SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA—The Khmer Times reports that a team of archaeologists led by Chea Socheat of Cambodia’s Apsara National Authority discovered a large turtle sculpted from sandstone at the Kandal Srah Srang temple of Siem Reap province’s Angkor Archaeological Park. Socheat said the statue, which measures approximately 22 by 37 inches, is estimated to be about 1,000 years old, and may have been used in the preparation of offerings to the Hindu god Vishnu associated with the Sea of Milk churning ceremony. A rectangular mark on the turtle’s shell resembles a lid, suggesting something may have been kept inside it. “The turtle is known as one of the avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu," said Socheat. "Sometimes, turtles are placed as a votive object in a temple’s foundations or at its center." A white crystal stone also thought to have been used in Vishnu rituals, two metal tridents, and a carved head of a naga, a part human, part-serpentine being, were also found. To read about a bodhisattva statue recently unearthed at Angkor, go to "Around the World: Cambodia."
