Photo Gallery: Central Angkor Thom group of temples

Angkor Thom is one of the largest Khmer cities lying just north of Angkor Wat.  It is accessed by impressive gates across a moat with avenues leading up to the entrances lined with asuras (Hindu power-seeking deities).  Within the city walls lie numerous temples and terraces.  Bayon Temple is one of the largest Mahayana Buddhist temples in the complex and features a multitude of massive stone faces gracing its many towers.

Bayon Temple in the late afternoon haze

The asuras aross the moat

The South Gate leading into Angkor Thom

Bayon Temple originally had some forty-nine towers, most with four faces facing the cardinal points.  Today only thirty-seven remain. 

With Di and Wattie with Bayon in the background

Tourists on an elephant ride

This guy got a tad close to our tuk tuk

TERRACE OF THE ELEPHANTS:

TERRACE OF THE LEPER KING:

This impressive wall lies at the end of the Terrace of the Elephants and is a maze with a hidden wall inside and behind the outer carved one.

The outer wall

The hidden one

PHIMEANAKAS:

Asuras at the East Gate

With Di & Wattie outside Angkor Thom

TA KAO:

This temple is the only one we saw where there was massive reconstruction work actively on the go.  It was built in the late 10th Century and is being reconstructed by the Chinese government.  Climbing the extremely steep and sloping stairs to the top was a bit of a heart stopper.

This is a drawing of how they think it had originally looked & hope to achieve again