Ancient lion statue found in Cambodian temple

Cambodian archaeologists have found a large lion statue that was hundreds of years underground near the pier in The Banteay Chhmar temple complex. According To Prak Sovannara, Director General of the heritage Department at the Ministry of culture, the statue was discovered accidentally on February 3 while digging a hole near a local pond.

The find is made of Sandstone and was created at the turn of the XII–XIII centuries. The artifact Lay at a depth of one meter and still looks very good. The height of the figure exceeds 2 m, and the width is 70 cm. It Was located upside down, because first it was found the base on which the legs are fixed.

The statue was returned to the temple built during the reign of king Jayavarman VII. The exterior of the building is decorated with bas - reliefs depicting scenes of military operations and everyday life. The temple of Banteay Chhmar is one of the oldest places of Cambodia, which is planning to make in the world heritage list of UNESCO.