Ping Pong Mystery:
A collection of artifacts recorded by Bernard Philippe Groslier, the conservator of the temples of Angkor, in March 1959 at a small ruined brick temple in the Roluos Group named Prasat Ping Pong (or Prei Ping Pang) has provided scholars with a little mystery. One of the damaged stone artifacts, in four fragments, which they uncovered was a distinctive plump bodied male figure, adorned in decorative jewelry, sitting in the royal ease posture and holding what some believe to be a mongoose or rat in his left hand. It’s an altogether unique representation of a deity, sat on a circular pedestal with large lotus-petal motifs, which suggest, as Groslier noted, either the Hindu deity Kubera, or the Buddhist tantric deity Jambhala. They are interchangeable being jointly revered as the directional guardian of the north (as a dikpala) and chief of the Yakshas (nature spirits), while also identified as the god of wealth and riches, protector of jewels and other treasures. Sculptures of either deity are very rare, with the one found by Groslier demanding our attention with its quirky appearance, covered in body jewelry, his braided hair flowing out to the side and his pot-belly overhanging his pleated sampot with an effervescent bow at the rear. The other sculptures collected by Groslier and his team at Prasat Ping Pong include a well-preserved 12th century female deity, besides her missing arms and feet, and a Buddha head. They are believed to be currently housed at the Angkor Conservation Depot in Siem Reap.Credit By :Andy Brouwer