Latest / The Khmer Empire: The Lost Civilization Behind Angkor Wat — Fexingo History / The Bayon: Jayavarman VII's Temple of a Thousand Faces
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, today we're stepping inside one of the most remarkable structures in Angkor: the Bayon, the state temple built by Jayavarman VII at the heart of his new capital, Angkor Thom. Luna: The temple with all those faces, right? Lucas: Exactly. The Bayon is famous for over 200 gigantic stone faces that peer out from its towers. But there's so much more to it than that. Jayavarman VII constructed it around the late 12th century, after he had driven out the Cham invaders and reclaimed the Khmer kingdom. Luna: It must have been an enormous undertaking, even by Angkor's standards. Lucas: It was. And it's a reminder that this show, like the Bayon, is built by many hands. If you've been enjoying our conversations about Southeast Asian history, consider supporting us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Just a small gesture keeps us ad-free and allows us to keep digging into stories like this. Luna: Absolutely. Every little bit helps us keep the history flowing. Lucas: So, back to the Bayon. The temple is often called a 'temple-mountain' but it's unlike any other. Instead of a single central spire, you have a series of towers, each crowned with four faces looking to the cardinal directions. Luna: Who do those faces represent? Lucas: That's the big question. The leading theory is that they are Lokeshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, also known as Avalokiteshvara. But some scholars argue they are actually portraits of Jayavarman VII himself, portraying him as a living Buddha or bodhisattva. The king was a devout Mahayana Buddhist, so either interpretation fits his state ideology. Luna: So the faces might be the king's own face multiplied across the temple. Lucas: Right. And the number of faces is also significant. There are 216, which may relate to astronomical cycles or the number of days in a ritual calendar. Nothing in the Bayon seems accidental. Lucas: Beyond the faces, the Bayon has some of the most vivid bas-reliefs in all of Angkor. They cover the outer gallery walls and depict scenes of everyday life—marketplaces, cockfights, childbirth, even eating—alongside military campaigns and naval battles against the Cham. Luna: It's like a snapshot of the 12th century Khmer world. Lucas: Exactly. One panel shows a Chinese junk arriving at port, another shows Khmer archers on elephants. These are not just religious imagery; they're historical records. The bas-reliefs also include scenes from Hindu mythology, reflecting the syncretism of the time. Lucas: The Bayon was originally dedicated to Buddhism, but after Jayavarman VII's death, there was a Hindu backlash under Jayavarman VIII, who restored the cult of the devaraja. At that point, many of the Buddhist icons were defaced or altered. Luna: So the temple has layers of religious history built into it. Lucas: Yes. And later, in the 14th and 15th centuries, it was taken over by Theravada Buddhism, which remains the dominant form in Cambodia today. The Theravada monks added new images and covered up some of the older carvings. Lucas: The Bayon also had a practical function. It was located at the exact centre of Angkor Thom, a walled city four times the size of Angkor Wat. The city's layout mirrored the cosmos, and the Bayon was the symbolic Mount Meru. Luna: So the king was placing himself at the centre of the universe. Lucas: Precisely. And the faces were a constant reminder of the king's all-seeing presence, watching over his subjects day and night. Lucas: One more remarkable feature: the Bayon's central sanctuary once housed a large statue of the Buddha, fragments of which were found during restoration. That statue was probably the main cult image, showing Jayavarman VII's commitment to Buddhism as a state religion. Luna: But it's the faces that people remember most. Lucas: They are hauntingly serene. And because they're carved with slightly downcast eyes, they create a sense of calm authority. Visiting the Bayon today, you feel that presence.