Angkor Thom was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which Bayon is located at the very center of it. Without any exaggeration, this was the heart of the Khmer Empire. At its peak, it was estimated that around a million persons lived here.
It was really an experience. Close to 1,000 years later, there I was, standing at the heart of the Khmer empire, aware of its wider importance to Southeast Asian history, all the way to Srivijaya and the Sailendras. It was at that time that I felt glad that I loved history.