Naga and Garuda
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| Naga |
Naga and Garuda are mythological creatures, originally from Hinduism who came eventually to be part of Buddhist mythology as well. We find them together in several temples at Angkor, and outside Angkor Park too" says Cheam Phally, senior architect for the World Monuments Fund Program in Angkor.
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| Garuda |
And though rooted in Indian mythology, over time Cambodia has made these deities its own, giving them a new life, new powers, new stories and uniquely Khmer representations.
In the Hindu tales, the Naga was a chariot for Varuna, the god of rain, and often represented as a negative force, a persecutor of other creatures. Sometimes with five heads, sometimes with seven, they are now found everywhere in Cambodia, and while they may look similar, their character is transformed.
In Khmer culture, the Naga represents fertility and the feminine, even the divine amniotic fluid that is the source of all life. She is a protector of waterways and against the ferocious monsoon rains. She marks the crossing from the earthly world to the heavenly, a sacred transition across the water.
More than that, she has been adopted as the mother of all Khmer, a leading character in the Cambodia foundation myth, whose story is still intimately tied in with modern marriage customs.
And where there are Naga, there will also be its nemesis, the Garuda, the giant bird who was Vishnu's mount in the Hindu epics. Stories of him go back almost 4000 years when he was celebrated for his strength, speed and martial prowess. He is also revered for his protection against snake bites, and prayers were offered to the Garuda to remove snakes from one's path.
In those tales the Naga and Garuda are sworn enemies, caught up in an endless battle for supremacy. In Hindu images, the Garuda often wears amulets of the snake; tokens of their battle. In Buddhism, the dominance of the Garuda is thought to symbolise the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia, with Nagas representing the indigenous beliefs the people held before (and continue to today).
Khmer art and architecture, with their symmetrical temples, depend greatly on the
balancing of opposites, of night and day, good and evil, light and dark, the sun and moon. The Naga and Garuda look like perfect talismans in this eternal struggle. But it wouldn't be right to consider them opposites.
The two enemies are cut from the same fabric. In fact, in the Hindu epics, they have the same father, and their resultant rivalry is the basis for all the ensuing conflict. In some images, the two are connected by a rainbow, so that despite their rivalry they are part of a union. Like life and death, you cannot have one without the other.
But they are not always presented in conflict. At many temples, the two are presented together, sometimes upholding the Buddha who once brokered a temporary peace between the two implacable enemies. Together they are in fact a symbol for how even the most impossible of disputes can be overcome.
"We observe them joined together in one piece especially in the architectures erected during King Jayavarman VII's reign," explains Phally, referring especially to Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei and Preah Khan. And when this is the case, then the relationship between the two becomes defined not by conflict, but by peace.
"In his temples, Jayavarman VII [who was a fervent Buddhist] wanted to combine Hinduism and Buddhism together and bring peace to his Kingdom that way. Combining the two enemies together, under the guidance of Buddha, was thus extremely symbolic of this peaceful union," says Phally.
According to Phally, the most beautiful examples of this can be found at Preah Khan, where the World Monuments Fund team is restoring all 72 with support from a novel initiative, Adopt A Garuda.
"Originally, 72 sculptures depicting the Garuda holding two multi-headed snakes aloft in his hands were carved in the outermost enclosure wall. The Garuda and Naga together are serving as the guardians and protectors of the temple," she says. "At Preah Khan, Jayavarman VII could bring unity and peace also by having some portions of the temple with a Hindu dedication while others were Buddhist."
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