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ArchitectureMain Tower: Prasat Bayon
Bayon, the temple constructed by Jayavarman VII, is the last stepped-pyramid temple in Angkorian tradition. This temple was dedicated to the supreme Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. The towers of the temple are decorated with faces which are still iconographically problematic. Some scholars presume that the face is of Jayavarman himself while other do not belief in this theory. The multiplication of the towers increases the complexity of Prasat Bayon beyond the temple of Angkor Wat. Some scholars consider, however, that the temple of Bayon indicates the architectural declining period because the symmetrical idea has been forgotten by the architects who constructed the temple of Bayon.The central tower of Bayon is interestingly in circular shape with multi-chambered lkyaout, reminiscent of “Maṇḍala” or the diagram in Mahayana Buddhism.
ArchitectureMain Tower of Po Kluang Karai
Mukhalinga and Nandi are enshrined inside the sanctum and the Mandapa respectively. The front tympanum depicts the dancing Shiva. These sculptures indicate that this temple belongs to Shaivite Hinduism.
SculptureMain Tower: Angkor Wat
The central tower of Angkor Wat is of the normal character of the 12-century Cambodian temple. The temple is made of sandstone and added by the enterable doors cum porches. In case of Angkor Wat, the porches connect to the galleries of the four directions which turn the plan of the main temple into cruciform plan. The body of the temple is multi-angled. The superstructure is decorated with antefixes turning the stepped-contour roof into the corn-liked shape one. The antefixes have been used for the superstructures of the contemporaneous temples, like Phimai and Banteay Samre .
