This is Bayon, built in around 1190 AD by King Jayavarman VII, it is the central temple of the ancient walled city of Angkor Thom. Bayon represents the intersection of heaven and earth and although it is a primarily Buddhist temple it also incorporates elements of Hindu cosmology. The Hindu influence is the legacy of traders from India who spent part of the year in Cambodia waiting for the trade winds to change in order to return home after selling their wares. It is a reminder of how the meeting of cultures can produce harmony, beauty and integration rather than segregation, oppression and bitterness. A valuable and poignant message now more than ever.
This is my favourite piece of my own work to date, maybe because these buildings and their surroundings are aesthetically stunning but perhaps more likely because of my own attachment to the place and the memories and feelings it evokes in me. I'm not a religious person but nevertheless the beautiful architecture of the Angkor Temples left me with a feeling of tranquillity, awe and wonder which is difficult to describe but impossible to forget.
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