The World-Renowned 'Khmer Smile' at Bayon Temple.

Bayon Temple, also known as Bayon, means 'beautiful tower' because in Khmer pronunciation, 'Ba' means 'beautiful' and 'yon' refers to 'tower'. Bayon Temple is the location of the famous 'Smile of Khmer' that has made Angkor Wat famous worldwide. It is also one of the most representative attractions of Angkor Wat, housing a large number of four-faced Buddha statues, all exuding a serene smile. These Buddha statues, viewed from any angle, share the same smile, reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's famous 'Mona Lisa's Smile', earning it the nickname 'Mona Lisa of Southeast Asia'. The most unique aspect of Bayon Temple is that it is the only Buddhist temple and the last state-level temple of the Angkor dynasty. Like Angkor Wat, it is also a World Heritage Site, but unlike Angkor Wat, which represents Hinduism, Bayon Temple represents Buddhism. Compared to Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple was completed later, reportedly expanded by Jayavarman VII in 1181, originally a small temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. After the expansion, Bayon Temple incorporated a large number of Buddhist elements but also retained Hindu features, reflecting the transition of the mainstream faith of the Khmer Empire from Hinduism to Buddhism. Bayon Temple is located right in the center of Angkor Thom, with a pyramid-shaped structure consisting of three levels. The bottom two levels are square and belong to the old architecture, with many reliefs related to Hindu mythology. The third level is built on top of the second, in a circular pattern, an addition by Jayavarman VII, which also features a magnificent central Buddha sanctuary, symbolizing Mount Meru (just as in Buddhism and Hinduism, Mount Meru is considered the center of the world). The temple reportedly has 49 four-faced Buddha sanctuaries, plus 5 gate sanctuaries, making a total of 54 sanctuaries, symbolizing the 54 provinces under the rule of the prosperous Khmer dynasty at the time. The 54 four-faced Buddha sanctuaries, with a total of 216 different Khmer smiles, were all constructed based on the likeness of Jayavarman VII, witnessing the strength of the Khmer kingdom at that time. In addition to the captivating Khmer smile Buddha statues, the bas-reliefs of Bayon Temple are also not to be missed. They are spread across the bottom platform corridor and the second-level corridor, depicting the lives of the common people of the Khmer Empire and the overview of wars, as well as a large number of stories related to Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Among the existing Angkor structures, it is rare to have carvings about the daily life of the people, which are very precious resources for studying the lifestyle of the general public during the Khmer period. The bas-reliefs carved on the walls of Bayon Temple are 1200 meters long, depicting more than eleven thousand richly characterized figures, a highlight not to be overlooked while appreciating the smile of Khmer at the temple. Ticket Price: General admission ticket for the area, one-day ticket $37, three-day ticket $62, seven-day ticket $72 Opening Hours: 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM Address: Angkor Thom Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia