#class 23

[supertrainstationh]

44020D D5905 Stratford 9 Apr 71 by Dave58282 Via Flickr: D5905 was eventually scrapped in 1973.

[aastha-ugc]

pre-class response, class 23

(link to the original source)

This artefact was created in Cambodia, around 1150 - 1250 CE. It’s a sculpture of Buddha, who is sheltered by, and sitting on, a snake-like being, known as the Muchalinda. (naga translates to snake). 

This artefact is interesting to me for two reasons. One, as the information provided mentions, Hinduism was prevalent and dominant in Cambodia during this time period, yet one of the artefacts that was kept and preserved was the Buddha’s. This could go to show the intersection or intertwining of the different religions, perhaps? Another reason this interested me was because the imagery of snakes being a protector or an accompaniment to Buddha never came to me. Given the perception we have of snakes in general now, seeing an important figure in Buddhism with snakes just made me do a double-take at the picture.