Shiva as the Lord of Yoga

East Gopura, Phnom Rung

This pediment above the east gopura shows Shiva, with beard and "inverted trident" hairstyle, dressed as an ascetic and sitting in lalitasana. He is perhaps assimilated, as Freeman (p.103) suggests, to the ruler Narendraditya who built the temple. At any rate, this and other Shiva images around the temple show that it was a Shaiva dedication, although some images of Vishnu also appear.

In spite of extensive damage below the Shiva figure, one can see that the god was originally surrounded by flying celestials and heavenly maidens. At the base of the pediment, an elongated male figure is cradled by numerous females - queens, perhaps, or attendants.

The lintel below the pediment (next page) is finely carved and shows a god or goddess seated upon a kala and carrying a lotus.