A Giant Sandstone Guardian Statue Was Discovered At A Remote Temple In Cambodia, Broken Into Six Pieces

They usually hold weapons like swords or maces to represent warriors protecting royal and religious sites.

The sandstone guardian statue was transported to the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum for further study, where it remains preserved today.

The discovery of the guardian statue was not the only fascinating find to come from Angkor Wat Archaeological Park over the years.

During an excavation at the Ta Prohm temple within the park earlier in 2017, archaeologists unearthed more than 100 Buddha statues.

The statues came in various sizes and had been rendered in a number of different positions. They often sat cross-legged. They were also made in the Bayon style during the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

Nowadays, Angkor Wat is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. At one point, it was announced as the most photogenic site in Asia, beating out icons like China’s Great Wall, the Taj Mahal, Kyoto’s Historical Monuments of Japan, and more. It is one of the biggest tourist hotspots in Asia.

The site attracted over 651,000 visitors in the first eight months of 2024, earning more than $31 million in ticket sales.

In December 2023, Angkor Wat became the unofficial “Eighth Wonder of the World,” replacing Pompeii in Italy.