King Jayavarman VII’s god-like image and attributes:
Statues and sculptures of all sizes resemble a sitting, meditating Buddha. He favored several positions in two different forms:
- Meditating with crossed knees and hands open resting on the lap; eyes closed with a peaceful smile and hair pulled into a chignon and the absence of a cloth across his chest.
- Meditating in the same sitting position, but on a coiled 7 head naga (cobra) that covered his entire back. His brilliantly simple traits and symbolic signs were intended to influence the population, but all symbols, sculptures, and statues of him became easy targets of mass destruction by his enemies over the centuries.
Queen Indradevi and Queen Jayarajadevi’s goddess-images and attributes:
- Thus far, the two have always been found together in a pair. Where Indradevi was found, Queen Jayarajadevi was nearby.
- They usually wore a peacock-like tiara or crown, with 8+ flowerets (see #1).
- They posed with specific arms and hands position. An arm is up at shoulder level and the hand in the form of a karana mutra, a gesture for banishing an enemy or warding off evil. The other arm elegantly hanging at the side of the body with the hand in a form of varada mudra, the palm of the hand facing forward, symbolizing charity, and compassion (see #2).
- Their favored earrings were small bunched rings or earrings fashioned like the body belts.
- Most of time they wore several necklaces adorning the chest from the neckline to the breast line with body lace or belts across the torso encircling to the waist line, called baudriers (see #3).
- They wore jasmine-like garlands that serpentine from one side to the next, like a shawl (see #4).
- In the three temples, the fashion of the dress looked the same, with the fishtail to the left or to the right (see #5).
- Types of pedestal (see #6): Standing in a dwelling structure with musicians, the king, maids, dancing apsaras, and or a servant at the pedestal and a bird, or standing on the lotus flower or pod, or a praying Buddha on top on the alcove.
Table of the royal attibutes and unique hallmarks to the queens
In conclusion, the queens’ sculptures display exquisite workmanship. They are the most impressive sculptures found in all the Angkor grounds. Queen Indradevi and Queen Jayarajadevi deserve to be protected and placed in a museum for the entire world and the Khmer people to cherish.
The queens’ images and poses in Banteay Kdei.
