Guardian statue discovered at Angkor Wat – History Blog

A sandstone guardian statue has been discovered at Ban Thi Pree Temple in the ancient Khmer capital of Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Archaeologists found the statue about 30 inches underground near the east entrance of the temple’s second gate while clearing rubble from a collapsed gate.

The dvarapala, or “gate” in Sanskrit, means “guard” and “door”, and is a protective figure at the gates of Hindu and Buddhist temples and royal palaces throughout Southeast Asia. They are depicted as armed warriors and in Cambodia they are usually shown holding a large stick pointed to the ground in both hands.

The newly discovered dvarapala is 5 feet 2 inches tall from the base to the top of the head. It was broken into six sections when the superstructure of the gate collapsed. The neck, left forearm, waist and lower legs were broken, but the fractures were relatively clean. Only part of the club is missing. A small part of the club’s handle survives under the figure’s crossed hands, while the longer part of the club lies in front of its legs.

The statue’s serene face is typical of Bayon, named after the Banyon temple in the center of Angkor Thom, the capital of Khmer King Jayavarman VII. The last few temples in the Angkor Wat complex were built during this period. Banthipurai is relatively remote in the 250-square-mile complex, five miles north of the main temple, but like Banyon, it was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 13th or early 14th century. The dvarapala was built during that period.

The guardian will now be studied and preserved at the Sihanoukville Angkor Museum.