Tag: apsara

  • A horse stands in front of Angkor Wat, in Cambodia.

    Photo du Jour: A Bejeweled Horse – Angkor Wat, Cambodia

    The magic of Angkor Wat and magnificent Cambodian temples like Ta Prohm and  Bayon is all in the details: richly-carved female devata and apsara bas-relief figures, a visiting Buddhist monk clad in a tangerine-colored robe spotted amid the grey structures, a handsome horse wearing a bejeweled bridle in Angkor Wat’s fore.

  • Two pairs of devatas (goddesses) are shown carved into Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

    The Devatas and Apsaras of Angkor Wat in Black & White

    The 1,796 female figures rendered in sandstone on Angkor Wat’s pillars and walls have weathered war and a harsh tropical environment for more than 800 years. During my first visit to Angkor Wat in 2009, I was struck by the beauty and individuality of these devatas, which decorate the largest religious building in the world. When…

  • Six adults, dressed in traditional Cambodian costumes, stand near Angkor Wat.

    Angkorian Dress-Up in Cambodia

    The silken costumes with gold embellishments transform these Angkor Wat models into winged creatures, apsaras, and other mythological beings from Angkorian times. They position themselves in a prime location within Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat complex.