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Showing posts with the label Bayon

Stitching Travel Memories

Sunrise at Angkor Wat I just recently discovered some apps like Diptic, Collage and Instagram which enhance a photograph in different and amazing ways. With Sunrise at Angkor Wat , I used Diptic to form a collage of various images I took at Angkor Wat last year to show the unfolding of day starting at around 5:30 a.m. until the sun crept into full view. It's beautiful to see the gradation of hues at intervals of just a few minutes. I refer to these images as "early bird catches early worm". Bayon In this photo taken at Bayon (also at the Angkor complex of temples), I used a filter from Instagram for a dramatic effect and to hide the haze at the lower edge of the photo. The frame further adds to the drama and sets the photo back in time. I describe this image as "a smiling face peeping through the corridors of time". Casa de Fruta, Gilroy, California This collage of eye candy was made using Collage app. It's a fun way of mixing various imag

The Faces of Bayon

Bayon was built in the late 12th or early 13th century by Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist temple in the center of Angkor Thom, the capital of the Khmer empire. There are more than 200 facial sculptures on 37 surviving towers. Four faces are carved in each tower staring at four different directions. These faces are believed to be the bodhisatva of compassion, Avalokitesvara or Lokeshvara. There are studies suggesting that the faces in the temple are similar to that of Jayavarman VII from existing statues of him. This is not far fetched in light of the traditional belief among Khmer rulers that they were  devaraja (god-king), but unlike other rulers who practiced Hinduism, Jayavarman VII was a Buddhist and would have aligned himself with Buddha and the bodhisattva (enlightenment being). Khmer army marching to battle Bas reliefs cover the walls of  Bayon in exquisite detail. There are scenes of battles, celebrations after the battle, everyday life, the next life. It's a pi