Researchers working in Cambodia’s Angkor archaeological park have uncovered a sandstone door guardian statue in a remote and seldom-visited temple.
Known as a dvarapala, the statue is a widespread architectural element across Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina cultures. Typically, such statues are portrayed as warriors armed with a weapon, such as a mace, that serve to protect royal or religious places. The Angkor statue measures five feet and two inches tall, has been broken into six pieces, and is missing part of its defensive stick.
All the same, the Apsara National Authority (ANA), which is responsible for managing and researching the 250-square-mile park, said it was in good condition. The statue is in the Bayon style, one associated with serene and mildly smiling Bramha faces that was adopted in the last state temples built at Angkor.
In full: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/statue-cambodia-angkor-archaeological-park-2531308
