Angkor Thom - "The Face Towers" & The "Tomb Raider" Temple*
More from my day tour of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia
A long causeway leading to each entry tower is flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side – demons on the right and gods on the left-to make a total of 108 mythical beings guarding the city of Angkor Thom. The demons have a grimacing expression and wear a military headdress whereas the gods look serene with their almond-shaped eyes and wear a conical headdress. (Some of the heads on these figures are copies; the original ones have been removed and are at the Angkor Conservancy in Siem Reap). [Source: Tourism of Cambodia]
Bayon is essentially a step pyramid with galleries around its base and steep staircases leading to terraces near the top. Organized on top of the main structure are 55 sculptured towers, most of which have impressive carved faces staring in all four directions. The 172 faces have similar features: almond-shaped eyes, thick, sensuous lips and smiles said to enigmatic as those of the Mona Lisa. No one is sure who the faces represent but many scholars believe they are images of Avalokitesvara, a Hindu-Buddhist deity closely identified with King Jayavarman VII. The Bayon temple is built of sandstone blocks with twin corridors and a number of towers. The central tower is 45-meters-high and features sculptured faces on all four sides.Facts as taken from: http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Cambodia/sub5_2a/entry-2843.html
Now on to Ta Phram - the 'tree temple".
A long causeway leading to each entry tower is flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side – demons on the right and gods on the left-to make a total of 108 mythical beings guarding the city of Angkor Thom. The demons have a grimacing expression and wear a military headdress whereas the gods look serene with their almond-shaped eyes and wear a conical headdress. (Some of the heads on these figures are copies; the original ones have been removed and are at the Angkor Conservancy in Siem Reap). [Source: Tourism of Cambodia]
Now on to Ta Phram - the 'tree temple".
It is covered with the jungles making it one of the most famous temples
at Angkor Wat.
The whole temple complelx is 1 km long, 650m wide. It is built
to honor the royalty used to be a monastery and a school of Mahayana Buddhism.
Previously, this temple used to occupy 12 640 people including 18 monks, 2,740
priests, 2232 maids and 615 dancers.
As stated directly from: https://www.exoticvoyages.com/travel-blog/3-facts-about-sacred-temple-ta-prohm/
And now houses CROWDS of tourists!!
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