Bayon temple

The Bayon (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបាយ័ន, Prasat Bayon) is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII (Khmer: ព្រះបាទជ័យវរ្ម័នទី ៧), the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom (Khmer: អង្គរធំ).[1][2] Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences.

The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.[3] The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. The current main conservatory body, the Japanese Government Team for the Safeguarding of Angkor (the JSA) has described the temple as "the most striking expression of the baroque style" of Khmer architecture, as contrasted with the classical style of Angkor Wat (Khmer: ប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត).[4]

ប្រាសាទបាយ័ន​

ប្រាសាទបាយ័នស្ថិត​នៅ​ចំ​កណ្តាល​នៃ​ក្រុង​អង្គរ​ធំ។ ប្រាសាទ​នេះ​ក​សាង​នៅ​ចុង​គ្រិស្តសតវត្សរ៍​ទី ១២ និង​ដើម​គ្រិស្តសតវត្សរ៍​ទី ១៣​ ដោយ​​ព្រះ​បាទ​ជយវរ្ម័ន ទី ៧។ ប្រាសាទ​នេះ​មាន តួ​ប៉ម​នីមួយៗ មាន​មុខ​បួន ដែល​មាន​កំពូល ៤៩ និង​កំពូល​ក្លោង​ទ្វារ​ចូល ៥ ទៀត សរុប​ទាំង​អស់ ៥៤ កំពូល ដែល​តំណាង​ឲ្យ​ខេត្ត​ក្រុង​ខ្មែរ ទាំង ៥៤ នៅ​សម័យ​កាល​នោះ។ មាន​អ្នក​ប្រាជ្ញ​មួយ​ចំនួន​ បាន​គិត​ថា មុខ​ទាំង ៤ នោះ​តំណាង​ឲ្យ​ព្រះ​ពោធិសត្វ​លោកេស្វរៈ អ្នក​ខ្លះ​ទៀត​ គិត​ថា ជា​រូប​តំណាង​ព្រះ​បាទ​ជយវរ្ម័ន ទី ៧។ ប្រាសាទ​បាយ័ន​មាន​ប្លង់​បី​ជាន់។ ជាន់​ទី​ ១ និង​ទី ២ មាន​ថែវ​ដែល​មាន​ចុម្លាក់​ដ៏​ល្អ។ ប្រាង្គ​នៅ​កណ្តាល ១៦ និង​ស្ថិត​នៅ​ជាន់​ទី ៣ មាន​រាង​កាកបាទ។ សំណង់​ប្រាសាទ​បាយ័ន​មាន​លក្ខណៈ​ស្មុគ​ស្មាញ ទាំង​ថែវ ផ្លូវ​ដើរ និង​ជណ្តើរ។ ក្រៅ​ពី​ទឹក​មុខ​ញញឹម​នៃ​រូប​បាយ័ន ប្រាសាទ​នេះ​មាន​ចម្លាក់​ដ៏​ល្អ​ប្រណីត​ ដែល​រៀប​រាប់​ពី​រឿង​ទេវកថា​នៅ​ថែវ​ខាង​ក្នុង និង​ខាង​ក្រៅ​ រៀប​រាប់​ពី​ជីវភាព​រស់​នៅ​របស់​ប្រជាជន​នៅ​សម័យ​អង្គរ មាន​ទាំង​ផ្សារ ការ​នេសាទ ពិធី​បុណ្យ ល្បែង​ប្រដាល់ ជល់​មាន់ ។ល។ និង​ថែម​ទាំង​មាន​ការ​រៀប​រាប់​ពី​ព្រឹត្តិការណ៍​ប្រវត្តិសាស្រ្តចម្បាំង និង​ព្យុហយាត្រា​ ជា​ដើម។ ចម្លាក់​នោះឆ្លាក់​បាន​ជ្រៅ​ជា​ងនៅ ប្រាសាទ​អង្គរ​វត្ត តែ​មាន​លក្ខណៈ​សាមញ្ញ។ ទិដ្ឋភាព​នៃ​ចម្លាក់ បង្ហាញ​ដោយ​ផ្ទាំង​តាម​ជួរ ពីរ​ឬ​បី​ជួរ[១]។

Buddhist symbolism in the foundation of the temple by King Jayavarman VI

The Bayon was the last state temple to be built at Angkor (Khmer: ក្រុងអង្គរ), and the only Angkorian state temple to be built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist shrine dedicated to the Buddha, though a great number of minor and local deities were also encompassed as representatives of the various districts and cities of the realm. It was the centrepiece of Jayavarman VII's massive program of monumental construction and public works, which was also responsible for the walls and nāga-bridges of Angkor Thom (Khmer: អង្គរធំ) and the temples of Preah Khan (Khmer: ប្រាសាទព្រះខ័ន), Ta Prohm (Khmer: ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) and Banteay Kdei (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយក្តី).[6]

From the vantage point of the temple's upper terrace, one is struck by "the serenity of the stone faces" occupying many towers.[5] 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 (Khmer: ព្រះបាទជ័យវរ្ម័នទី ៧)himself. Others have said that the faces belong to the bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara.[7] The two hypotheses need not be regarded as mutually exclusive. Angkor scholar George Coedès has theorized that Jayavarman stood squarely in the tradition of the Khmer monarchs in thinking of himself as a "devaraja" (god-king), the salient difference being that while his predecessors were Hindus and regarded themselves as consubstantial with Shiva and his symbol the lingam, Jayavarman as a Buddhist identified himself with the Buddha and the bodhisattva.[8]

Alterations following the death of Jayavarman VII

Since the time of Jayavarman VII, the Bayon has undergone numerous additions and alterations at the hands of subsequent monarchs.[5] During the reign of Jayavarman VIII in the mid-13th century, the Khmer empire reverted to Hinduism and its state temple was altered accordingly. In later centuries, Theravada Buddhism became the dominant religion, leading to still further changes, before the temple was eventually abandoned to the jungle. Current features which were not part of the original plan include the terrace to the east of the temple, the libraries, the square corners of the inner gallery, and parts of the upper terrace.

Modern restoration

In the first part of the 20th century, the École Française d'Extrême Orient took the lead in the conservation of the temple, restoring it in accordance with the technique of anastylosis. Since 1995 the Japanese Government team for the Safeguarding of Angkor (the JSA) has been the main conservatory body, and has held annual symposia.

Etymology of Bayon

The original name for the Bayon is Jayagiri (or "Victory Mountain"). After French occupancy, it was later named Banyan Temple due to its religious significance and Buddhist imagery (the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under the Banyan tree). When the local Khmer came to work at renovating Banyan Temple, there was a mispronunciation in Banyan, which was pronounced Bayon. The name then stuck

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