Fragment of a statue of the Buddha Enthroned on a Serpent (Naga)

The Khmer kingdom arose over the sixth and seventh centuries and ended in 1431. At its height in the thirteenth century, the kingdom extended across present-day Cambodia and into the eastern region of Thailand, southern area of Laos, and southwest section of Vietnam. The kingdom was centered around the region north of the Tonlé Sap (“Great Lake”) in present-day Cambodia. Its capital, Yaśhodharapura (“The City that Bears Glory”) is today known as Angkor. Early Khmer sculpture and architecture combined aspects from indigenous religious practice with Hindi deities and rites imported from India—the result being a unique cultural fusion. During the reign of Jayavarman VII (1118–1219), the empire’s first Buddhist monarch, the image of the meditating Buddha enthroned on a serpent became extremely popular. This fragment of the upper portion of one such sculpture depicts the Buddha in his role as Chakravartin (universal sovereign), wearing a crown and earrings. This sculpture would have originally been set within a temple; research is ongoing to determine from which temple it was removed.