Khmer-Period Carvings Unearthed at Buddhist Shrine in Thailand

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND—The Bangkok Post reports that a decorative lintel and a stone gate have been earthed in northeastern Thailand at the site of Prasat Ban Bu Yai, a shrine built by King Jayavarman VII some 1,000 years ago on the road connecting Angkor and Phimai. Rakchart Kiriwattanasak of Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Administrative Organization Council said that the carvings on the lintel depict the god Indra riding on the back of the elephant Airavata. Previous excavations at the site have uncovered three other lintels; a well-preserved Shiva linga; a tympanum, or triangular wall surface decorated with carvings of a hermit; and stone pillars carved with floral patterns and mythical golden lions holding garlands. To read about fire shrines that Jayavarman VII built along road networks throughokut the Angkor Empire, go to "The Pursuit of Wellness: Rest."