Bayon Face Spirit (Lokeshvara)
The Bayon Face Spirit refers to the 216 massive stone faces carved on the towers of the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom, the legendary capital built by King Jayavarman VII (1181-1218 CE). According to Khmer tradition, these faces represent the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Lokeshvara) — the embodiment of compassion in Mahayana Buddhism — gazing in all four directions to protect the Khmer Empire. Local folklore adds that the faces bear the features of King Jayavarman VII himself, who ordered his countenance carved so that his subjects would always feel his presence. A darker legend tells of the arch