Kampong Trabek: Skanda

CAMBODIA, Prey Veng, Kampong Trabek

The sculpture was unearthed from Kampong Trabek in Cambodia and depicts Skanda riding a peaock. Skanda was originally a deity from Hindu mythology with many heads and arms. After being assimilated into Buddhism, he became a Dharma protector and one of the eight generals under Virudhaka, the Heavenly King of the South.
The peacock’s spreading plumage almost looks like an aureole. Proportionally, the figure has a large head with curled hair arranged into three topknots. Skanda’s prominent eyebrows are joined and he has a wide, triangular nose, a large mouth and elongated earlobes that are hollowed. The broad-shouldered body is devoid of any ornaments. The left hand is holding onto the neck of the peacock while the damaged implement in the right may be a scepter.