The city of Angkor Thom was built next to the Angkor Wat complex in the late 12th century by Jayavarman VII, shortly after the former was routed by the Chams. The city is as much a tribute to Buddha and his past lifes (Bodhisattva avalokiteshwara) as to the king himself, depicted frequently in divine Buddhist form through a cascade of Mona-Lisa-esque serene smiles.
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| The 75 feet tall South gate (shown in detail above) at the entrance to Angkor Thom uses intricate corbelled rather than regular arches. The gate also depicts the mountain Mandara which was used as a churning stone to extract the nectar of immortality from the oceans. | The churning was done using the great serpent king Vasuki, pulled alternately by the asuras (demons) on one side of the street.. | .. and the devas (gods) on the other, in a tug-of-war of epic proportions. |
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| What better way to travel in the city of Gods than on Indra's vehicle? | The great temple of Bayon in Angkor Thom, viewed from atop our elephant at the Northern end opposite the main entrance |
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| From a distance, the Bayon looks "as but a muddle of stones, a sort of moving chaos assaulting the sky" - Maurice Glaize. |
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Other structures in the Thom complex - the terrace of elephants | Guarding lion, Angkor Thom | The nearby exquisite but unfinished sandstone temple mountain of Ta Keo |
