Devata of Bakong

Up close and personal with a devata from Bakong

Following close on the heels of the rich vein of lintels to be found at the pyramid temple of Bakong, the 9th century capital city of King Indravarman I at Hariharalya, or Roluos as its known today, here are a few of the devata that flank the doorways of some of the eight brick towers at the foot of the pyramid shrine. They share this position with male dvarapalas too, which I will post soon. The devata are made of sculpted brickwork that would've been covered in lime mortar or stucco as it's also called, in their heyday, most of which has cracked and fallen away through time, leaving the exposed brickwork. The figures are in niches which offer representations of mini-temples in themselves. They stand on plinths with full-length skirts and wear conical hats but mother time hasn't been particularly kind to the majority of them in terms of their current appearance.

Looking regal and serene, this devata at Bakong has lost most of one arm

The style of the female form is in its early stages here at Bakong, not yet achieving the beautiful representations we see later at Angkor Wat for example

Another good example of a devata at Bakong, now devoid of its stucco lime mortar covering

This devata has a fat face and isn't at all beautiful in her appearance

On the faint white trace of stucco remains on this devata and is missing from the mini-temple above

This devata stands on a tall plinth and the mini-temple above her is in fair condition, as is she