The Bayon Temple is unique as it is the only Buddhist state temple and the last to be built in the Angkor Empire
 
The sanctuary is surrounded by towers that are topped with sculptures of three or four-smiling faces. Together, these towers at various heights mimic the peaks of a mountain, reminding the visitor that the Bayon was intended to symbolize the center of the Buddhist universe, Mt. Meru. Today, only 37 face-towers remain. The face-towers typically have four faces, each pointed towards the cardinal directions.