The Bayon is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple, built in the 13^th Century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII. The Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Over the years it has been modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. The temple is home also to two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which depict an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and every-day events.