would have been something!
Wow. Combodia looks so vibrant. Great post
Avinash the place has such a sad recent history and yet so much ancient glory!
Lovely and descriptive post ….the carvings of temple are beautiful 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much!
Excellent post. Bayon looks so inviting.
http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/09/masinagudi-amidst-wilderness.html
Thank you Niranjan.
Combodia has been on my travel wishlist for so long. This was a very useful post indeed and thanks for sharing.
Did you travel alone or had company? Asking because I would like to know if it is safe for a lone female backpacker. I have been advised not to travel alone to Combodia.
Cheers,
Bharti.
Bharti I was there as part of a media group, invited as a blogger by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. So I was not alone. Siem Reap did not feel unsafe at all. Do drop a line if you wish to chat more about it.