Bayon
A Grand Scheme Symbolic of a New Empire

The Champa Kingdom of the Chams, which flourished in the southern half of Vietnam, was engaged in a long-standing battle with the Khmer Empire. In 1177, Champa king Jaya indravarman invaded the Khmer Empire by sending a Champa fleet to Lake Tonle Sap.
“ Jaya Indravarman, the king of the chams, presumptuous as Ravana, transported his army in chariots, and went to fight the country of Kambu, in hordes” – Inscription on a royal monument.
The Champa army seized Angkor, plundered the towns, and took back to Champa the spoils of their victory. The Khmer king was dethroned. Jayavarman VII was determined to recover national dignity and the kingdom, and fought the Chams in numerous battles. Jayavarman VII ultimately won back his country and annexed a large part of the Champa kingdom and the Indochina region to his empire. Four years after the invasion of the Chams, Jayavarman VII restored peace to the kingdom through military victories, and his handling of internal state affairs.
Jayavarman VII was devoted to Buddhism. He chose to house a Buddha image in the main chamber of Bayon Temple as a symbol of his divine spirit. The construction of Bayon Temple was a grand scheme aimed to unify the entire empire. Unlike temples such as Angkor Wat, built based on a tradition of Hindu religious doctrine, the Bayon temple looked completely different. Not restricted to any one religion, it appears as though a mixture of gods were brought together in the limited space of the temple.

“The Jayagiri (mountain of victory) scrapes the brilliant sky at its top and a Jayasindhu (sea of victory) touches at its impenetrable depth the world of the serpents. Jayagiri and Jayasindhu are rainbow bridges of great glory” –Inscription on the four Prasat Chuong temples at the four corners of the enclosure of Angkor Thom.
Construction of the Bayon temple and the King Jayavarman VII
Bayon displays an intricate mixture of dark, highly dense spaces resembling a maze, and bright, heaven-like spaces protected by statues. This contrast between light and dark probably emerged because the temple was not constructed according to a single design plan. For instance, the original plan was repeatedly modified, and the galleries of the temple were interconnected and bent in ways that were not originally intended. A larger number of towers than planned were squeezed into limited spaces, and the platform ended up engulfing a sanctuary that originally existed.
Here we examine the process by which Bayon came to take on its present appearance. Let us also take a close look at Jayavarman VII, the king who constructed the complex Bayon temple and gain a view of his fanatic dedication to temple construction.