Angkor Thom (¤j§d­ô) wss a walled and moated royal city which was the last capital of the Angkorian Empire. After Jayavarman VII recaptured the badly damaged Angkorian capital from the Cham (¥e±C) invaders in 1181, Angkor Thom was constructed as his new capital city. At its height, this capital area contained more than one million people, when Angkor¡¦s military, economic and cultural dominance held sway over the area of modern Cambodia, and much of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

There are five entrances (gates) to the city, one for each cardinal point, and the Victory Gate leading to the Royal Palace area. Inside the city, the giant stone faces of Bayon Temple (¤Ú¦¥¼q) have become one of the most recognizable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. There are altogether 49 standing towers with the city, most of them sporting four carved faces oriented toward the cardinal points. Who the faces belonged to has long been an issue of debate, but most historians believe that they are hybrid images of the Buddha and Jayavarman VII.

We like Bayon. The 'Smiles of Angkor' are everywhere and can always be peeped through doorways, windows and openings. In turn, being overlooked by so many 'Smiling Faces' make us calm and peaceful.
.
.
.