Boundary Stones

Preah Khan, Angkor

Upright boundary stones line the entrance causeway. Their pillars display telamons of chimeras with the head of a lion, the body of a man, and the legs and feet of a garuda. The niches originally held images of the Buddha (the religion of Jayavarman VII), but most of these were chiseled out in a fit of Hindu iconoclasm by Jayavarman VIII (1243-1295). The photo above shows one of the few niches that is still intact.