Apsaras are a class of celestial beings in Hindu and Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit associated with clouds and water, but, later came to play the role of a "nymph" or "
A 12th-century sandstone statue of an apsara from Madhya Pradesh, India
Apsaras on Hindu Temple at Banares, 1913
Apsara, Devi Jagadambi temple at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India
The Bayon is a richly decorated Theravada Buddhist temple of the Khmer Empire located at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of King Jayavarman VII, it
Carved faces on a tower at the Bayon
According to Angkor-scholar Maurice Glaize, the Bayon appears "as but a muddle of stones, a sort of moving chaos assaulting the sky."
According to scholars, King Jayavarman VII bears a strong resemblance to the face towers of the Bayon.