Dome

Two of the smiling faces on the smaller towers of the inner gallery; Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. There are 37 extant towers in the Bayon, most with four faces. The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs; one represents the naval battle during which Jayavarman VII crushed the Cham fleet, the other has many genre scenes. In all, there are are total of more than 11,000 carved figures over 1.2 km of wall. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 8/3/2014)