Sculptures – Khmer Civilization. The
stone carving skill of the ancient Khmer was basically inherited from
the Indian civilization, however, it was later evolved into its own
unique Khmer style.

The Khmer sculptures were carved from stone with great craftsmanship and many of them represent the Hindu deities such as Shiva, Vishnu, Brahmans,
the elephant god Ganesha and many other gods and goddesses, as well as
Hindu mythical monsters such as the serpent naga, the demon kala, the
giant makara, and the mythical lions. Some large sculptures even
portray the epics of the Hindu myths such as Mahabharata and Ramayana.
In later centuries, the Buddha statues appeared and enshrined in many
temples. The most astounding Buddha statues are found in Angkor Thom
(Bayon) where the magnificent statues of four-faced Bodhisattava
Avalokiteshvara, the lord Buddha, were sculptured on fifty towers.
Although each sculpture bears the common characteristics of the
supernatural being it represents as described in the epics or myths, its
details reveal the personal imagination of its sculptor. The good
examples can be seen in the 2000 sculptures of Apsara in Angkor Wat; the
Apsara are the female devatas (angels), and each Apsara was beautifully
carved with her own supple posture, personal decorations and unique
ornaments.
In addition, some sculptures depict the important events such as the
war against its foreign invaders while some reveal the everyday life of
the Khmer people such as the relief carvings of Angkor Thom.
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