The Bayon - Center of Heaven & Earth

The Bayon lies at the epicenter of the walled city of Angkor Thom, and represents the intersection of  heaven and earth for the people of ancient Cambodia.

Faces on Prasat Bayon

Built  in the late 12th century by Jayavarman VII it served as the center of his empire. What makes the Bayon unique is the multitude of serene stone faces. The temple has many beautiful stone bas-reliefs which depict Khmer history, mythology and daily life, almost as if they were locked in a time capsule.

Along the south wall I came across some beautifully, detailed Devatas, the custodians from  Hindu and Buddhist mythology.

Devata on the south wall of Bayon

Apsaras represent an important motif in the stone bas-reliefs of the Angkorian temples in Cambodia (8th–13th century AD), however all female images are not considered to be apsaras. Wikipedia

Dancing Apsaras

In harmony with the Indian association of dance with apsaras, Khmer female figures that are dancing or are poised to dance are considered apsaras; female figures, depicted individually or in groups, who are standing still and facing forward in the manner of temple guardians or custodians are called devatas. Wikipedia

I have been fortunate to be able to visit the Bayon several times. During my latest visit  I took time to document some of the bas-reliefs depicting the daily lives of the Khmers. 

Military Processions

My attempts to document this place have been not been systematic due to my own aversion to crowds.

Battle Scenes - The Khmer fought with the Cham (Vietnamese) to the west and the Thais to the east.

Khmer Bas Relief at Bayon

Military Battle Scenes - The Khmer fought with the Cham
(Vietnamese) to the west and the Thais to the east.

Khmer Military Processions at Bayon

Stone Bas-Reliefs at Bayon

Stone Bas-Reliefs at Bayon

Ancient Khmer Bas-Reliefs at Bayon

Ancient Khmer Bas-Reliefs at Bayon

Ancient Khmer Bas-Reliefs at Bayon

Zhou Daguan's A Record of Cambodia: The Land and Its People

Little is known about Zhou, a Chinese visitor to the ancient Angkor and spent nearly a year living & documenting the Khmer "southern barbarians" before sailing back to China in 1297.

Zhou Daguan wrote that the city had five gates with multiple doorways, one in each compass direction, but in the east two. The city was surrounded by a wide moat crossed by bridges with sculptures of 54 figures pulling a nine-head nāga. On top of the city gate there were five Buddha heads, four of them facing four directions, the one at the centre was covered with gold. "The city is square in shas at each corner; the city gates are guarded, open during the day but closed at night. Dogs and convicts are barred from entering the city".

Faces at Bayon

The faces of Bayon, smiling in various states of disrepair and restoration. Visitors here may likely find ongoing restoration projects funded by various countries.

Faces on Prasat Bayon

The temple itself has no wall or moats, these being replaced by those of the city itself: the city-temple arrangement, with an area of 9 square kilometres, is much larger than that of Angkor Wat to the south (2 km²). Within the temple itself, there are two galleried enclosures (the third and second enclosures) and an upper terrace (the first enclosure). All of these elements are crowded against each other with little space between. Unlike Angkor Wat, which impresses with the grand scale of its architecture and open spaces, the Bayon "gives the impression of being compressed within a frame which is too tight for it." - Wikipedia

A Devata & Faces at  Prasat Bayon

Ancient Khmer Bas-Reliefs at Bayon

Ancient Khmer Bas-Reliefs at Bayon

There are 51 towers surrounding Bayon, each of which depicts four serenely smiling faces. A couple of a hundred in total, give or take a few.

 Dancing Apsaras

The city of Siem Reap is currently being developed at an incredible rate. Package tours brings thousands of people to the historical park every day. At peak times inside the ruins of Angkor the crowds of tourists almost resemble those at Disney World.

Dancing Apsaras

Its best to come in the early morning or late afternoon when the weather is cooler and the light better for photography. 

Faces on Prasat Bayon

The best time of year for visiting the country is during the cool season (Dec - Feb). 

The View of the Bayon from the East Gate

Visitors during the hot and rainy season may find the weather a little extreme and or roads inaccessible due to flooding. Prepare yourself for the extreme weather typical of life in the tropics. Now that the paved road from Poipet to Siem Reap has been completed it only takes 2 1/2 hours over land from the border by private taxi. That same journey used to take 12 hours or more via a packed pickup. The best place to get the lowdown between Bangkok -> Poipet -> Siem Reap is over at Tales of Asia.

 Getting there

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Monastery of the King

Ta Prohm - Angkor
Recently, My wife and I  had the opportunity to visit Siem Reap and some of the temples which lie in and around the Angkor Historical Park. I brought some of my lighting gear which allowed me to produce the series of images you see posted below.

 My first choice with regards to locations were already occupied by the large package tour groups so we found a quiet corner in the back and were able to create these photographs.

I had to carry the lighting gear all day long so I packed light only bringing a single stand and a white umbrella. I ended up walking several kilometers that day.

We spent about a half hour in one of the back corners of Ta Prohm shooting these images but both of us were tired from the activities of the day.

Ta Prohm is one of my favorite temples in all of Angkor and I look forward to visiting and shooting there again.

From Wikipedia 

Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara.


Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. 


Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.


Continue to browse the images in this photoset below or via Flickr.