A passage for deities

The door behind this guardian statue at Banteay Srei is a false door, for deities only. (Learn more)

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This statue guards the entrance to an ornately carved central tower at Banteay Srei Temple. The false door behind the statue is made of stone; the original doors used by Khmer worshippers were made of wood and long ago deteriorated in the humid, tropical weather.

The statue of the male guardian nature spirit (known as a yaksa) is missing its right arm. Many of the original Angkor area temple statues are safely stored in museums with replicas on display at the outdooe temple sites. In small niches to the sides of the door are female deities (known as devata) who signify fertility and good blessings.

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Definitions

Khmer n.
The ethnic group to which most Cambodians belong.
deity n.
A god or goddess.

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