Preah Vihear's iconography

The main scene on the pediment above is the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. The depiction is an unusual one as it shows Indra on his elephant mount to the right and Garuda with open wings on the left amongst a myriad of gods and deities. The reclining Vishnu is on the lintel below.

The temple of Preah Vihear houses a wealth of iconography and any regular readers of this blog will know that's one of my favourite topics. Sitting on top of the Dangrek mountains that dominate the border area between Cambodia and Thailand, Preah Vihear was constructed from the early 9th century onwards with notable additions by the two Suryavarman kings, I and II. Its dramatic location, the best of any temple built by the Khmers, is 550 metres above the Cambodian plains below, and remarkably, considering its bloody history, the temple remains in reasonable condition with many exquisite carved lintels and pediments still in situ. Thanks to Vittorio Roveda and his in-depth studies of Khmer mythology, we have a firm idea of the stories depicted on these beautiful pieces of art and many of the scenes at Preah Vihear can be found at the temples of Angkor too. These photos were taken during my visit in March 2002 when I had limited time to run around the complex, after the fog had disappeared, and snap as many of the carvings as I could. I know that I missed many others and that's why I returned to the temple in 2005. In my view, these are the most interesting lintels and pediments from that first visit.

Connected to the Churning scene on the pediment above, this lintel depicts Vishnu Anantashayin with the god reclining on the mythic snake, his legs supported by Lakshmi and a lotus emerging from his navel on which sits Brahma. These can be found on the southern door of Gopura IV.

This gorgeous lintel's central scene shows Krishna almost joyfully subduing the naga Kaliya and keeping two of the snake's heads away with his hands. This scene is depicted at Gopura IV, I and the main sanctuary

The pediment shows Yama riding his buffalo above a kala, while the lintel is Rama's return to Ayodhya accompanied by Lakshmana and Sita, held aloft by three flying hamsas, above a kala. Its located on the southern door of Gopura III

If you thought this lintel showed two lovers, think again! It actually depicts Shiva and Arjuna in hand to hand combat above a kala on the eastern door of Gopura III

This pediment carving of Shiva and Uma on the back of Nandi is on the southern door of Gopura III. They sit under a large tree accompanied by six acolytes, four of whom hold parasols

Under the Shiva and Uma pediments lies this small Vishvakarma lintel above three large rampant lions or simhas. The difference between lions and kala's are that the latter have no bodies

Regular readers will know this is the minor god Vishvakarma with his mace above a munching kala. This scene is depicted on many lintels and pediments at Preah Vihear