ARCHAEOLOGISTS from the APSARA National Authority (ANA) recently discovered a large statue of a turtle buried at the bottom of a pond in the Angkor Wat area.
The turtle, according to experts, was likely involved in the preparation of spiritual offerings during construction of the Angkor Wat Temple, and offerings to Hindu deity Vishnu.
The Phnom Penh Post reported that the team of archaeologists had discovered a large turtle sculpture that is made of ancient sandstone.
APSARA is the Cambodian management authority responsible for protecting the Angkor Archaeological Park.
Archaeologist Chea Socheat said there was no refinement to the decorative design, but the turtle shell has a rectangular lid as if there was something hidden in it.
The turtle statue, he said, was associated with the spirit offering festival during the construction of the Angkor Wat Temple foundation and was a Vishnu offering associated with the Sea of Milk churning ceremony.
The team has not yet opened the lid on the shell, and it is not known what treasures could be inside it.
"In past discoveries at the Neak Pean temple, researchers found a similar turtle sculpture but it was smaller than this one.
"Inside oit, there were some precious and rare stones, bronze threads, and a cloth wrapped in a kind of grain associated with Vishnu rituals during that time," Socheat said.
He said that since the March 27 excavation, the team had opened an 11m by 14m pit. Initially, they found traces of soil scratches used to build the temple. Nearby, there was a trace of digging to make a drainage ditch.
Socheat said in the canal, a white crystal stone of a kind thought to be valuable in Vishnu rituals was found. Later, the team found a dragon and tridents, but they were moved to the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum.
His team, he said, would continue to study the turtle to learn more about the sculpture and other artefacts. This research should provide evidence to better interpret the history and construction of Angkor temples.
ANA deputy director-general Kim Sothin said the team was successful in building a dam and pumping water from the excavation site, after which four architects were brought in to supervise the excavation.
Archaeologists have uncovered ancient artefacts and objects in the pond used in the daily lives of the ancient people, he said.
He said while the discovery of the ancient remains is significant, archaeologists have not yet been able to conclude the period of the objects or why they were placed there.
Keywords: Angkor Wat, archaeologists, statue, Hindu deity, Cambodia