Thousand Smiling Faces - Bayon

Angkor Wat is well-known in the world, but in terms of architecture, it is just plain simple a temple structure with more decorations, but Bayon, overwhelmed by the fame of Angkor Wat, has a very unique feature - the thousand smiling faces.

When King Jayavarman VII built the city of Bayon, he ordered his face to be seen in every part of the city. I was amazed by this special feature of the ancient construction. Everywhere you go, every corner you turn, you will see his smiling face. It is like a ghost, it is like an angel, it is like your own shadow, following every step you take.

Do you find his smile has the same quality as that of Mona Lisa? His eyes are closed, but the tips of his mouth are tilted upwards, obviously smiling. What is he smiling about? For the great achievement of his own? For this architecture wonder, historic monument he has created? Or... Nobody can tell, he is just smiling, in all directions, to all the visitors, to friends and enemy. He is never tired, he is always smiling.

[You can find my other entries on Cambodia here.]