The 216 Faces of Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom is the largest temple area in the greater Angkor Wat Complex, specifically in terms of the grounds, not any single temple structure itself. Angkor Wat has the biggest structure, but it sits inside a rectangular moat that's 1.5 km by 1.2 km.

Angkor Thom's area, on the other hand, is a perfect square of 3 x 3 kilometers, and there are a ton of different temples to see within it. From each direction, the area is accessed via a bridge and a very cool gate.

The Figures of the South Gate of Angkor Thom

We came in through the south entrance, which can be seen in the photos below. The first photo, on the left, shows the South Gate from outside. The photo on the right shows the canal and four of the celestial beings on the west side of the bridge.

The bridge that crosses the temple canal features 54 figures on each side, 108 altogether. They are supposed to be 54 demons on the east side of the bridge, and 54 celestial beings on the west side. This south entrance is one of the best preserved, although some of these figures may be replicas which have been replaced.

What is there to see at Bayon Temple?

At the very center of Angkor Thom is the largest temple in this area, Bayon Temple. And when I say at the very center, I mean at the very center. Like, the highest point is the exact center of this perfect 3 x 3 kilometer square. All of this measurement and precision feels very impressive considering the lack of modern day equipment. Remember, this whole complex is dated to the late 12th century!

I'm so glad we got a chance to see Bayon Temple because it is so different from both the Angkor Wat temple and the total overrun by nature Ta Prohm. Bayon Temple is somewhere in between the two in terms of its structural soundness and how well preserved it is.

Bayon Temple may be a lot smaller than Angkor Wat but it has many more towers, all at varying heights, so it's pretty interesting to look at. Each tower also has faces on all four side, 216 faces in total! The purpose of them is not exactly known, but it is believed to be the ruler who built the temple.

There were certain parts of Bayon Temple that we could not visit because they had become dangerous. In some areas, the temple is being renovated just to keep the stones from collapsing further. So there is some bracing or scaffolding that you can see.

Despite parts of the temple being closed to visitors, we still spent almost an hour walking through the temple, and it was great. It had a much different feel from both Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, which made it a great addition to our tour. Plus, our guide was ready with the photography skills to get this awesome photo trick using the panorama feature.