Cambodia's Khmer culture is displayed in 'Gods of Angkor' exhibit
 A figure of Vishnu holds, clockwise from upper right, a conch, a mace, a ball representing Earth and a discus. (National Museum Of Cambodia, Phnom Penh - National Museum Of Cambodia, Phnom Penh) |
It's hard to tell which celestial being is depicted in one of the bronze figures in "Gods of Angkor." After all, he has lost his head.
It could be the Hindu god Shiva. Or it could be Avalokiteshvara, a bodhisattva, or manifestation, of the Buddha. Both religions flourished, side by side, in Cambodia's Khmer culture.
Also missing: two of the figure's four hands, which might have once held clues to its identity. Another figure -- clearly identified because of what he's holding -- juggles Vishnu's trademark conch, mace, discus and ball, representing the Earth. Look behind him, and you'll notice what looks like a butterfly on his tush. A nearby statue of Shiva has one, too.
No, the butterfly doesn't stand for patience or some other virtue. It's probably just a palace fashion trend -- a fancy bow -- that found its way from the closets of the living to the closets of the gods. Which doesn't sound all that surprising when you consider that the face of one of the bronze Buddhas on view is said to bear a strange resemblance to the face of Jayavarman VII, the king of the Khmer empire under whose reign it was made.
-- Michael O'Sullivan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/27/AR2010052701486.html
