Guide for visiting Bayon Temple in Angkor Wat

My most favourite temple among all the temples in Angkor Wat is the Bayon temple. The sculptures and the temple itself is stunning and breathtaking. When I traveled to Siem Reap with my mother, I ensured that I visited the Bayon temple as part of my travels. It was such a beautiful moment to stand and take pictures in front of these huge humongous structures. Bayon Temple is definitely one of the most photographed temples in Cambodia.

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About Bayon Temple

The Bayon temple is one of the ancient and old temples in the Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Siem Reap of Cambodia. The temples were built as a spiritual religious home for the Hindu God Vishnu. But it was later converted to Buddhist temples.

Built in the late 12th or early 13th century, the Bayon temple is known for its most distinctive smiling stone faces around the temple forming 54 towers. These towers are known as the face towers. The temple is a Khmer temple standing at the centre of Angkor Thom.

Did you know that Bayon temples has 216 faces carved into the stones? There are four faces on each column. And these columns are definitely one of the most unique things I have ever seen in my life.

The Bayon temple is considered as one of the big three temples in Angkor Wat and is open between 5:00 AM and 5:30 PM. However, the Angkor Temple complex is only open between 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM. The best time to visit the temple is early in the morning or late afternoon to see the amazing sunrise and sunset.

Entry ticket

The entry ticket to the Bayon Temple is included in the pass that one buys for Angkor Wat. The one day pass costs USD 37, three days pass costs USD 62 and seven days pass costs USD 72. The pass has to be purchased at the official ticket centre in Siem Reap.

The ticket office is located 4 kilometres from Siem Reap and is open every day between 4:30 AM and 5:30 PM.

Random facts

Some of the interesting facts of the Bayon temple are:

• The temple is said to be more than 820 years old.
• Angkor Thom was built by Maharaja Jayavarman VII and was the capital city.
• The faces are of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Avalokiteshvara is a manifestation of the self born eternal Buddha Amitabha. The Buddha represents the virtue of compassion.
• There are two bas-reliefs at the temple and are of legendary and historical events from the mythological story and Khmer empire.
• The temple is made up of three levels.
• The Khmer empire is also known as Angkor empire and the founder of Khmer was Jayavarman II.

Where is Bayon Temple?

The Bayon temple is located on the north of Angkor Wat. The best way to go between the temples and to the ticket office is by taking a Tuk Tuk or a car.

Tuk Tuk approximately costs USD 10 to 12 per day. Haggle with the Tuk Tuk rider. The best way to hire a Tuk Tuk is by asking at the hotel transport desk, they help with good reliable riders.

Note: There are set of steep and narrow steps to get to the temple.

Safety for solo female travelers

I found Siem Reap very safe for solo female travelers. Even though I traveled with my mother, there were places that I traveled alone including the Bayon temple.

Closing Notes

Visiting Bayon temple was a dream come true for me. I always had this spectacular temple on my bucket list and I was waiting to see these huge faces in person. Unfortunately when I visited the Bayon temple, it was raining heavily and unfortunately I could not spend too much time at the temple. I wish to visit it again and spend a lot of time on the premise and observe the smiling huge faces.

Have you been to Bayon temple? If yes, tell me your experience, I would love to hear it. Drop a comment or send me an email on Solopassport@gmail.com.

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